Roadrunner Brown Ale
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

 

I had this one at Rock bottom in Phoenix, on tap. I normally get their saguaro stout, but they had just tapped the roadrunner ale, so thought I'd give it a try, and I wasn't disappointed. It was a very nice ale, medium to dark brown with a light tan head. Nice smell, with just a touch of hops to round out the malt and caramel smell, and a flavor to match. All around nice ale.

This beer has a light brown head that sits atop a brilliantly clear brown colored beer that shows ruby notes when held up to the light. The aroma is nicely nutty with notes of caramel, freshly toasted biscuits, and a hint of cherry fruitiness. The taste is nice with notes of roasted coffee, toffee, toasted biscuits and a deep caramel note. This beer is light like the rest, but the malt notes really come together here to make a tasty, light, refreshing ale I would be happy to quaff for an evening. The malt is offset by a subtle hoppiness that has a spicy note to it up front and a bit of bitterness as well. This has just enough hops to balance and accentuate this malt dominated ale.

Poured an opaque dark brown with reddish-brown edging and a thin light tan head that quickly shrank to a thin ring. No lace.
Smell was of toasted malt, toffee, and hints of nuts. The taste was of grainy malt and caramel for a sweet beginning. The taste shifted as a faint buttery flavor mixed with a nutty taste mid-range. The finish was mildly bittered and had an abrupt end. The feel was medium-bodied, smooth, but a little thin and watery.
Overall, I was not all that excited about Roadrunner brown. For me, it landed in the same spot as Newcastle: a decent, yet rather boring, brown ale. Probably a good starter beer to use to introduce people to "dark" beer. It won't scare anyone off by being overwhelming.