Cosmic Brown
Mirror Twin Brewing

D's Nutty Brown gets a facelift as the Mirror Twin Brewing team gets busy "twinning" their flagship brown ale with Cosmic brownies from Hostess.

Cosmic Brown pours a scantly headed brown color with no evidence of its chocolaty intent. A pass of the nose reveals the hallmark toasty, nutty and implied chocolate tastes with a lightness of coffee that's common in the original but then the stronger fudgy notes offer a decadent sense of whimsy. Sweet on the tongue, caramel, toffee and chocolate takes on a mild brownie character immediately.

Little changes across the middle palate as those underpinnings of caramelized malts, added chocolate flavor and walnut impressions bring stronger tastes of coffee, cake and fudge with a bittersweet late palate fueled with European hop broadness, woodsiness and balance.

Medium bodied but registering slightly fuller because of the beer's richer flavors, the beer's light carbonation allows for a nearly cask ale effect with a cola-like tact in finish. A mild refreshment persists despite its bold taste as this beer is friendly as a session experience or nice as a dessert accompaniment.