Maple Brownstone
Town Hall Brewery

750 ML mini-jug growler from February split with my wife.

The pour is a dark brown that will blend in seamlessly with my leather couch if I slop. Carbonation is low - I’ve been wondering if the new growlers will hold up as well as the old ones did (admirably). Nose is sweet, light, & nutty, not far off what I’d expect from a standard-issue brown.

We been dancing with, Maple Brownstone, he won’t leave me alone. Nothing stands out. The base beer is light, nutty, slightly sweet with just enough maple to goose my sweet tooth. The whiskey is a gentle mid-palate ass-pat, before it sinks into the perfectly integrated beer. Lovely sipping beer, & one that I’d happily tipple in the June heat.

This beer is a study in understatement - it couldn't be any more subtle if it were a knife between a wizard’s shoulder blades. The low level of barrel works with the smaller beer. Very different that the rest of the lineup & a very good brew.

750 mL bottle. Brown body. Thin collar. Smell has some whiskey. Nutty malts. A little maple. Taste has much more maple. Sweet maple and caramel malts. Nutty and a little roasty. The finish has whiskey without any specific barrel character. Medium body. A little boozy from the barrel. Sounds like a good idea, but really not that interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Release tonight at THB
A-Served in an oversized tulip this beer had a slim finger of beige, weak head stop a dark brown clear beer with ruby highlights.
S-whiskey atop toasted malt. Some sweet toffee. Not a ton of aroma. Not picking up maple
T-more whiskey flavor (oaky mostly) than anything. The toffee notes and the toasted milk chocolate malt comes out. Still no maple
M-a slick mouthfeel with a lingering whiskey slightly boozy finish. More than I would expect for a 6.9% ABV brew. A bit cloying and sticky.
O-a decent drink but heavy on the barrel character. Decent Big brown but missing something to bring it all together.

On tap at the brewpub. 5 oz. serving as part of a flight.

Appearance: Color is a dark blackish brown. About one finger of light tan head that settles into a thin creamy layer. Moderate amount of bubbles.

Smell: A sweet and bready aroma with a scent of whiskey and maple syrup. Upfront barrel scent of Jack Daniels whiskey with some vanilla, oak, and wood. Sweet scent of maple syrup and brown sugar. Toasted barley malt with hints of biscuit, grains, toast, nuts, caramel, toffee, and yeast. Subtle hints of chocolate and coffee. Solid smell.

Taste: Like the nose hints at, a sweet and bready malt driven taste with notes of whiskey, syrup, and biscuit. Upfront barrel flavor of Jack Daniels with some notes of oak, vanilla, and wood. Sweet taste of maple syrup along with some brown sugar. Toasted malt notes of biscuit, toffee, caramel, toast, chocolate, nuts, grains, and yeast. A pretty nice taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, syrupy, and slick. Alcohol heat is low with it only being 6%.

Overall: A solid barrel aged Brown Ale. On the sweeter side but not enough to be overly cloying for me. Nice change of pace from the heavier barrel brews this week.

Tan head. Caramel brown color.

Huge letdown. The maple doesn't work with this beer. It's bland and cloying. Overly sweet. Chocolate. Oaky.

Very minimal body and flavor. I was a bit let down with this one.