'Merica
Burley Oak Brewing Co.

 

 

Time to put your big boy pants on. Don't like heavy use of bittering hops in your brown ale? Keep walking, kid. If the idea of strident hop bitterness intersecting with all the flavors the make brown ales special appeals to you, this nutty, creamy little fella is for you. If the words triple ipa make you gag, save your duckets.

 

It was pretty dark at Burley Oak, but from what I could see, this beer was a rich, dark brown. Smells very roasty and nutty. Tastes strong, very bitter and extremely nutty; it caught me off-guard by how much hoppiness it has. This isn't the most "drinkable" beer and I don't think it's even trying to be. It's something that you're supposed to nurse slowly as it warms up. It filled me up so much I didn't even get a pint of anything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32 oz growler into a wine glass.

A: Pours a dark chestnut color. The head is about a finger high, and off-white in shade. Retention isn't too special, and there isn't much lacing left behind.

S: This brings a really rich aroma of milk chocolate, brown sugar, and almond. It practically smells like a good candy bar. There's a subtle kiss of piny hops, as well - it isn't really an India brown ale, it just serves to ballast the chocolaty sweetness.

T: The flavor is a bit hoppier, especially to start. The bitterness is generally piny, with subtler floral hints. Notes of chocolate, almond, pecan, and brown sugar help finish it off.

M: I can't really fault this having low carbonation, since I let this swing-top growler chill for about 24 hours. Even though it's lost a bit of carbonation, it's still dry on the back end and very drinkable. The body isn't super rich, but it doesn't need to be.

O: Hops in a brown ale can be a good thing (see: Sixpoint Brownstone, Smuttynose Durty), and they're part of the reason why I enjoy this so much. As a nitpick, I'd like to see just a bit more malt flavor and a bit less pine bitterness. Nonetheless, this is still incredibly solid.