Espresso Brown Ale
Hideout Brewing Company

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours fairly crystal clear deep reddish brown color; with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of dark roasted coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, herbal, wood, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big dark roasted coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, herbal, wood, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal hop and roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from roast/coffee bitterness as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good English coffee brown ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.