Brown Ale
Ørbæk Bryggeri

Copenhagen 20/6 2015. 33 cl in the cafe at local library in Kbh.NV. Hugely overpriced. Black and elegant label boasting of a 13 years old biodynamic, gold medal.

Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Settles as a thin layer of foam. Moderate lacing.

Sweet aroma with some caramel and a discrete bitterness.

Medium strong carbonation. Sightly thick, lightly tangling texture.

Flavor is sweetish with some caramel and a little bit of metal. Only a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste.

An ok brown ale but nothing more. They call themselves "the small brewery with the big/great taste". Does not seem fully justified in this case.

330ml bottle @ 4.8% ABV - more Danish micro-brew assaulting the shores of Alberta's open borders, I'm gonna, er, yaaaaawn, well, um - oh forget it.

This beer pours a clear, dark red-brick amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and mildly bubbly beige head, which leaves a bit of spooky cannonball splash aftermath lace around the glass as it quickly abates.

It smells of semi-sweet, bready and doughy caramel malt, grocery store brand raisins, some muddled dark orchard fruitiness, a touch of free-range ashiness, and not so unheralded leafy, citrusy, and herbal hops. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, subtle black licorice, more domestic and Middle Eastern dark fruity esters, a hint of untethered yeastiness, and more weak leafy, weedy, and bland citrusy hoppiness.

The bubbles are fairly laid-back in their tepid and hard to follow frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and more or less smooth, nothing really extant here that might want to play-act the foil, as such. It finishes off-dry, a lingering caramel, nutty, and dark fruity character holding the majority of the cards.

Overall, this isn't a bad brew, but it does suffer from yer typical craft brewing ethos, at least as far as brown ales go - keep the hops to a bare minimum, and rely on the consumers' desire for the sweeter things in life to prevail. Ergo, not something that I'd want to revisit, I'm afraid.

Purchased this 33cl bottle right at the brewery in Ørbæk. Pours a nice brownish copper color with a 2 finger white head that settles down pretty quick. Smells of light malts and sweets with a light bit off breadiness. A light bit of fruitiness and maybe licorice comes through along with the aromas in the taste. I think that overall it is well-balanced and goes down nicely although it could be a bit more full with more body. At 5.8% ABV the alcohol content is a bit sneaky if you try to make this a session beer. I'd definitely have another if given the opportunity though.