Belgian Brown
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Deep toffee in color, just barely see through with some red highlights. Started with a large pillowy tan head that dropped to a nice cap. Tons of Belgian yeast and cloves in the aroma, bready with some sweet malt, some black licorice, plum, and dark grapes. A lot like as Belgian strong dark ale in flavor, but its not quite "to style" as some may say. Candy sugar like sweetness, yeasty and bready with a fair amount of clove. A lot of fruity flavors, dates, plums, raisins, white and dark grapes.

Verdict: an original and interesting brew. I didn't know the alcohol at the brewpub, I thought it was a session beer with many Belgian qualities, I could have drank it all day, but at 8% it commands a bit more respect than that. It lacked some of the more gentile qualities of a fine corked Belgian, but this was a good, well rounded beer.

Nice deep dark brown with minimal head and lacing.

Somewhat sweet aroma, strong and malty...defintely Belgian.

Again sweet on taste (but not sugary) a bit of fruit on the taste - malt with a touch of spice. Sweet caramel.

Light (for the style) mouthfeel with a moderate amount of carbonation.

This is a very good Belgian beer - hats off to Bryon (must be that Portland experience!).

Dark brown color, reddish highlights, under perfunctory foam.

Wonderful aroma, full of the yeast and malt one enjoys in the best Belgian brews, a creamy, estery concoction, very similar to a hefe weizen or a dunkel, but with this yeasty twist...some banana here, some citrus, some spice. Sweet, deep, distinct... caramel banana clove cream pie.

In the mouth, more of the same, with a smooth play on the palate. Substantial, full bodied, long, sweetish finish. Tangible flavors, long-lasting, but never too much of anything. There's a certain wheatish texture here, complex and tenacious, flush carbonation, with more caramel coming in and lingering with the dark fruits and nuts in the flavor. Good stuff going on here.

I haven't had anything like this from the Rock Bottom or from any other local brewer, nor can I pinpoint what example of a style it resembles best...and for that, I congratulate Bryon! A very pleasing, and surprising beer.