Grampa Clems Brown Ale
Old Schoolhouse Brewery

With Winthrop’s red ale showing itself as an amber, it is perhaps not surprising that this “brown” ale is red. It’s actually deep ruby, and though brown ales are an undercarbonated lot by design, this one is especially mute. Carbonation just doesn’t happen. A modest measure of chocolate malts defines the taste along with a slight measure of whole wheat toast. A bit of coaxing teases out a few phenolic airs. Benchwarmer Brown, I’d call it.

Appearance – This one was brown in color (of course) with a slight reddish hue. The head was nice, white, and fluffy but went down quickly.

Smell – The aroma is very light. I can pick up some toasted malts and some kind of nuts.

Taste – The nuts are there at the taste as well. I can’t quite make them out, but there’s some off-style kind of hoppiness to this one that doesn’t seem to belong. It’s citrusy but in a bad way.

Mouthfeel – The light carbonation and dry nature of this Brown Ale gave it a nice mouthfeel. It was somewhat refreshing and medium-bodied.

Drinkability – This wasn’t bad, but the off-style citrus flavor will keep me from buying again.