Damariscotta Double Brown Ale
Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company

 

 

 

Growler (pre-filled and sold out of a cooler) purchased at Treats Gourmet Shop (fine bakery, wine, cheese, beer..in that order) in Wiscasset Maine on the way to Ebenezers!

Appearance: Pours an attractive, hershey syrup like, dark brown. Very viscous with a 2 finger off khaki crown that shows good retention and lace.

Smell: Roast malt, chocolate, slight fruity quality, a nutty quality, and a bit of smooth vanilla.

Taste: Same as nose.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a slight bit of heft. Decent carbonation but a touch slick.

Drinkability: Going down well.

Not very complex or "big" considering its a doulbe brown but not bad at all.

Sheepscot Valley Brewing has arguably the least informative website possible.

2 finger, clay tan head. Pours dark brown--dark enough to look black in the glass. Lazy foam trails circumnavigate mine glass. I'm down with the brown.

Aroma walks a fine line between too roasty chocolate and subtle vanilla, nut, and leafy hop. Almost brown porter-like at times.

Taste too leans a little too close to brown porter for my liking. It does have ample sweet, nut and caramel flavors with cocoa and leafy hop depth, but rather than sit atop a nice roasty background the flavors get almost swallowed up. Mouthfeel is thick enough but the malt doesn't really grab my tongue in any way.

Eh. Ease off the dark malts and you've got yerself a winner.

nice dark brown beer with tan head

smoke, toast and chocolate on the nose with slight fruity esters

medium bodied and malty on the palate with slight sweetness and a dry finish

mouthfeel is full and coating but finishing clean

very drinkable. not terribly complex but very good.

Pint at the Publick House in Newcastle.

Remembering I like this creation of Steve's a few years back when sampled in his barn, I was delighted beyond all expectations to see this on tap, and to savor why I remembered it.

A - Black and unctuous like used motor oil, this beckons. Minimal head.

S - Not much going on smell wise, reserved, yet some hints of dark roast, fresh mulled grains.

T - Fantastic, smooth, with a deep yet mild roasted flavor. Mild yet mighty. Roasted grains, toffee predominate.

M - Thick, flavorful, rolls around easily.

D - Outstanding. You could easily tackle 3 or 4 pints without much effort. So smooth and flavorful, not extreme, probably ~5%. Exceptional farmhouse brown that drinks like a porter.

On-tap from Sara's in Wiscassett... Dark brown body with about an inch of offwhite head that leaves a fair bit of lacing. Smells malty sweet. Malty sweet flavor with just a touch of roastiness and a slight hop bite at the finish. Medium in body. The flavors, while good, were a bit muted. I could be because the beer was served a bit on the cold side, but even as it warmed few flavors were amplified. Still, it's probably one of the better brown ales I've had and makes me want to try more from this newly-discovered Maine brewery that's not too far from here.

To me, this beer looked like a porter and tasted like a porter. I thought it was a pretty good beer. It was dark brown, almost black in color, with a small creamy head and some lacing. It had a roasted grain odor, but sort of nondescript. I liked the taste: coffee, licorice, some hops. A robust beer, quite drinkable.

From a 64oz growler, sampled the day it was poured.

Pours dark amber brown with a light brown head. Smells sweet and malty. Lightly nutty.

Tastes nutty and thick. Syrupy like melted caramel. Very malty and warming with a smoky aftertaste. Full bodied and sticky mouthfeel. Not an everyday brew but sturdy and strong. Good winter ale.

This is a uniquely flavored seasonal brown ale. Nice brown color, not too dark, not too light. The flavors do not seem to be well incorporated and leave a raw grainy character as the most prominent taste. Not one I really enjoyed.