Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale
Alameda Brewhouse

Barn Owl Imperial Brown AleBarn Owl Imperial Brown Ale
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From:
Alameda Brewhouse
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 8.09%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
24
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 13, 2018
Added:
Sep 08, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ThisMoonlife:
Photo of ThisMoonlife
Rated by ThisMoonlife from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

Oct 03, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bomber from Albertsons. Dark, clear brown, small foamy beige head. Roast grain aroma, burnt toast, licorice. Taste features the roasty bitterness, not sweet at all, dark, nutty, woody.
Mar 13, 2018
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.09/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a tulip, the appearance was a semi-dark brown color with a finger’s worth of off-white foamy head that dissipated at a decent pace. Spider-web lacing slides into the beer nicely. The aroma takes on smooth crisp sweet nuttiness rolling over a sweet bready/biscuity soothing quality. Sly milk chocolate. Some caramel malt. Quick earthy hops underneath. The flavor blends the sweet malty notes over the earthy hops, remains sweet all throughout. Smooth silky nutty sweet to chocolatey aftertaste rolling into the finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Oddly enough, the ABV doesn’t seem to hit hard. Soft carbonation. Overall, imperialized brown ale, yes, that’s exactly what this is.
Jun 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.81 by Donkster46 from Washington

Apr 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.18 by Sir_Goatman from Oregon

Sep 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.08 by dcmchew from Romania

May 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.09 by leitmotif from Romania

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by Ciocanelu from Romania

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.01 by Vldb from Romania

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kmat10 from Canada (AB)

Nov 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.38 by mactrail from Washington

Sep 16, 2014
Photo of leaddog
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
Appearance - Pours a dark nut brown with two fingers of creamy tan head.

Smell - roasted malts, nuts (almond/hazelnut), semi-sweet chocolate, caramel, and hint of earthy hops.

Taste - strong roasted flavour of malts, nuts, and a bit of dry cocoa. Semi-sweet chocolate and caramel lightens it up while the earthy hops add a delicate bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a pleasant lingering bitterness from the cocoa and earthy hops.

Overall - A pleasant American brown that brings all the flavours of roasted malts, semi-sweet chocolate, nuts, and earthy hops into one harmonious brew. This is a definite stand out.
Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by artoolemomo from Oregon

Aug 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by johnnyboy76 from Oregon

Jun 07, 2014
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.91/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
22oz bottle, decidedly weird-looking disembodied owl visage on the label. I missed hitting this brewery when I was in PDX a few years back, but then, that's not exactly hard to do in that burg.

This beer pours a murky, very dark reddish amber hue, with two solid fingers of foamy, frothy, and somewhat creamy beige head, which leaves some pleasantly thorough layered snow rime lace around the glass as things drop away.

It smells of rather nutty and bready roasted caramel malt, with a touch of biscuity graininess, wet ash, and peppy earthy, leafy hops. The taste is more toasted caramel malt, crackery biscuits, salted toffee, dry mocha, smoldering ash in a rainstorm, a hint of orange-infused chocolate, grassy, leafy hops, and the slightest suggestion of metallic alcohol.

The bubbles are understated, but still capable of keeping things on the straight and narrow, the body a densely stoic medium weight, well smooth, and smugly creamy. It finishes on the sweet side, the nuttiness making a resurgence among the lingering bready caramel malt, waning cinder notes, and steadily wallflowerish hops. Not much sign of the amped-up booze, so there is that, as well.

A tasty enough roasted American brown ale, the new world affectation here being the extra ABV, rather then any huge hop upswing. The dry ash character might drag on me after a while, but for now, it lends a nice counterpoint to all that malt, unfettered by the aforementioned underwhelming hop bitterness. Worthy of try, if you think you like your brown ales.
Dec 17, 2013
Photo of afordney
Reviewed by afordney from Tennessee

3.22/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
I grew up in the neighborhood of the Alameda brewhouse, on my last visit to Portland, I was excited to pick up a couple bottles before I headed home. This had an excellent pour, the head was very tight, caramel in color and about two fingers thick. The beer was mahogany in color and very clear. the smell was very sweet, with hints of roasted hops in the background. It had an excellent malty flavor, not overly sweet with strong flavors of caramel and toffee. The beer is very well balanced in the mouth as well. This beer wasn't my favorite of the brown ales, but it was very good. I felt like the flavor was a little on the strong side. It was nicely balanced, not overly bitter and was quite beautiful in the glass. It's not something that I would drink more than one of in a sitting, but It was very tasty and a good representation of the style.
Dec 06, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by NOLTERN from Oregon

Nov 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Nov 14, 2013
Barn Owl Imperial Brown Ale from Alameda Brewhouse
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 24 ratings