The Great Bear
Four Quarters Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Appearance:  Poured from a 12-ounce can at the tap house; didn't catch the date or get a good look at the label. The beer is a rich mahogany with a little bit of soft tan head that never went away.

Aroma:  Malty sweetness. Hazelnut. Alcohol. Smoke. Nutshells. A tiny bit of chocolate.

Taste:  Mostly the same as the nose, minus the alcohol and add some caramel.

Feel:  Medium body with low carbonation.

Overall: Let it warm up a bit before you say there's no smoke. It's not as thin as most in the style, which is a good thing. Nice complexity.

 

 

Poured from an undated 16 oz can, into the test glass
A - Lovely dark mahagony, excellent, mocha cap, great retention.
S - Toast malts, a bit of cocoa powder, Earthy hops, and a touch of smoked malt.
T - More of the smoked aspect, with excellent tension between the chocoalte and the light smoke.
M - Medium in body, crisp and delightfully dry.. The finish is quick and invites another sip.
O - A very good brown ale, long a favorite style of mine. This offering has enough depth, and flavor to keep your attention.

 

 

 

Surprisingly good.
Brown ales can be lackluster.
Excellent light chocolate color with a 4F head on a Stone imperial pint glass.
Aroma of chocolate and cookie- oatmeal cookie?
Medium body- works well for this beer. The style usually suffers from a thin body.
Rich chocolate, oatmeal taste.
I’m not getting too much smoky flavor.
Excellent brown ale, best colder.

 

No can date

Pours a light foamy tan head large about 1.5 fingers, great retention, pillowy and rocky, great soapy lacing, mostly dark a touch of light in the mahogany brown color

Nose brings smokey aromas out front, smoked malt, a little campfire and smoked cheese but not overly smokey, light sweet malts, toasted biscuity creamy malts, little cocoa and cereal cookie wafer

TAste more smokey flavors out front, smoked cheese and a little campfire but again not overbearing, a bit of bitterness from the dark malts and a little earthy hop note, creamy oats, some dark chocolate cocoa and cookie wafer like again, toasted brown malts, smooth drier finish, med to a bit lighter bitterness with mild earthy spicy hops kicking in late

Mouth is med bod, creamy flaked oats, med to a bit higher foamy carb

Overall not bad, delivers what it promises, American brown ale with dencent malts, some chocolate, nice smokey characters that don't destroy the rest of the beer but are definitely dominant

 

A- Tallboy into a becher with a deep brown body that has some crimson highlights at the edges of the glass where light can pass through more. The crown atop the beer is a thick and foamy consistency and it rises to an inch high with great head retention. Lacing is thin off the walls but very large sheets form after each sip for a lot of overall coverage.

S- Slightly sweet malt profile that is centered around toasted barley with slight roast and a light to medium smokiness throughout. Notes of campfire, nuttiness, toast, bread, caramel, brown sugar and a hint of dark fruits from the yeast. A touch roasty.

T- Things feel a bit more balanced here as in the aroma the smoky grains were just a bit dominant compared to the rest of the malt profile and the yeast. Here the smoke starts things out but quickly you get a nice profile of toasted nuts, bread, caramel, chocolate, coffee and a medium sweetness. Again a touch of dry dark fruits.

MF- Light bodied for the style, almost at medium with a high end carbonation and a puffy, foamy texture. Ends bittersweet with smokiness well into the aftertaste. Still smooth.

Smoky malt forward brown ale that has a smooth mouthfeel and a nice balance between sweetness, malt flavors and the smokiness. Just a bit less smoke and it would be on point.

16 oz. can
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a brown translucent body with some lacing. Subdued nose of dark malt, slight chocolate, and even slighter smoke. Taste of dark malt, chocolate, and very little smoke appearing near the finish. Nice feel and overall, was hoping for a bit more smoke on this one but still a quite tasty little number from Winooski, VT. Cheers!!

On tap at Bluebird

 

Can. Dark brown with lasting head and lace. Smoky chocolate earthy aroma with a hint of ash. Sweet chocolate light caramel and medium fruit. Light herbal smoky finish. Medium-full body creamy and soft. Excellent.