Excavator
Big Ditch Brewing Company

Draft at Rodney’s. Very dark brown, ring of beige head. Burnt toast aroma, taste adds a touch of sweetness, molases and brown sugar. Something lingers, hard to say what. Ok, a bit sweet.

 

 

 

 

From tasting notes 6/13/19
Had on-tap at Big Ditch Brewing in Buffalo, NY

Appearance - Served up into a 5oz taster. Cola brown in color. Thin ring of suds around the edge of the glass.

Smell - Chocolatey aroma with light hints of earthy character.

Taste - Mild chocolatey base with hints of rye spice and roast. Mild earthiness joins the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body with fair, tingly carbonation. Drinks easy enough before a slightly dry finish.

Overall - Pretty good brown, but not as much rye as I was expecting.

 

In every large American city, there are crafters who love beer (but who are still figuring out how to be a successful brewery) and then there are the few crafters who have been at this long enough to have learned how to be successful. As near as I can tell after an hour of study, Big Ditch is the leading crafter in Buffalo and has the most success among a host of wannabes.

As for Excavator, I can taste why this makes them money. It Looks average in a near-ugly style. But it steps up its game by Smelling of mostly well-blended malts. It Tastes like one of the better American Browns I've had: malty (a few well-roasted and I can taste the spicy affect of the rye) and just enough hops to keep this from being a sweet drink. It finishes with a nice dry roastiness. Well done.

I give even more points to Big Ditch for contributing to this once-dynamic early industrial city and helping it find enough happiness to compete in this new, very different, era.

 

 

 

I enjoyed two pints of these at the World of Beer. It reminded me of a Coldspresso, but a little thicker feel and a little more cocoa flavor. Not sure of the IBU, but I would guess no more than 10-15. I definitely would have this again.

canned 12/15/17

L- The beer pours dark brown, almost black. The head is a good 3 fingers of tan foam. As the head recedes some legs of lace are sporadically left behind.
S- The nose is of modest intensity and consisting of a cross between chocolate and root beer. That said it isn't overly sweet, just the impression it leaves behind.
T- On the palate it's a pretty typical brown ale. It's pretty well balanced. There are notes of chocolate that fade behind a soft hop presence. Bitterness after 4 months in the can is on the lighter side.
F- Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is moderate. The beer finishes lightly dry making it an easy drinker.
O- This is pretty standard fair for a brown ale. Good enough to drink without hesistation, but not a stand out to seek.