Brown Ale
The Granary

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at the brewpub in San Antonio.

Appearance: Pours very dark for style; near black. The durable head leaves lots of lacing.

Aroma: Rich dark chocolate, and dark bread with a hint of coffee.

Feel: Medium body and medium, soft carbonation.

Flavor: A lot of dark malt flavor, with some char and smoke. Black coffee comes on in the finish and lingers on with very dark roasted malts and some char in the lightly bitter aftertaste.

O: A rich Imperial Brown Ale.

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a dark, nearly opaque brown color. A one finger bubbly beige head forms that eventually recedes to nothing. Light lace is left behind.
S: A big malty nose which I really like. Toasted malt, some nuttiness, light chocolate, and even some smoke in the background.
T: Follows the nose, but more amped up. Toasted malts, more chocolate and nutty flavors. The smoke is never up front, but always makes itself known throughout. Everything is excellently balanced.
M/D: A medium to full body. Crisp carbonation, but smooth at the same time. Creamy and velvety. A bit hefty for a brown ale, but still really easy and enjoyable to drink.

This is an excellent example of the style. Maybe just a bit to big for my tastes, but that is a small matter. It pairs perfectly with the BBQ, and excellent on its own. I think this would be superlative on cask. Very well done.

 

 

 

 

Drank with dinner, served in a pint glass. Very solid brown ale which was pretty balanced, a little bit of sweetness lingered. I like the brown ale style a lot and this one definitely stood out as one of the better that I've had. Although a little bit of nuttiness was perceived, this was not one of those extremely nutty tasting brown ales. In my opinion, pretty dark for a brown ale; rather dark brown in color. Rather smooth mouthfeel, and no hint of alcohol perceived whatsoever. My dinner was the "Barbecue Board", the meat of the night being brisket, and this brown ale paired perfectly with the whole meal in general, the brisket especially. I would highly recommend this brown ale to anyone looking for a good local San Antonio brown ale or just a good beer in general.