The Nibbler
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

 

a rather robust brown ale here, i believe fermented with an english yeast, but dark and roasty enough to read more american than english overall despite the subtle but of fermentation character, done with cocoa nibs and really good overall, a perfect winter morning beer for a day i would otherwise be working, a nice departure from the norm! high shine and near black, not a ton of body apparent or anything but looks more porter-like than english brown, and the head is both short and short lived. subtle nose on this, roast before chocolate but both are there, a warming coffee-like depth to the grain, with dark chocolate most obvious, earthy and bitter but with a little balancing grain sweetness and bready yeast aspect, very pleasant, not too sweet. the flavor has chocolate the whole way, smooth and sweet with enough bitterness to make it seem more adult, unsweetened against richer malt character, again more roasty than chocolate malty to me, not a problem, but this certainly is the darker side of the style, and while that grain element is compatible with the nibs for sure, they do something similar, and i think it obscures the full character of the chocolate thats in this. still, its light for its color, smooth, and downright delicious with a coffee finish and just a bit of lingering sugar, neat wintery cozy flavors in a very drinkable brew, cocoa forward and sort of regal, very tasty!