-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Boffo Brown Ale
Dark Horse Brewing Company
- From:
- Dark Horse Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American Brown Ale
Ranked #188 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 85
Ranked #21,480 - Avg:
- 3.76 | pDev: 10.37%
- Reviews:
- 216
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 01, 2024
- Added:
- Jan 08, 2004
- Wants:
- 24
- Gots:
- 138
The Boffo Brown ale is a beer that we brewed years ago and then put it in semi retirement for a couple years while we focused on other brands at the brewery. We have recently put it back onto active duty and are brewing it all year. The beer itself is delicious and is a favorite to many of us here at the brewery. Just as most of our beers it's on the "full body" scale pushing the envelope of what an American Brown Ale is to most people. The beer is a very deep/dark color of brown with a nice creamy tan head. The mouthfeel of the beer is very soft and is very drinkable. Flavors of malt, caramel, toffee, and a mild earthy nutty finish allow this beer to be paired with hearty food and sips of bourbon.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Kerrie:
More User Ratings:
Rated by Otter-the-Beer-Man from Maryland
3.73/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A little too bitter on the aftertaste.
Sep 02, 2023Reviewed by NorsemanOne from Utah
3.85/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured at fridge temp into a 20oz willi becher
Pours brown with light chestnut highlights and a tan head. 3.75
Big toffee and some hops on the nose. 4.75
Toffee, some slightly bitter coffee, earthy hops and a touch of sweetness. 4
Light and moderately filling with lingering hop oils.3.75
Overall a nice hoppy American brown ale. 3.75
Apr 27, 2023Pours brown with light chestnut highlights and a tan head. 3.75
Big toffee and some hops on the nose. 4.75
Toffee, some slightly bitter coffee, earthy hops and a touch of sweetness. 4
Light and moderately filling with lingering hop oils.3.75
Overall a nice hoppy American brown ale. 3.75
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.71/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.71/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Jan. 2011: 12 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV not mentioned on the label. Very dark brown colour, nearly black. Big to moderate tan head. Nice malty aroma with notes of caramel and brown bread. The flavour is distinctly malty with notes of caramel and brown bread again, without becoming too sweet. Low bitterness. Nutty finish.
Dec 15, 2022Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
3.32/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.32/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Boffo Brown from Dark Horse Brewing. 12 oz can. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Received from @Whyteboar in NBW BIF #16. Reviewed 15/12/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Served at 45.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 48.3 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, sinopia and translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, medium density, quickly diminishing to a 0.2 cm crown with a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak toasted malt, no hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 – Flavor follows the nose – toasted malt, slightly bitter, no hops, no yeast. No ethanol (7 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Thin, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated personal container) Weak and nearly flavorless. Ethanol content is too high to be an “English” brown ale.
Dec 15, 2022Undated can. Served at 45.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 48.3 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, sinopia and translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, medium density, quickly diminishing to a 0.2 cm crown with a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak toasted malt, no hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 – Flavor follows the nose – toasted malt, slightly bitter, no hops, no yeast. No ethanol (7 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Thin, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 (After deducting 0.25 point for undated personal container) Weak and nearly flavorless. Ethanol content is too high to be an “English” brown ale.
Rated by LeeRosenblum from Michigan
4.33/5 rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Much better on draft at the brewery than in cans (duh!) or drafts I've had of this elsewhere
Sep 03, 2021Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota
3.79/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a bottle into a Nonic point.
Pours very dark brown but fairly clear, with faint red highlights. The head is decent. The lacing is really special.
Toasted caramel malt, cashew, very mild coffee and quite restrained chocolate notes on the nose.
The flavor follows the nose in many ways, but with more complexity and aggressiveness. On the front and middle of the palate, in addition to caramel malt and cashew sweetness, some sharp malt grain is present, along with some fairly solid earthy bitter hops and booze at the finish.
It is lighter than it looks from a weight standpoint. Medium, creamy, and just a little drying from the booze.
Overall, it's a little harsh on the booze and hop, even allowing for the stated intentions, but still a brew that I'd recommend trying because it's well constructed.
Aug 30, 2020Pours very dark brown but fairly clear, with faint red highlights. The head is decent. The lacing is really special.
Toasted caramel malt, cashew, very mild coffee and quite restrained chocolate notes on the nose.
The flavor follows the nose in many ways, but with more complexity and aggressiveness. On the front and middle of the palate, in addition to caramel malt and cashew sweetness, some sharp malt grain is present, along with some fairly solid earthy bitter hops and booze at the finish.
It is lighter than it looks from a weight standpoint. Medium, creamy, and just a little drying from the booze.
Overall, it's a little harsh on the booze and hop, even allowing for the stated intentions, but still a brew that I'd recommend trying because it's well constructed.
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
4.25/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a nonic pint glass.
The appearance was a dark chestnut amber to brown color in my glass yet had more of a dark amber color in the pour itself. An eggshell white foamy finger's worth of head sat on top and dissipated to leave a valley in the center. Some wavy lace stuck to the glass.
The aroma had some milk chocolate, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, dark toast, roasted nuts, coffee bean sweet the some semi-dry earthy hops rolling in to try and blend, somewhat.
The flavor leaned towards the sweet end initially and brought the roastiness in on a round about sort of way with some dark toast and earthy bitter hops. Semi-sticky aftertaste of dark chocolate, earthy bitterness and a touch cocoa powder.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability despite having a higher than normal ABV for the style. Luckily, the ABV isn't distracting at all. Good carbonation and plenty of smoothness along my tongue, no grip and nothing sticky.
Overall, it's a pretty nicely done English brown ale well worthy of coming back to.
Nov 26, 2019The appearance was a dark chestnut amber to brown color in my glass yet had more of a dark amber color in the pour itself. An eggshell white foamy finger's worth of head sat on top and dissipated to leave a valley in the center. Some wavy lace stuck to the glass.
The aroma had some milk chocolate, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, dark toast, roasted nuts, coffee bean sweet the some semi-dry earthy hops rolling in to try and blend, somewhat.
The flavor leaned towards the sweet end initially and brought the roastiness in on a round about sort of way with some dark toast and earthy bitter hops. Semi-sticky aftertaste of dark chocolate, earthy bitterness and a touch cocoa powder.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability despite having a higher than normal ABV for the style. Luckily, the ABV isn't distracting at all. Good carbonation and plenty of smoothness along my tongue, no grip and nothing sticky.
Overall, it's a pretty nicely done English brown ale well worthy of coming back to.
Reviewed by nicholas2121 from Ohio
4/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Boffo Brown Ale brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company, with an ABV of 7.00% This English Brown Ale pours out of a 12oz glass bottle into a pint beer glass. The color is a light to medium brown color with a small off white cream colored head. There is also a nice amount of lacing to this brew, it sticks to the side of the glass well. The smell is rich with roasted grains and malts mixed with a slight sweetness. So far Boffo Brown Ale is a nice inviting brew. Now for the taste, it is Bold with flavors. Lots of nice roasted goodness in the taste of this brew. The slight sweetness is a nice touch to this brew. The body of Boffo Brown Ale is a solid medium. There is nothing overpowering about this brew it has a super nice balance to it. I can't get over how smooth this brew goes down, it is really hard to pick up on the 7.00% ABV in this brew. The mouth feel is Bold, Rich, Roasted, Clean, Smooth, and Refreshing. Overall I am going to give Boffo Brown Ale a solid 4 out of 5. I would definitely look this brew up again giving the opportunity too. Dark Horse Brewing Company, did a real super nice job with this English Brown Ale.
Jul 07, 2019Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
3.83/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at The Revelry in Rochester, NY.
This one pours a medium dark brown color, with a small fluffy head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like toasted bread, cocoa, nuts, and earthy hops.
The taste is the same. It’s a little watery, but the flavors are certainly classic brown ale. It’s toasty, slightly toasty, a little bit of chocolate, and bit of stale hops on the back end - earthy and just slightly bitter.
This is creamy but definitely watery thin. It’s fairly drinkable.
This is no frills and fairly decent.
May 25, 2019This one pours a medium dark brown color, with a small fluffy head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like toasted bread, cocoa, nuts, and earthy hops.
The taste is the same. It’s a little watery, but the flavors are certainly classic brown ale. It’s toasty, slightly toasty, a little bit of chocolate, and bit of stale hops on the back end - earthy and just slightly bitter.
This is creamy but definitely watery thin. It’s fairly drinkable.
This is no frills and fairly decent.
Reviewed by Rub_This_BBQ from Massachusetts
3.48/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.48/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Deep Mahogany brown with a strong two finger tan head that stays
Nose a touch metallic overpowers the nose a little bit and the taste follows on the front but backed has nice chestnut and malt notes with a nice sweetness
Overall i feel if the tin note was not there this would be amazing brown.
Mar 15, 2019Nose a touch metallic overpowers the nose a little bit and the taste follows on the front but backed has nice chestnut and malt notes with a nice sweetness
Overall i feel if the tin note was not there this would be amazing brown.
Boffo Brown Ale from Dark Horse Brewing Company
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
675 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!