#100 Brown Ale
Main & Mill Brewing Co.

 

12oz can pours a dark brown color with a fizzy but dense tan-colored head that fades to a small ring around the edge. Smells of roasted malts. Taste is dominated by the toasted and roasted malts with a little bit of caramel flavor and a slight sweetness. The body of this beer is extremely thin and watery and the flavor fades away extremely quickly after you sip. Very small almost nonexistent bitterness to close, followed by a warm, flat cola aftertaste that really disappoints. The carbonation is almost nonexistent after the first two sips.

This was a pretty poor attempt at an English Brown Ale and there is really nothing good to say about it. It's a beer, but it isn't interesting or pleasant.

On draft at 1839 Taphouse. Poured out an clear, brown color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of roasted malt, coffee, subtle chocolate and toffee. Sweet maltiness with chocolate and a subtle coffee finish.

Bought 2 cans from Tavour. (A brown ale is a nice change of pace from their heavy tendency of hop-centric offerings.)

#100 marks Main & Mills' milestone of 100 brews, probably during their 5th year of operation. Their BA listings indicate they specialize in dark malts in the British tradition. Considering that their emphasis does not pander to the hop-crazy American palate, ratings for #100 are a bit harsh IMHO.

#100 Looks slightly better than average with a nice head that goes away possibly too quickly. Smells are mostly malt; but I get no prominent clues what the malt blending will produce. Tastes are better, certainly balanced, and largely true to style. #100 could be fuller in the mouth, but the carbonation is close to correct. Certainly more hops would improve #100 ratings.

I gotta give Main & Mill some good Overall Hugs. Festus is an ex-burb of St. Louis in its largely neglected downriver areas. This small town has had jokes made about it by country music fans; but it is an effort to settle just outside of the Mississippi's expansive flood plain in that area. So why does Festus exist? I'm not sure. But Main & Mill is undeterred, a family brewery and taproom/restaurant that brings brewing culture to a backwater. Hugs are deserved. And #100 actually could pair well with one of their many burgers. Cheers !

12/11/20 Had the 2nd can. Edited the above review and will keep count over at UnTappd.

 

A: The beer is very dark brown in color. It poured with a short beige colored head that left a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of nutty malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and is very nutty with additional hints of dark malts. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This brown ale is very nutty and also quite easy to drink.

Serving type: can

 

L: The dark reddish-brown and opaque hue of a double brown. A 3/4 finger of caramel cream head fading quickly to a swirly thin cap and ring

S: Cocoa and caramel-like maltiness. Some dark roasts and pecans. A weak nose overall.

T: A little more of the acrid tang stands out over a bland beer. Not so nutty, bitter, or roasty - the beer is dominated by mild and joyless sugars.

F: The beer is so thin and lifeless, low carbonation also.

O: If you are a fan of thin, simple beer, this is a brown. I wonder if was really improvement across the prior 99.