Break Away Brown
Mankato Brewery

Pours dark brown but nearly clear. A nice but modest head.

Very mild semi-sweet chocolate aromas melt with toasted malts and hints of smoke.

The brew hits the tip of the tongue with fairly sweet toasty malts quickly giving way to semi-sweet chocolate and just a touch of coffee in midstream. Also arriving in mid-palate particularly as the brew warms is some mild tartness. The finish provides some earthy hop bitterness and some solid but not overwhelming char/smoke and a bit of booze.

Solidly medium in body but so well carbonated and pleasingly astringent that it seems lighter. Feel: Medium to lighter bodied. Low to moderate carbonation. An alcohol burning presence, and doesn't hide the alcohol well. Finishes with a smokey alcohol burn. (3.25)

One of my favorite Mankato brews. Hits all the right notes while offering some interesting departures (especially the mild sourness/acidity).

Appearance: Pours a deep, clear, dark brown color with hints ruby. A bubbly light tan head. SRM of 21-23. (3.75)

Aroma: Aroma of Hershey's chocolate cocoa powder. Not milky, not dark, but rich chocolate. Like chocolate syrup. A strong smokey presence. Smells like cold wood, smoke, and cocoa powder. (4.00)

Flavor: Baked Hershey's chocolate syrup, still with the strong smokey flavor. Hints of Raspberry and (Rhubarb?) Simple but fascinating. It's like a baked Hershey's 'Smore over a smokey campfire. (3.75)

Feel: Medium to lighter bodied. Low to moderate carbonation. An alcohol burning presence, and doesn't hide the alcohol well. Finishes with a smokey alcohol burn. (3.25)

Compared with Magic Hat's Barroom Hero: Pours a similar, but slightly darker color. More cocoa and smoke on the nose. Less toasty bread. A stronger bitterness from the smoke and slightly less malty. But given the higher alcohol, relatively the same in terms of sweetness. More carbonation.

Overall: This is a pretty good American Brown Ale. Darker than I expected. Cocoa and smoke. Like Smores over a campfire. Doesn't hide the alcohol is the only negative. Tame down the alcohol and this could be a really good dark ale. (Final Rating: 3.76)

 

 

Does not have a head that lasts very long but nice amount of lacing is left down the glass during consumption. Slightly smokey aroma and flavor otherwise a pretty standard borwn ale.

Very well done. A brown ale that pours a nice dark chocolate colour with a head that lasts an impressively long time!

Taste is not hop dominant, more chocolaty/cocoa than anything, with some bitterness creeping in toward the end. Imagine eating cocoa powder straight and tasting both sweet and sour...exact taste. Very well done!