Cottonwood Low Down Brown Ale
Carolina Beer Company

Cottonwood Low Down Brown AleCottonwood Low Down Brown Ale
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From:
Carolina Beer Company
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
English Brown Ale
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 12.15%
Reviews:
119
Ratings:
131
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 24, 2012
Added:
Jul 26, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by genaro:
Photo of genaro
Reviewed by genaro from Massachusetts

3.87/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Low Down Brown Ale had a good light coffee colored head that lingered for a while. The lace was also good. The aroma was a blend of chocolate and coffee with some nice hop bouquet. The taste contained elements of coffee and chocolate with a good hop bite. It had almost enough body to be a porter. The finish was dry, with bittersweet chocolate. Not a bad beer, but maybe just a shade rich for my taste.
Feb 01, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by spence524 from Texas

Oct 19, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by avisong from Virginia

Apr 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Mar 18, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by carrollmel7 from North Carolina

Mar 05, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Hanzo from Virginia

Mar 03, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by djcira from Pennsylvania

Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by hopmeister from Pennsylvania

Feb 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by JohnnyChimpo from North Carolina

Dec 24, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by jak from North Carolina

Dec 14, 2011
 
 
Rated: 3.5 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Served from bottle into a Stone nonic. Poured a deep reddish-brown with a one finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, chocolate, and tobacco. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, raosted malt, a hint of chocolate, and tobacco on the followthrough. It had a medium feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was not a very good brown ale. I wouldn't go as far to say that is was horrible, but the tobacco aspect I got just killed this one for me. Personally I wouldn't suggest this to anyone.
Mar 02, 2011
Photo of jgasparine
Reviewed by jgasparine from Maryland

3.71/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Poured from the tap with a beige haze layer and collar, over an optically clear aged-copper-brown body. No visible carbonation.

S- Mild maltiness with a very mild earthy hop aroma. Slightly husky. Overall a weak nose.

T- Moderately malty up front with a touch of roastiness. This is met with a bit of huskiness in the middle which echoes through the finish. No hop bitterness detected on the palate.

M- Thin body with a pervasive, prickly carbonation. Definitely force-carbonated. No EtOH detected, nor astringency.

D- Goes down easy enough- I could enjoy a couple of these in a row on a lazy fall afternoon.
Nov 14, 2010
Photo of jsprain1
Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A- A clear dark brown. Thin head that is so so on retention and lacing.
S- Smell is of malt and nutty aromas. Some fruit aromas as well.
T- Same here. Nuttyness and malt.
M- Thin and undercarbed.
D- This was merely a so so brown ale for me. It just never really kicked into gear. I don't mind simple flavored beers, but when it is simple and the mouthfeel is lacking, the beer suffers.
Oct 18, 2010
Photo of TheKingofWichita
Reviewed by TheKingofWichita from North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a pretty brown color with a think white tan head and very nice lacing. Smells of sweet malts, brown sugar, and floral hops. Tastes of balanced malts, hops, roasted barley, and brown sugar notes for a great depth of flavor. Mouthfeel is very nice with a nice smoothness. Drinkability is high.
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of jampics2
Reviewed by jampics2 from Ohio

2.66/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap @ the Charlotte airport Carolina Beer Company restaurant. I guess this place doesn't actually brew their own beers anymore, but instead contracts them out. Still, it was better than the selection at the Fox Sports Café, and we got some food. The place was nice, and the other beer we tried was better than average. However, I thought this just fell short of the mark.

Brought to the table in an oversized pint glass, this beer looks great. It is mahogany with brown and caramel edges. It has great head retention and decent lacing.

Too bad it's all downhill from there. The smell is decent, but nowhere near best in the genre. It's got a mild roast that gives some chocolate notes along with some acidity and nuttiness. Slight earthy hops make their presence known as well. Also a touch of a metallic tinge makes the nose just average at best.

The taste is a disappointment. That metallic tinge in the nose becomes very distracting right off the bat. At first I thought it may be an infection, but I actually think it's just a bad, acidic nuttiness that I can't stand in beer. Not nearly sweet enough, the caramel malt struggles and it's missing a touch of roast that makes brown ales identifiable. Hops have left the building. Really, really not a good taste here.

It's highly carbonated and not hefty enough for the style. Light, watery, and bubbly. This beer started nicely but went downhill in a flash when I got to the most important part - the taste. Very disappointing and not only do I not want to ever try this again, I'm hesitant to try anything from this brewery. I thought after a week drinking Caribbean beer in Jamaica that anything American would make me happy. This made me miss Dragon Stout even more.
Sep 21, 2010
Photo of confer
Reviewed by confer from Pennsylvania

3.12/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
A- Nice chestnut brown, it couldn't hold a head.
S- The smell is the best thing about this beer and maybe set me up for the letdown on the taste and feel. The smell is caramelly, and warm.
T- For a brief second the flavor is there and then it just disappears into nothing but water.
MD- The feel is also to watery for the style. It goes down easy but I doubt I would drink this one again.
Sep 09, 2010
Photo of Ryan011235
Reviewed by Ryan011235 from Ohio

3.07/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a pint glass on 12/22/09

Dark brown; burnt highlights. One finger head dissipates at a moderately slow rate. Thin layer of retention. Lacing is minimal; just one medium-sized patch.

Earthy aroma with a decent hop character; well-blended. Toasted malts & hints of dark bread. Nutty undertones. The nose has a penchant for subtlety.

Hops are at the fore offering both modest bitterness & a spicy kick. Sturdy malt backbone: dark bread; toasted malts; maybe a hint of caramel; roasted nuts. It has an odd, almost tart flavor on the finish - not sure what that's all about.

Leans more toward full bodied than medium. Carbonation seems two-fold; prickly upfront, then smoothing out toward the finish. Lingering notes of toasted malts & nuts.

Not bad; on the whole it's a pretty decent beer. The tartness seems really out of place to me, though.

Note: At the time of review I wasn't familiar with infected beer; now it makes me wonder...
Jul 16, 2010
Cottonwood Low Down Brown Ale from Carolina Beer Company
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 131 ratings