Mighty Brown (471 Series)
Breckenridge Brewery

Mighty Brown (471 Series)Mighty Brown (471 Series)
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From:
Breckenridge Brewery
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 14.64%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
39
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 23, 2015
Added:
Jan 21, 2006
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Stoutsman:
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Rated by Stoutsman from Kansas

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

Jan 14, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Michael-GT
Reviewed by Michael-GT

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Not what I expected. Had it on tap at their headquarters in Denver last week. It was too hoppy. Tasted like a heavy IPA. Wouldn't buy it again and wished I'd have tried their stout on tap instead (haven't had their stout; can't find it on the Western Slope).
Jun 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by GRG1313 from California

Jan 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Oct 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 02, 2012
Photo of TempeBeerMan
Reviewed by TempeBeerMan from Arizona

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A - Pours a very dark brown, with a one-finger beige head of small compact bubbles which dissipated quickly. Intense lattice-like lacing coating every inch of the glass when sipped.

S – Smells exactly like a Tootsie Roll. Cocoa, Dextrin and malt.

T – Taste matches the smell, with strong sweet cocoa and milk chocolate being the predominant flavors. Dextrin sweetness. Tastes like a Tootsie Roll beer. No hop presence detectable. Finishes slightly astringent/metallic which is a minor flaw in an otherwise tasty brew. Slight alcohol esters as it warms.

M – Full chewy body. Creamy/milky. Minimal carbonation. Hangs kind of heavy on the tongue. Slightly syrupy.

O – I enjoyed this. Not terribly complex; sort of a one-note wonder, but it’s a really nice note. Not something I’d want every week, but good every once in a while.
Jan 29, 2012
Photo of Mebuzzard
Reviewed by Mebuzzard from Colorado

3.12/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I love their 471 IPA, but then again I'm a hop head. This one is average.
Pours a medium dark chestnut with a very thin head. Some lacing but overall it seems slick.

Nice aroma of nut, caramel, some roasted malts and vanilla. Straightforward, nothing simple or complex.

Flavors are all in the nose, except for an alcohol-fingernail polish remover finish. Acidic in the end. Not strong, but enough to notice and to downgrade the rating. Makes it feel boozy and not as drinkable as otherwise would have been.
Dec 17, 2010
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.7/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: The pour is a nice dark brown color with some light red highlights to it. A big off-white head forms with the pour.

S: Nice and malty with plenty of toffee and nutty character on the nose. Perhaps a hint of chocolate and caramel, too.

T: Nuts and toffee right up front with maybe just a hint of acidity for some unknown reason. Perhaps it's the subtle fruit flavors I detect. In any case, fairly sweet and malt forward, like a brown ale should be.

M: The body is medium with a lively carbonation to the beer.

D: A pretty nice beer overall. Good flavor and aroma profiles, and easy to drink.
Aug 30, 2010
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.85/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Poured out a dark brown color, almost like a Coca-Cola. It had a small, tan head of bubbly foam that left behind patchy lace.

S - Malt sweetness with some nutty character greets your nose. Some toffee and mild floral notes upon further examination.

T - This brown is malty sweet and a little boozy. The hops are muted and can't stand up to the sweetness.

M - It was crisp and sharp with a sticky mouthfeel. A medium bodied beer.

D - This is an interesting brown ale - very sweet and malty with a moderate alcohol warmth.
May 04, 2010
Photo of budgood1
Reviewed by budgood1 from Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
mighty brown. small batch series.

pours out of the 22oz. bottle an opaque brown. some orange highlights. thinnish tan head leaving some clinging lace. big nutty aroma...lots of yeasty root beer like hints with some anise. mighty brown strikes the tongue with sweet boozy notes of malted milk balls....a bit like baileys and cream with hints of raspberry. some bright west coast hoppiness kisses the edges of sweetness and provide a subtle bitterness. lots going on in the taste profile. very tasty. soft and velvety mouthfeel provides some nice texture. curvaceous, supple body. great drinkability.

almost as good as the ESB. another delicious small batch series beer that is highly recommended. yummy!
Mar 23, 2010
Photo of Wutz
Reviewed by Wutz from North Dakota

3.87/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Reviewed on 2-4-2010:

Appearance: near-black brown with burnt-red to blood-red highlights with thick head dissipating quickly to a thin cream-colored layer of foam.

Smell: Lots of chocolates, caramels, some dark fruits, coffee, toffee, and a little vanilla.

Taste: Starts chocolatey with caramels and finishes with dark fruits, raisins for me.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied but bit of carbonation keeps it from getting too heavy.

Drinkability: Must be fairly good, I kept reaching for it.
Feb 21, 2010
Photo of mikeyv35
Reviewed by mikeyv35 from New York

4.07/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
SAMPLED ON 11/22/2009
2009 VINTAGE - 22OZ. BOTTLE
SERVED INTO GULDEN DRAAK TULIP GLASS

The appearance on this one was pretty appealling. Poured a very deep brown mahoghany in color, w/ a thin creamy tan head that dissipated quickly. Light lacing hung and remained on the glass. The nose was of strong vanilla followed by light caramel, burnt toffee, anise, and coffee. In the taste the coffee reared it's head the most w/ notes of caramel and burnt toffee in the background, and w/ only the slightest hop bite on the finish - really all about the malts. Mouthfeel was medium bodied and smooth w/ adequate carbonation. Drinkability is great, I polished off a 22oz. bomber of this brew w/ ease and could not even taste the 7.5% ABV, and that is saying alot because I am not a big drinker.

Overall, a very nice offering from Breckenridge. A good pumped up interpretation of the style. Would visit again surely, but will probably not have another chance to w/ this brew being a once off from a brewery not in the east coast market.
Nov 24, 2009
Photo of Brewsta
Reviewed by Brewsta from Colorado

2.71/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
Aroma is malty, sweet, rich, with a toasty caramel finish. Hop auroma is slight, predominantly spicy. Some fruity esters, mainly apple. Little to no diacetyl preceptable.

Appearance is very dark brown. Head is thick at pour and diminishes into a thin lace.

Flavor is intensely malty with caramel flavor. Hop bitterness also intense bordering on sourness of green apples, maybe astringent. The finish is slightly dry.

Mouthfeel is full bodied with powerful alcohol warmth.

My overall impression, every aspect of the classic brown ale is taken to an extreem which produces a strongly flavored brew.
Nov 15, 2009
Photo of BrewIndy
Reviewed by BrewIndy from Indiana

4.7/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Dark and then some more dark. Poured with a bit of head but it goes down to almost none. Perhaps it was too cold.

S: Smells like a brown but there are some definite coffee hints in there. It almost smells like a porter. Very good.

T: Wow! Some malt hits you as well as the chocolate tones. Dark chocolate really that mixes nicely with the maltiness. Mmmm. There is a bit of bitterness in there too. But wow, the chocolate flavors out of this are awesome! This is probably the best brown I've ever had. I'll be sad when I can't buy this one anymore.

M: Creamy, silky, with a bit of bitter almost cola like feel all at the same time. Awesome!

D: this one is a sipper obviously from the high ABV but I could sip on this all night long. I might have to buy a few of these to get me through winter!

Overall: If you can find this buy it. Well worth a try! This is one of the better beers I've had lately.
Aug 02, 2009
Photo of gmfessen
Reviewed by gmfessen from Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer is a deep brown color, with a one-finger, creamy looking head. The smell is malty sweet with a touch of earthy hops to finish. The taste is more complex than I would have guessed from the nose; hints of dark fruits, caramel, chocolate and only a slight warming sensation from the moderate alcohol content. The mouthfeel is full bodied and has a low carbonation. Drinkability is pretty good, a definite winner. If you can find this one, pick it up before it's gone forever!
Jul 27, 2008
Photo of 1fastz28
Reviewed by 1fastz28 from Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
pours a really dark cola color with hardly any head, its smell is a really sweet and malty

taste is sweet like the taste, hardly any hop flavor to it, but lots of sweet malt and some mild caramel accents. while it is a bit on the stronger side, it isn't really obvious in the taste.

it says that this beer is retired, sucks its a pretty good beer
Feb 17, 2008
Photo of blakesell
Reviewed by blakesell from Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from bomber into a wine style (Ommegang) glass.

Appearance- Very dark, downright black. Pretty large amount of carbonation for a brown ale. Thick head with very nice lacing. Large bubbles interwoven with tiny bubbles that ring the glass.

Smell- Molasses, Honey, prunes, Fig, the honey flavor lingers the most. It actually smells a bit like Sam Adams Honey Porter, but not so extreme on the sweetness.

Taste- Slight burnt flavor, very thick flavor, clearly a lot of malts used on this one. If I had to wager a guess, I would say 80L, some non-malted barly, and maybe something lighter. Rich honey and dark fruit flavors in with the spice of hops. Carbonation in this beer is just lovely.

Mouthfeel- Thick and yet still very light on the tongue. Slight alcohol burn at the end. the 7.5%ABV creeps up on you. I could have this on tap not knowing the strength and unwisely put quite a few away.

Drinkability- Very, deceptively delicious. This is a very nice brown. Not my favourite of all time, but I could drink this for quite a while. Too bad it was a limited engagement.
Jul 27, 2007
Photo of pmcadamis
Reviewed by pmcadamis from Illinois

4.32/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A - Poured from a bomber into a brandy snifter, this forms a small soapy looking one finger head surrounded by a fat collar. The brew is dark chocolate brown / black and a swirl brings up s full finger of foam that disappears quickly and leaves a decent amount of wet lace on the glass.

S - Dark and milk chocolate with roasted almonds and cashews. Dark roast coffee with a whiff of alcohol (like my Irish grandma's morning coffee!) Black bitter coffee and a hint of leafy hops. Seems like a porter-light to me.

T - Rich chocolate malt with some deeply nutty flavors. Count Chocula marshmallows and bitter dark chocolate (baker's chocolate?) Chocolate coated coffee bean candy, toffee, and peanut brittle. Some leafy hops and alcohol flavors are there too, but the bitterness comes mainly from the roasty stout-like flavors.

M - Mildly carbonated with a relatively full body and very lush and silky mouthfeel. Some alcohol warmth is noted, and welcome.

D - Damn the 7.5% ABV! I could drink a few bombers of this! This is a damn fine brown ale with many porter-like qualities. An Imperial Brown if you will.
Jul 17, 2007
Photo of sullysbeer
Reviewed by sullysbeer from Michigan

3.94/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma: Sweet and Malty, Chocolate. Delicate hope nose...Mmmm!

Appearance: Deep Opal or Opaque. Clear with ruby highlights when put up to the light. A creamy off white head retention.

Flavor: Sweet up front then a burst of chocolate and roasted flavors that finishes with a light bitterness. Hints of licorice.

Mouthfeel: Medium body - carbonation is right on!

Overall Impression: Great brown ale. Well balanced. Has a huge chocolate flavor! Breckenridge Brewery veers away from their mainline beers and produces small batches. On occasion, an ale will get enough attention and they bottle up the batch in bomber bottles, 22oz. bottles. So keep an eye out for them. This is one of'em.
Jul 10, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Roasted hazelnut infused with darkest ruby. Even indirect sunlight betrays the beer's lack of opacity, but then I haven't seen too many light-rejecting brown ales (Imperial or otherwise). The toasted beige cap is small to start and counts creaminess as its only redeeming feature. A respectable amount of lace makes its way to the glass.

The nose is on the underpowered side and isn't very different from the noses on any number of American brown ales. In fact, it's barely above average for the style. Well-toasted brown bread sprinkled with cocoa powder is the extent of things. At least the generous ABV is hidden impressively well.

Mighty Brown is another in a long line of decent, but far from spectacular, Breckenridge brews. Only 471 IPA has earned a respectable score from me, and it's far from wonderful across the board. I would have thought that the brewers would have put a little more effort into their 'Breck Bomber' series of big beers.

For starters, any American brown ale that hopes to impress needs to have a more sturdy malt backbone. That should have been numbero uno on the 'things to do' list since all sorts of good things would have fallen in place as a result. The flavor profile consists of dark caramel and vodka-soaked dates. Although the beer isn't horribly sweet, it still manages to taste saccharine-like.

Actually, the alcohol is hidden fairly well. It's just that there aren't a whole lot of bombastic flavors floating around that would completely eliminate it. In the end, this is a drinkable beer that fails to even nudge the needle on the ol' excitement meter. Jacking up the ABV on a lackluster brown ale results in... a beer very much like 471 Mighty Brown.

I was tempted to penalize the mouthfeel for being insufficiently full. It's no more hefty than a standard brown ale, but gains some amount of smoothness and finishing stickiness as it warms. The same lack of carbonation that fails to generate much of a head each time beer is added to the glass, fails to excite the mouth and tongue.

Mighty Brown isn't mighty at all. The simple, unflashy, silk-screened label on the outside of the bottle is a fair approximation of what's inside the bottle. I've given up hope that Breckenridge will ever 'wow' me. It's a damn good thing that Coloradans have a great deal else to choose from when it comes to craft beer.
Apr 20, 2007
Mighty Brown (471 Series) from Breckenridge Brewery
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 39 ratings