Farmer Brown Ale
Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House

 

Poured very chilly into a pint glass a solid, chocolate brown with a teeny tiny little white head.

Smells like sweet walnuts and caramel, along with a bit of a chemcials. Candy and dishsoap. Thankfully there's much more of the former than of the latter, but the dishsoap presence is enough to take the scent down to "average."

Tastes light and sweet. Walnuts and milk chocolate. No real complexity or stages, but it ends on a decent sour note that's only slightly chemically.

I'm a little let down, after hearing great things about this Brown Ale. Then again, I'm not really a fan of the style.

I was quite disappointed to get to the Old Capitol on Firkin Thursday only an hour after they tapped the cask of Firkin IPA to find out that it was already gone! I'll have to go in earlier next time. Anyways, I settled for a fresh growler fill of the Farmer Brown since the House Pale was also dry at the time. I am actually quite pleased with this selection despite being denied the IPA another week.

The beer pours to an almost black color with a hue of nutty brown around the edges of the glass when held to the light. Also present is a decent cap of just slightly off white foam that recedes to a thin ring with no lacing.

The smell is just barely there. Smells like gently roasted caramel malt with a little bit of hop character. Just as I would expect it, though not quite as strong as I would like.

The taste is one of the best brown ales I've had, with the only exceptions being Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Rogue Morimote Hazelnut Brown. The roastiness compliments the sweetness of the malts quite well for a nice chocolatey hazelnut coffee flavor.

The mouthfeel is a bit light, and seems kind of chalky (could it be the glass maybe, I've never had this type of dryness before?), but feels quite refreshing aside from the occasional dry spell. This would make a great session brew.

7 oz sample glass served cold and with a ring of head around the glass. Dark red-brown with a thin layer of beige head that shows some lacing. Smells chocolatey, nutty, and sweet. Tastes of dry sweet, baker's chocolate, some hazelnut, and a british hop (maybe fuggles?). Late there is a sour, like cherries, and the aftertaste is of chocolate. Medium-thin to medium bodied with moderate carbonation that formed fine bubbles on the edges of my tongue.