20" Brown
Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.

 

Look: Brown on the pour with a booming khaki head that quickly rises and slowly puckers away to a pillow, leaving awesome lacing behind

Aroma: Warm brown bread, toffee, light chocolate, dark caramel, piloncillo, toasted crust, and some light earthy notes

Taste: Opens up with freshly baked bread, toffee, and toasted crust that settle in and blend well, quickly followed by some caramel. Light chocolate, piloncillo, and earthiness round out and appear in the middle before closing with more bread, toffee, and caramel

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth, clean, medium-high carbonation, and smooth and clean on the finish

Overall: This is some good stuff. I’ve always liked this beer and have been drinking it for years since I feel Brown Ales fly way under the radar in beer nirvana. This one is a very tasty and well-made example with plenty of bready malt, some nice toffee, caramel, and chocolate components coming through. Recommended

I think I first had this beer in the late 90s. Surprised I haven't reviewed until around 25 years later.

Brown ale pours brown. Has a dark red presence toward the edges. Good 3/5" tan like head, good retention. Despite the dark color, it displays clarity. The aroma smells like that earthy brown malted barley. Not quite roast, but hitting earthen notes. I couldn't tell you much about the six malts other than it seems to be a blend of two row, red and brown malts. Lightest of old school PacNorthwest traditional hopping discernable.

The taste brings brown town to life. Dark bread, a light hit of toffee, the feeling of earthy trees, dirt, bark, downtown brown. Mouthfeel displays a higher than average amount of carbonation giving a prickly sensation kind of like Shiner bock. The 35 ibu almost goes into brown india ale territory, but like I said, its kind of amplified by the high carbonation level. Some other reviews mentioned sweetness but that hasn't ever really come to mind when drinking these.

12 oz can marked packaged on 2/21/24 poured into a pint glass

 

an objectively excellent brown ale here, my first from these guys that i can recall, a nice drinkable four season example of the style, and one i am glad to see around quite frequently here in idaho. a medium brown shade to this and a nice head on it from the tap, red at the edges, clearish even though dark, and with a nice brightness about it for a beer of this shade. aroma and flavor of simple chocolate malt, lightly bready ale yeast allowed a little room, and some old bittering hops, maybe english types, simple, flavorful, fresh, and balanced. there is nothing revolutionary about it, but i kind of like a beer thats not trying to change the world all the time, this doesnt need vanilla, a balsamic vinegar barrel, or any cocktail cherries, its just a brown ale, and that can be okay sometimes too. some traces of cocoa, tobacco, dark bread, and an inside fire just being lit. its smooth but lighter bodied, has just a touch of grainy sweetness to it, and has nice carbonation. its a well made beer, and although nothing insane here, has me excited for other cascade lakes beers, this exceeded my expectations by quite a bit, and is an excellent food beer.

 

 

 

Fizzy cola head with low retention. Dark brown but clear and well carbonated. Nose is nutty walnuts and dark roasted candy syrup. Taste.is slightly sweet and earthy with hints of honey and cedar. Feels is easy and mellow. Nice and drinkable.with a good tangy finish and just enough dry to finish off the sweetness. Overall I like this beer. When a 5.3% brown I thought English mild. There aren't enough good tasting lower alcohol beers and this hits that sweet spot.

 

 

12 oz bottle of a 6-pk.
No BB date info.....boo.
Pours clear, warm brown; nice head.
Great example of the brown ale style. Sweet dark malts, heavier fullness on the taste without high abv.
And for me, a nice change-up from my usual IPAs.
Rated in the low 80s is laughable ----- I've had some unequivocal p!$$ that are rated high 80s here.

If you don't like brown ales, don't buy them. Otherwise...this is quite a good one.
And another very good effort from Cascade Lakes. Cheers!

On tap at the brewpub.

Look: deep dark amber body with a very good, off-white head; excellent lacing.

Pleasing aroma features sweet malts and spicy hops in about equal measure.
Flavor: follows the nose.

Medium body and carbonation.

 

 

The new label reads 20-Inch Brown, so I had some trouble finding this page at first. Definitely worth the hunt to review this brew, though.

Appearance: Nice colour. Clear, but not transparent brown. The head retention leaves a bit to be desired for 5.3% ABV.

Smell: Malty, yeasty, maybe a bit nutty. You expect the right amount of bitterness from the aroma, which I think is great.

Taste: Pretty darn good. Malty, but not overbearing or sweet. The hops seem just right for a brown ale (not overpowering the malt). The aroma shows you exactly what tastes to expect from the beer, which I think is an underrated characteristic of good beer. I like to be surprised with how good it smells/tastes rather than how different the two characteristics are from one another.

Mouthfeel: Exactly what I expected. Nothing unusual or exceptional here. Smooth. Does not overstay it's welcome. Not over-carbonated to mask any flavors.

Overall: If you're looking for an interesting brew, look elsewhere. This one hits the mark when it comes to craftsman ship, rather than novelty. It embodies what I wish more people would expect from their breweries. Not fantastic, but definitely better than the majority of what's out there.