Dolly Varden Nut Brown
Kassik's Kenai Brew Stop

this is just way too sweet, pleasant tasting, but a pint of this feels like a chore, downright teeth rotting, which is a shame because if it were drier it would be excellent. there is some depth here, raisin and maple notes from the malt, its not monotone there like some of these can be, and there is an appreciable english type yeast profile as well, so its not as if this needs to rely on residual sugar for flavor. sweet like caramel corn stuck in your molars, but with layers of toffee and date and palm sugar, less of the chocolate malt depth i am used to in a brown, its lighter than that, but its like they didnt let the yeast do its thing long enough, it seems sort of half baked in that regard, and the result is a beer that never quite reaches its full stride. its also a little short on carbonation, but the mouthfeel is my only real critique of this, dry it out even a little bit more and it improves immediately. i wasnt overly stoked on either of the two beers i had from these guys while i was in alaska, but it was cool to get to try some local stuff, i had never heard of them before my trip. if you dont mind a particularly sugary example of a nut brown, give this one a shot.

 

 

Light brown color and clear. Lasting, modest head leaving good splotches of streaky lace on the glass.

Predominately sweet with darker malt aromas. Similar to a Bock. No notable hop.

Not as sweet as the smell but there's still some malt sugar present. The body is more full than most Browns. Good carbonation. The finish has just a touch of hoppy bitterness. The darker caramel dominates throughout without any chocolate or burnt flavors showing up. Refreshing and flavorful.

 

 

 

Reviewed from notes. She pours brown and leaves the same colored body with a one finger white foamy head, leaves a nice speckled lacing that spiderwebs appropriately for an American Brown Ale. The smell is roasty and toasty, nutty, malty, bready, slight caramel. The taste is nutty sweet and the caramel comes back to add into the flavoring, nutty aftertaste, watery finish. On the palate, she sits about a medium, and comes across fairly sessionable - perhaps, carbonation seems a bit subdued for the style and seems fairly good to me, nothing bad but nothing spectacular. Overall, I say this is a good American Brown Ale, though perhaps closer to an English Brown Ale.

 

 

 

 

22oz Bottle MFG: 08.29.15 - Not my favorite, however a good Nut Brown. Has a malty, nutty flavor that has a hint of bread/yeast. I can't detect any hops and not too bitter. There is something in there that I can't put my finger on that is probably keeping this from being awesome. Might just be this batch as Kassik's is a small batch brewer. All in All, I highly recommend giving this beer a try. I will try another batch at some point to see if there is a difference.

Color and aromas were fine. The finish was long and very unpleasant to my taste. Definitely not my style.

Pours a clear dark brown with an inch of head that is off white. Comes with a light nutty and malty nose. Tastes lightly sweet and nut brown. It's good . Good brewery.

 

 

 

 

Despised 22oz format bottle. Bottle code G 12022012. Poured a somewhat cloudy brown, with about 1/2 inch of tan head that had medium retention and decent lacing.

The aroma was about what was expected, malty-sweet, with just a bit of hopiness in the background. Same on the tongue, malty and lightly hoppy. There was a bit of an odd funk, perhaps it was the yeast, perhaps the age.

The body was the typical medium of the style. Drinkability was OK, would have been a bit better if not for that funk. Overall, a decent enough brew, not a standout for it's style, but probably worth trying if you see it.