Hop City Brown
5 Seasons Westside

 

I'm really not sure how to classify this - it's definitely more of a brown ale but it's brewed with a Belgian yeast. We'll go with the American Brown designation. On-tap at the brewpub and brewed for Hop City's (a beer store next door) first anniversary.

Pours an opaque brown color with a one-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of equal parts toasted and roasted malts, or heavy toasted malts depending on how you look at it - sweet but with a robust malt bitterness. Also present are mild amounts of medium to dark fruits - pears with hints of raisins.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Toasted malt flavors that have a good bit of influence from darker roastier malts kick things off. Midway through the sip the malt flavors sweeten a bit and are joined by fruit flavors that are lighter than the aroma would indicate - hints of pears and even lighter hints of bananas. Very mild spicy rye flavors make their way into things before carrying through to a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is nice. It's got a solid thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed this beer but I'm not sure the Belgian Brown crosses boundaries quite as well as the Belgian Stout. I'd like to see this fermented with a different yeast strain and taste them side-by-side. Still, a very nice beer and one that's worth a shot.