Double Maxim
Maxim Brewery

Double MaximDouble Maxim
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From:
Maxim Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Brown Ale
Ranked #107
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
82
Ranked #25,055
Avg:
3.49 | pDev: 14.04%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 07, 2023
Added:
Oct 04, 2003
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Photo of Offa
Reviewed by Offa from California

4.41/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
cask at Market Tavern, Durham.
Deep brown with tinge of red. Creamy dense pale tan head. Aroma winey wet brown bread and hint of grilled pineapple. Taste toasted brown bread and hint of raisin. bitterness and sweetness both evident but not heavy and balanced nicely. Lively feel not oily. Very nice.
Jan 07, 2023
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

3.68/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle. Clear, dark amber in colour. Thin head.
Sweet, malty smell akin to wholemeal bread which is maintained upon tasting. Gentle bitter finish.
Medium carbonation and body.
To style but not entirely to my liking.
Sep 10, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by steverx8 from England

Mar 27, 2020
 
Rated: 3.44 by TheCrowsEye from California

Dec 17, 2017
Photo of Malt_Man
Reviewed by Malt_Man from England

3.81/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Served cool from clear 500ml bottle into straight pint glass.

L) Deep red-tinged chestnut brown, clear, lots of bubbles rising. Creamy dense off-white 1cm head. Nice looking beer.

S) Fairly rich fruity malt and English hops.

S) Fairly dry, sparse malty flavour, gentle bitterness. Nothing huge but it is balanced.

F) Easy drinking, mildly carbonated. Not much bitterness in the aftertaste.

O) Easy drinking if unexciting brown beer. Not bad.
Oct 14, 2016
Photo of Martine
Reviewed by Martine from England

3.02/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Pours clear hazelnut amber-brown into a tulip glass from a bottle. Light brown head dissipates immediately leaving no lacing on the glass.

The nose is subtle yet one can glean hints of nutty fudge, and sweet malts. I also get the fleeting hint of a mellow milk chocolate in the back of the nose but it lies underneath a slightly astringent odour.

On the sip one gets hazlenut, sweet malts, and charred grain which lingers into a fleeting aftertaste along with cocoa beans, and pecan notes. The flavour never truly blossoms with this ale leaving it a tad underwhelming after the swallow. Some may see this as a sign of balance in the flavours but I'm not so convinced. Something about this ale hints at the botanical, something like burdock, but the thin body of the brew robs me of the flavour before I can truly discern it.

I find this brown ale too thin, and too carbonated in the mouth. Had it been a bit creamier, and smoother I would've enjoyed it much more, but the current body doesn't do much for me.

Overall I find it mellow, average, and not very memorable. I can't see myself seeking this ale out, nor would I elect to buy it again if other brown ales were an option. As for its drinkability it would be easy to drink more than one given its unoffensive flavour profile, although its carbonation resembles more of a lager than a brown ale.
Mar 05, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by His_Royal_Hoppiness from England

Sep 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by patre_tim from Thailand

Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by rulisekmartin from Czech Republic

Apr 26, 2014
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

3.5/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
bottle. Pours garnet-brown colour with a thick creamy head. Aroma is malt, caramel, grass, bread. Taste is malt, caramel, red fruits, bitter-sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Medium body with medium carbonation. Very nice, clean and refreshing ale.
Nov 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Johnq1964 from England

Aug 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Pelicanrocks from England

Apr 05, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Viceroy from England

Nov 27, 2012
Photo of flyingpig
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland

3.55/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A chestnut brown with good clarity and a tiny amount of lacing around the sides for a head.

Sweet smelling with some malts and a touch of caramel as well as some mild hops and a slightly nutty aroma right at the end.

Sweet malts again to begin with a touch of caramel and a fruity background and a warming bitterness to finish.

Medium and smooth with a creamy feel and a fruity, sweet base that has a warming bitter finish.

Quite a nice mixture of malts and fruity making a good beer that goes down well without proving to be a great one. It was easy to drink and had quite a 'moreish' taste to it that kept you going back for more.
Sep 29, 2012
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

2.97/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A 500ml clear glass bottle with a BB of Feb 2012. Picked up from a B&M store in Leeds a while ago. The label mentions that this was first brewed in 1901 (presumably by the Vaux brewery) and increased in strength in 1938.

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A coppery-amber colour with medium carbonation and chunky sediment (not entirely sure if this is yeast or some sort of residue). Forms a small head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so. Aroma of caramel malt with hints of roasted grain, vanilla and stewed hops.

Tastes of caramel malt with a dry finish. Notes of caramel/toffee, stewed hops, tea, hints of roasted grain and vanilla. A faint stale flavour in the background. Mild bitterness. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and a bit thin. Quite astringent. A harsh, dry bitter aftertaste.

OK, but nothing exceptional. I was hoping it would be better, but it's lacking in depth and a sweeter, fuller flavour. The body also seems too thin. No need to seek this one out.
Feb 10, 2012
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

4.07/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Clear 500ml bottle, best before 28 Jan 2009, drank on a cold, damp UK evening in Nov 2008.

Poured into a pint sleeve glass.

Drank this beer years ago at the Vaux Brewery Tap before watching Grimsby Town play at the Stadium of Light. The brewery closed a few years later and the beer is now brewed in Stockport, miles from Sunderland, its original home, not that the label tells you that!

Teak red/brown in colour, bright and clear, the off-white started thinly and got thinner as i drank down the pint.

Fairly sweet aroma, some toffee and caramel mix to give it an intersting smell.

The aroma flavours follow into the taste and a toffee feel is there for all to find. Very 'more-ish' a beer that is extremely drinkable.

The 4.7% is well balanced and the overall experience was a good one. A good bottled Brown Ale.
Nov 12, 2008
Photo of charlatan
Reviewed by charlatan from Scotland

2.76/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Fairly significant white head for this tan coloured brew. It offers a classic standing outside the brewery malty nose which brings back happy memories of various urban backwaters I've spent time in (Portland, Wolverhampton, Burton, etc.), and in common with them smells a little too much of carrots, very sweet carrots, but all the same....

The first thing that hits my mouth is fizz. Not the right carbonation ofr a brown ale in my opinion. Something a little smoother would be more appropriate for this beer type. As the fizz recedes one is left with a grain hit and a pleasant creamy flavour with hints of dried fruit. This would be a pretty good beer if the majority of its flavour weren't masked by its conspicuous effervescence.
Jul 16, 2008
Photo of chinabeergeek
Reviewed by chinabeergeek from Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
another surprise find here in beijing.

500ml can poured into tulip

clear but rich, dark brownish amber, lots of tan head that slowly fades to thin layer, then wisps. some splotchy first two rings of lacing, but the rest of the glass is pretty barren.

smells of simple toasted malts, slight caramel. faint grassiness and hint of esters, with a metallic whiff.

flavor is decently malty, but backed up by a surprisingly firm hop flavor and bitterness that manages to stay in balance. finishes semi-dry with nuances of pear and freshly baked bread.

slightly thin but not too watery. certainly smooth, with a moderate carbonation that provides additional body.

this was a nice find. stay away from the clear glass bottles, which were also on sale here. i really don't understand why british brewers still do that...
Jun 06, 2008
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Ex Vaux beer, now brewed for "The Double Maxim Beer Company Sunderland", website www.dmbc.co.uk . 550 ml bottle, straight from the fridge (= served too cold) at The Shipwrights, North Hylton, Sunderland. Deep brown colour, darker than Newcastle Brown. Decent head. Malty and nutty aroma and flavour, hints of toffee, low bitterness. Fuller flavour than NBA, but not remarkable.
Mar 01, 2005
Photo of cypressbob
Reviewed by cypressbob from Northern Ireland

2.5/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
500ml bottle, 'clear'!

Pours with a dark amber body, fluffy tan head, good retention, slight lacing

Smell, thick malty, slightly skunked (probably due to the clear bottle)

Taste, dry and thick, malty profile, very coarse mouthfeel, very unbalanced , lack of any hop bitterness

A poor ale, skunky, off, awful
Jul 22, 2004
Double Maxim from Maxim Brewery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 22 ratings