Brewers Special Brown Ale | New English Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
New English Brewing Co.
California, United States
newenglishbrewing.com
Style: English Brown Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.60%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by HalfFull on 12-09-2008
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 40 | Reviews: 12
Reviews by BucannonXC5:
More User Reviews:
3.73/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the Barrel Republic.
A: Nice deep amber-brown with a decent head that leaves minimal lacing.
Aroma: Nutty dark bread with hints of caramel and malts.
Flavor: slightly sweet; moderately rich malty base with some complexity.
Feel: Medium body; good carbonation level.
O: A tasty and very easy drinking brown.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the Barrel Republic.
A: Nice deep amber-brown with a decent head that leaves minimal lacing.
Aroma: Nutty dark bread with hints of caramel and malts.
Flavor: slightly sweet; moderately rich malty base with some complexity.
Feel: Medium body; good carbonation level.
O: A tasty and very easy drinking brown.
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3.68/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.83/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Nice medium to deep brown with amber/red rings when held to the light. 1/2" head resides within a few minutes. Minimal lacing.
S: Pleasant mixture of maple/nut/caramel/and ever subtle coffee.
T: Almost like a buttery chardonay. The hazelnut with the slightly tannic coffee profile seems to be contributing to that.
M: Again, sort of buttery. Medium body, a bit tannic on the end.
O: A pleasant drink. I don't consume very many brown ales, but I enjoyed this very much. I might get back to exploring this style again bc of it.
I think it would pair great with a roast. I would almost treat it like a very good (not too buttery) Chardonay.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Nice medium to deep brown with amber/red rings when held to the light. 1/2" head resides within a few minutes. Minimal lacing.
S: Pleasant mixture of maple/nut/caramel/and ever subtle coffee.
T: Almost like a buttery chardonay. The hazelnut with the slightly tannic coffee profile seems to be contributing to that.
M: Again, sort of buttery. Medium body, a bit tannic on the end.
O: A pleasant drink. I don't consume very many brown ales, but I enjoyed this very much. I might get back to exploring this style again bc of it.
I think it would pair great with a roast. I would almost treat it like a very good (not too buttery) Chardonay.
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3.08/5 rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
On-tap at 5 Points
A: The pour is a slightly muddy brown color with a quickly vanishing tan head.
S: The nose has a bit of olive to it along with a fair amount of nuttiness. Decent toasty and sweet toffee malt aromas, along with a touch of chocolate.
T: The flavor is certainly quite nutty, including some nutshell kind of flavor in there that's a bit off-putting. A bit bitter for the style and the sweet malts do not really come through that much.
M: The body is medium with a slightly creamy carbonation and mouthfeel.
D: A decent brown ale, but a bit harsh in terms of the flavor. Hopefully this one can be smoothed out in future batches.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
On-tap at 5 Points
A: The pour is a slightly muddy brown color with a quickly vanishing tan head.
S: The nose has a bit of olive to it along with a fair amount of nuttiness. Decent toasty and sweet toffee malt aromas, along with a touch of chocolate.
T: The flavor is certainly quite nutty, including some nutshell kind of flavor in there that's a bit off-putting. A bit bitter for the style and the sweet malts do not really come through that much.
M: The body is medium with a slightly creamy carbonation and mouthfeel.
D: A decent brown ale, but a bit harsh in terms of the flavor. Hopefully this one can be smoothed out in future batches.
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4.08/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
New English is apparently a relatively new brewery, attempting to combine the best traditions of English brewing with San Diego-style American craft beer. I wish them the best.
A - Poured from 22 oz into mug. Nice deep dark brown, slightly reddish in light, with two full fingers of cream colored head on top. Moderate lacing.
S - Roasty, malty, nutty. A little sweet, sugary smell, too.
T - Lots of malty goodness up front, nutty and coffee flavors dominating with an surprisingly big dark chocolate taste that lingers for a long time after swallowing.
M - Slightly thicker than your normal brown ale, with moderate carbonation. Not very bubbly feeling on the tongue. Easy to drink.
O - One of the best brown ales I've tried. They call this an Imperial Brown, but its not quite heavy enough to be called Imperial, IMO. Its your standard American Brown with some English characteristics. If they took this recipe and packed a little more hops and upped the alcohol, then they could have a nice Imperial. Very good overall, would drink again.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
New English is apparently a relatively new brewery, attempting to combine the best traditions of English brewing with San Diego-style American craft beer. I wish them the best.
A - Poured from 22 oz into mug. Nice deep dark brown, slightly reddish in light, with two full fingers of cream colored head on top. Moderate lacing.
S - Roasty, malty, nutty. A little sweet, sugary smell, too.
T - Lots of malty goodness up front, nutty and coffee flavors dominating with an surprisingly big dark chocolate taste that lingers for a long time after swallowing.
M - Slightly thicker than your normal brown ale, with moderate carbonation. Not very bubbly feeling on the tongue. Easy to drink.
O - One of the best brown ales I've tried. They call this an Imperial Brown, but its not quite heavy enough to be called Imperial, IMO. Its your standard American Brown with some English characteristics. If they took this recipe and packed a little more hops and upped the alcohol, then they could have a nice Imperial. Very good overall, would drink again.
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2.9/5 rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Rather raw mouthful of a very brown ale.
Very dark and murky in a tall glass. Stronger in flavor than any brown ale I've encountered. Not much head and modest carbonation. Quite hoppy. OK for a taste but the muddy flavors are not particularly pleasant. I don't taste roasted malt, it's more of the cooked cereal taste with a lingering bitterness.
Tasted at Blind Lady Ale House in San Diego.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Rather raw mouthful of a very brown ale.
Very dark and murky in a tall glass. Stronger in flavor than any brown ale I've encountered. Not much head and modest carbonation. Quite hoppy. OK for a taste but the muddy flavors are not particularly pleasant. I don't taste roasted malt, it's more of the cooked cereal taste with a lingering bitterness.
Tasted at Blind Lady Ale House in San Diego.
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3.25/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
2.6/5 rDev -28.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
12/18/2011
Bottle into snifter.
A: Burnt umber with a maroonish tinge and an inch of beige foam.
S: Notes of biscuit with faint toffee and caramel. There's a light nuttiness with evident earthy notes.
T: Bread and biscuit with a persistent and slightly off-putting mineral note in there. There's an upper low bitterness with a strange astringency. Nuttiness is light.
M: Lower medium body with lower high carbonation.
Overall: The beer smells okay but the flavor is unpleasant due to the strange mineral note that's so prominent.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
12/18/2011
Bottle into snifter.
A: Burnt umber with a maroonish tinge and an inch of beige foam.
S: Notes of biscuit with faint toffee and caramel. There's a light nuttiness with evident earthy notes.
T: Bread and biscuit with a persistent and slightly off-putting mineral note in there. There's an upper low bitterness with a strange astringency. Nuttiness is light.
M: Lower medium body with lower high carbonation.
Overall: The beer smells okay but the flavor is unpleasant due to the strange mineral note that's so prominent.
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3.85/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Pours a nice clear dark amber with a light beige head and nice lacing. It looks a bit like dark amber maple syrup, which is excellent, but a bit light for what I consider a "brown ale."
S- Smells of caramel malt, light chocolate and biscuity/bready malt. Smells fairly sweet; not picking up any hops.
T- Brownies hit me first, followed by a nice caramel malt presence, with the biscuits and bread following. A hint of some herbal hops in the background. Maybe a little alcohol at times acting as some additional balance, which is weird considering this is only 6.6% abv. Lingering chocolate. A nice brown ale for sure.
M- This beer has a nice mouthfeel for a brown ale. As far as brown ales this is full bodied, but in the grand scheme of beer, I would say a full medium body. Low carbonation and smooth.
O- I'm not a fan of most brown ales, but this is one of the better commercial examples I've had. A very nice drinking brown ale with some bolder flavors compared to most in the style.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Pours a nice clear dark amber with a light beige head and nice lacing. It looks a bit like dark amber maple syrup, which is excellent, but a bit light for what I consider a "brown ale."
S- Smells of caramel malt, light chocolate and biscuity/bready malt. Smells fairly sweet; not picking up any hops.
T- Brownies hit me first, followed by a nice caramel malt presence, with the biscuits and bread following. A hint of some herbal hops in the background. Maybe a little alcohol at times acting as some additional balance, which is weird considering this is only 6.6% abv. Lingering chocolate. A nice brown ale for sure.
M- This beer has a nice mouthfeel for a brown ale. As far as brown ales this is full bodied, but in the grand scheme of beer, I would say a full medium body. Low carbonation and smooth.
O- I'm not a fan of most brown ales, but this is one of the better commercial examples I've had. A very nice drinking brown ale with some bolder flavors compared to most in the style.
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3.65/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear brown/amber color. Retention and lacing are both solid.
Smells roasty and dry. Hints of caramel/toffee. Some floral/herbal hops.
Tastes of caramel/toffee. Roasty. Decent floral/citrusy hop undercurrents.
Bright, well carbonated, lively.
Solid overall.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear brown/amber color. Retention and lacing are both solid.
Smells roasty and dry. Hints of caramel/toffee. Some floral/herbal hops.
Tastes of caramel/toffee. Roasty. Decent floral/citrusy hop undercurrents.
Bright, well carbonated, lively.
Solid overall.
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3.63/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4.55/5 rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Wow they must have really changed this beer since the other two reviews were posted.
Poured a solid brown with off white head.
The smell was sweet but roasty, maybe a hint of hops or tickle from the bubbles.
The taste was very nutty. Some caramelized roast flavor as well as a little bitterness from the roasted malts.
This was SPOT ON for a brown ale. I would drink it all the time if I was able and I hope it starts popping up a bit more.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Wow they must have really changed this beer since the other two reviews were posted.
Poured a solid brown with off white head.
The smell was sweet but roasty, maybe a hint of hops or tickle from the bubbles.
The taste was very nutty. Some caramelized roast flavor as well as a little bitterness from the roasted malts.
This was SPOT ON for a brown ale. I would drink it all the time if I was able and I hope it starts popping up a bit more.
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Brewers Special Brown Ale from New English Brewing Co.
3.64
out of 5
based on 40 ratings.
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Type: Cask
Glass: 0.5L (16.9 oz.) glass
From: Tiger! Tiger! in North Park (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $3.00 (w/ progressive Friday)
Purchased: Feb. 28, 2014
Consumed: Feb. 28, 2014
Misc.: N/A
Poured a dark brown color with three fingers of wet and foamy khaki tan head. Lots of uneven foamy lacing along the sides. Great retention.
Had to work for the smell, but got caramel, toffee, some booziness, light chocolate, unfiltered and a bit lighter version of Guinness.
Tasted much better than the smell. Got caramel, toffee, unfiltered, chocolate, nutty and wet bitter booziness.
Full body. Creamy texture. Flat-to-soft carbonation. Longer finish.
Not a bad beer overall. I’m still new to casks, but this was decent.
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