Downtown Brown
Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe

Downtown BrownDowntown Brown
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe
 
California, United States
Style:
English Brown Ale
Ranked #74
ABV:
5%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,176
Avg:
3.66 | pDev: 12.57%
Reviews:
425
Ratings:
949
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 19, 2024
Added:
Jan 01, 2001
Wants:
  28
Gots:
  156
A smooth, full-bodied nut brown ale, lightly hopped with a hint of roasted chocolate and crystal malts. This ale is dark in color without the heavy taste of porter or stout.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by usechopstix4soup:
Photo of usechopstix4soup
Reviewed by usechopstix4soup from New York

3.77/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
Poured a nice caramel into glass, head wasn't too thick and didn't last very long. The color reminded me of something lighter than pepsi but around that hue. Light is able to penetrate through, which gives it a nice tint and isn't too dark.

I've got to admit, the smell is probably my favorite part of this beer. Awesome nutty, chocolatey, caramel sensation that makes my mouth water. Roasted brown malts give the drink a nice smokey, heavy smell.

Taste is interesting, it is not very bitter but it leaves your mouth wanting more. Mouthfeel is very nice, well medium bodied beer that goes down like water. I notice the taste isn't too prevalent, which is strange for a beer of its class. It is sweet, tons of caramel and finishes with a dry, hoppier finish.

The secret in this beer is the wonderful smell and I can't get enough of it.
Sep 19, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Brown on the pour and in the glass with a silky-looking eggshell head that puffs up and holds, slowly settling to a lid and leaving great lacing behind

Aroma: Warm brown bread, toffee, toasted bread, lightly roasted tree nuts, a little caramel, and some earthy notes

Taste: Opens up with bread and a whole lot of it; freshly baked bread, toasted bread, and warmed crust all in play, and quickly followed and joined by layers of toffee that pile on. Lightly roasted tree nuts and caramel come on in the middle and earthy notes peek in throughout until it closes with more bready malt and rich toffee

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth, medium-high carbonation, and soft and smooth on the finish

Overall: This is some good stuff. I couldn’t believe I’d never reviewed this yet so had to and it quickly reminded me of just how damn good of a brown ale it is. Tons of depth and layers of rich malt set the stage throughout with just a kiss of earthiness to keep it from being sweet, plus an awesomely smooth feel. This is the total package when it comes to browns and I’m glad it’s readily available to me. Recommended
Feb 19, 2024
Photo of Steven612
Rated by Steven612 from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Easy drinking brown ale with clean finish. Great taste without the heaviness of most darker beers.
Jan 22, 2024
 
Rated: 3.83 by rpmello81 from California

Mar 18, 2023
Photo of Iamaskier
Reviewed by Iamaskier from Idaho

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Two finger head, amber brown body
S: Sweet. Caramel, toffee, cola, nuts, sweet dough.
T: Caramel and cola dominate the body, some toffee as well, with a hint of floral hops, becoming roastier and nuttier through the finish.
F: Smooth, slightly dry, sticky on the lips.
O: A good enough brown, with all the right ingredients, but a bit watery. I suppose that makes it sessionable, but I just don’t think of brown ales when I wanna slam some beers. I can, however, understand how this might hit all the right notes for some.
Mar 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.43 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Jan 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.65 by wisegreensoul from Idaho

Jan 01, 2023
 
Rated: 3.07 by alexvhrk from Wisconsin

May 10, 2022
 
Rated: 3.92 by Beecham from California

Apr 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3.99 by irishevans from California

Mar 06, 2022
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
this is a brown ale like newcastle is a brown ale, meaning its amber at best, more caramel than chocolate malts by a landslide, not a bad thing, and this is way better than what newcastle has become, make no mistake, the comparison stops with the color. nice lively head from the bottle, almost looks bottle conditioned to me, amazing how light this is and they call it brown, cut from the old school cloth here to be sure. a nose of sweet and nutty toasted malt, toffee without being too sugary, and a little bit of earthy roast way in the back, simple and even kind of minimal for the style, drinkable as they come even off dry. i swear i get like peanut in the early flavor journey, roasted like a nut not like darker grain, real interesting, and maybe something bready from the yeast, but this is all quite restrained, in many ways not much more depth than a modern amber, very little from the hops here too. to me this is just sort of an ale, a fermented barley beverage, not without character, but like, this is craft beer as opposed to yellow macro beer, without really having much more identity than that, despite the awesome graphics on the label, its good, but its also just a beer. five years ago i may have found this boring, now i find it refreshing against the backdrop of everything seemingly needing adjuncts and huge alcohol contents and weird processes to stand out. i miss beer like this, comfortable in its own skin. insanely light as brown ale goes, effervescent and mild in body, but the other five in the six pack with get consumed for christmas tomorrow and it will be delightful. perhaps just a little festive...
Dec 24, 2021
 
Rated: 3.74 by MattSn from Oregon

Feb 20, 2021
Photo of blazerkor
Reviewed by blazerkor from Nevada

4.6/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
It's not nutty but the taste is like warm brown buttery bread. It's a little sweet and extremely malty. It feels smooth and barely fizzy on the palet. It finishes with just a hint of burnt bitterness that is overwhelmed by subtle yeasty sweetness. I give this one a 5.5 out of 6 but remember I'm partial to brown ales.
Dec 29, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by eldoctorador from Chile

Nov 24, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by JAWS from New York

Aug 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Marvicsin from California

Jun 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.47 by etfromsd from California

Mar 27, 2020
 
Rated: 3.71 by Azpittil57 from Arizona

Jan 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by craigbelly from Iowa

Dec 12, 2019
Photo of Thomas_Wikman
Reviewed by Thomas_Wikman from Texas

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I don't have a lot experience of English Brown Ales so I can't make a good comparison with other Brown Ales, but I enjoyed this beer.

Look: dark brown with a two inch thick off-white head

Aroma: Toasted bread, caramel, chocolate, dark fruit

Taste: Toasted bread, caramel, chocolate maybe some dark fruit.

Body/Overall: medium body
Nov 11, 2019
Downtown Brown from Lost Coast Brewery and Cafe
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 949 ratings