Brown Beer, Brown Beer, What Do You See?
Hourglass Brewing

Back here at Pajama Dave’s in Fernandina Beach and this was one of the Florida beers on tap. Never had this, or anything from Hourglass before and this was a serviceable English Brown Ale that had enough flavor and went down easily.

No surprise that this poured brown, as it had a moderate tan head that settled somewhat quickly. A good amount of webbed lacing stuck around down the side of my pint glass as the foam never fully disappeared. A good amount of malt, caramel, and sarsaparilla was in the muted nose as they came through more in the taste. Some fall fruit, earthy hops, and bread was underneath everything as this had a nice balance to it with being overly strong or weak.

Didn’t detect any booze in this as the carbonation was nice and light. A hint of sticky molasses was in the aftertaste as this nearly needed a chaser of water to get it completely down. I’m not the biggest fan of this style but when they’re done right, English Brown Ales are fitting for nearly any time. That was the case with this as I’d kick back with this again - especially the next time it’s freakishly warm here!

 

Look: Dark brown with crystalline amber highlights on the bottom of the glass. One finger of skimmed khaki head with very long retention.

Smell: Mild, slightly sweet malt. A bit of bubble gum. Very low aroma.

Taste: Mild like the nose. Caramel sweetness, some brown bread, very low earthy hop flavor and limited bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Thick and chewy, with mild carbonation.

Overall: Any low ratings are due to mild flavor, not bad ones. It’s a good beer but just hard to grasp.

 

 

Reviewed from notes. Poured from a 16 oz. can into a Brooklyn Brewery tulip glass.

A: Rich, and fairly dark, brown, but very much brown rather than black. Lots of visible carbonation bubbles and a big two-finger foamy tan head, but this dissipates pretty quickly. Hazy and dark, but remains translucent.

S: Toasted bready malts, light chocolate powder. Some toffee and molasses or maybe sorghum-like sweetness. Decent nose for a “plain” brown ale, but nothing particularly interesting.

T: Toasted bready malts and some milk chocolate sweetness. Honey and molasses with some mild roasty, but more hop, bitterness. Some bready character and some mild fruity esters from the yeast. Green coffee in the middle, and then more light chocolate sweetness in the hang along with the residual hop bitterness.

M: A fairly light body, but acceptable for style. Alcohol seems a touch on the prominent side. Highly carbonated – almost too much, but maybe decides to stay on the right side of things.

O: Well, I don't think it's overtly flawed, but nothing I’d go out of my way for again. Just a decently made boring brown ale, without much coffee or enough chocolate…and not perfectly constructed enough to stand on its own as a "base" beer.

 

 

 

 

16oz tallboy, sample from the brewery.

A big English Brown Ale here, pours with a minimal lace as the carbonation seems a little low. Smells and tastes of toasted bread, fallen apples, and earthy hops. Smooth and slick and on the sweet-side. A bit out of balance and flavors don't seem to mesh well. A decent sip but was hoping for a bit more focus and drinkability.

 

 

 

 

 

From growler fill. One of the best Brown Ale I've tried in a while. full bodied but smooth. Not too malty like many others out there. Nutty, caramel and semi sweet. This is what Newcastle wishes it was. Great job Hourglass, please bottle this. Solid 4.50

10-2016 update; well my wish came true, they have canned this beer. The overall look and feel is the same as when I had in on draft.

 

 

Nice brown ale from up and coming Hourglass in Orlando. Solid malt and caramel notes with medium body feel and the right hop bite. Very nice contender for the Florida brown ale crown currently owned by Cigar City's Maduro.