Bears 'n Roses
Catawba Brewing Co.

Growler provided by Sean last night...Pours a medium brown with ruby highlights, much lighter when held up. A light tan head ok retention, watery lacing...The aroma is all over the place, light bourbon, roasted nuts and a weird sour finish...The taste is just weird, sour bourbon, lightly sweet, off metallic finish. We could not finish this growler, a total drain pour and made us thin this may have been infected. However, with so few reviews here and none on rb not sure.

so apparently this is the standard abv Brown Bear aged in (presumably) Four Roses bourbon barrels, the original is 4.5%, but no idea what the barreling adds

a: deep chestnut brown in color, nice off-white head that pulls back to a thin coating

s: a balance of chocolate, nuts, and smooth roast, complimented with a delicate bourbon aroma that's very well played, working well with the brown ale base rather than dominating, and contributing only a mild booziness, subtly hopped

m: carbonation low, medium bodied, smooth

t: nutty background and soft roasts with an overlay of earthy and somewhat sweet chocolate, smooth bourbon profile brings a nice complexity to the otherwise simple but well-structured ale, only glimpses of alcohol, earthy hop profile with an easy finish

d: drinkability not a problem, impressed with Catawba's ability to handle bourbon-barreling such a small beer

growler from Bruisin', naturally chilled and consumed streamside in a Nantahala valley