Imperial Brown Ale
Bayhawk Ales

Imperial Brown AleImperial Brown Ale
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From:
Bayhawk Ales
 
California, United States
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
7.9%
Score:
73
Avg:
3 | pDev: 29%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
39
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 28, 2015
Added:
Mar 23, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
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Photo of the_awesometeer
Reviewed by the_awesometeer from California

3.95/5  rDev +31.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Nice chocolate brown with a tan foamy head. Sweet smelling with hints of chocolate. The beer is a little thin for a dark beer but not bad. There is a lot of chocolate malt flavoring with nuts and hops.
Nov 28, 2015
Photo of Voldigar
Reviewed by Voldigar from Washington

3.92/5  rDev +30.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked up at the grocery store in Irvine, CA.

Look: Very little head, dark brown with reddish tone. No lace.
Smell: Immediate strong odor. Cocoa, reminiscent of a brownie. Very sweet smell.
Taste: Coffee, alcohol is prominent but not overpowering. Smoky notes and a moderately salty.
Feel: Very effervescent. Unusual after observing the almost non-existent head. Lingering dryness and sting in the mouth. Stops and foams at the front of the palate.

Overall: Enjoyable like dark chocolate. Warm and easy to drink. Many layers of flavor and hints of scotch ale style.
Nov 16, 2015
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.8/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich amber-brown hue with no haze. Head pours a minimal layer of frothy tan foam. Color good, head unimpressive.

Smell: sweet, caramelly, nutty and toasty. It's got kind of a Nutella vibe going on that I really like.

Taste: caramelly and nutty up front, falling into a toasty finish. Sweet all the way through, but with a tannic character through the middle. Other that that, not too bad.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: a decent beer, if a little on the sweet side. I really like the aroma, though.
Nov 10, 2015
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

3.71/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: Karl Strauss 26th anniversary tulip glass
From: Albertsons in Alpine, Calif.
Price: $3.99
Purchased: Oct. 14, 2015
Consumed: Oct. 14, 2015
Misc.: Reviewed as an Olde Ale

Poured a dark brown, mahogany color with 2-to-3 fingers of khaki tan, frothy head, which settled nicely on the top. Average, uneven, foamy lacing on the sides of the glass. Very good retention on the top all the way down. (Sight - 4.25)

Smelled dark chocolate, roasty malts, nuts, sweet caramel, dark toffee, dark red apple peel, faint vanilla and dark cocoa. (Smell - 3.75)

Not as much flavor in the nose as the smell, but still decent. Got dark cocoa, chocolate, roasty nuts, char wood, caramel, toffee and molasses. This would have been higher if it was I was reviewing it as an American Brown Ale. (Taste - 3.50)

Medium-to-full body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.00)

This was a decent beer. This would have been much better for me had it been an ABA that I was reviewing it as. Great deal though and I’d have it again for sure. (Overall - 3.75)

3.71 | 84 | B
Nov 05, 2015
Photo of Fatehunter
Reviewed by Fatehunter from Oregon

2.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours two fingers of light tan head on a dark brown body.
The aroma is vanilla, nutty and roasted malt.
The taste starts with a nice vanilla and nut flavor, then turns down with a watery metallic bitterness. Odd.
The texture is crisp.
It smells fine, but the flavor is a let down.
Apr 28, 2015
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.6/5  rDev +20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From BeerAdvocate Magazine #75 (April 2013):

Pretty damn interesting: So initially this brew was created due the hop shortage of 2009. While it is called an Imperial Brown Ale, the brewer’s intention is an Old Ale. Wood aging and higher ABV seem to work here, even if it is a little off-kilter. Worth a go for sure.

STYLE: Old Ale
ABV: 7.2%
AVAILABILITY: Rotating

LOOK: Brownish garnet, nice froth

SMELL: Subtle smoke, toasted wood, hay, apple skin, vanilla, toffee, stone fruit, yeast

TASTE: Smooth, a little creamy, malty, sweet, smoke, wood, vanilla, alcohol, modest hopping, dried grass, herbal, plums, toasty, slightly biscuity, rose water, woody finish
Mar 07, 2015
Photo of CJNAPS
Rated by CJNAPS from California

4.31/5  rDev +43.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Great Brown ale, will drink again.
Jan 22, 2015
Photo of Jeffreysan
Reviewed by Jeffreysan from Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +45%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
22 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, dark, completely opaque, brown color with a full finger of off-white head that quickly dissolved into a thin lacing of foam that completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Malty, bready, roasty. Notes of brown sugar, freshly baked dark bread, black pepper, floral hops and caramel. Not much in the way of hops however.

Taste: Roasted malt and slight hints of smoke, followed by some brown sugar and caramel-like sweetness, finished by some nicely balanced hops. Ends with some flavors of dried stone fruit, like prunes, figs, and raisins. There is no hops bitterness to speak of, which I overall prefer.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, to slightly chewy. Not much in the carbonation department, though. With an ABV of 7.2%, there is a little bit of alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is a very good brown ale. Smooth, tasty, nicely balanced. Very enjoyable.
Jan 14, 2015
Photo of Donkster46
Rated by Donkster46 from Washington

4.03/5  rDev +34.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was unique. I enjoyed this. Didn't taste sour to me. Maybe the previous reviews got a bad batch.
Jan 08, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by tallguy65 from California

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Rick778 from California

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DeadeyeOTDO from Arizona

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Beerswag from California

Oct 09, 2014
Photo of avwrite
Reviewed by avwrite from California

1.91/5  rDev -36.3%
Jesus, like the other reviews stated, this beer was sour. Unsure if it's intentional or not, and I really thought I had spoiled the beer somehow. Definetly not a good sign when tasting something. There were some hints of oak and smoky flavors, but the sour taste overpowered it. Don't think i'll have this again.
Aug 18, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by wrightst from Maryland

Jun 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by KevMo84 from California

May 21, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by GraduatedCashew from California

Feb 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by wolf_switzer from California

Dec 29, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by casapy from Idaho

Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by pin from Australia

Jun 16, 2013
Imperial Brown Ale from Bayhawk Ales
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 39 ratings