Bella Brown
Off-Kilter Brewing

Nice color, minimal head. I get caramel and a slight late taste of lemon. Mouthfeel is it’s best quality.

 

Pretty much nailed this brown.
While Looks are only slightly above average, Smells, Tastes and Feel are all integrated: mostly well-blended roasted malts with modest hops merely for balance. The 7.5 ABV does not come without side-effects, but the fusels are mild... and are welcome during solstice week.

My first from Off-Kilter, so I went on the website of this young, but focussed brewer seeking to make "Old World flavor with a modern slant." Off-Kilter fits my hunch that a 4th generation of crafters is emerging fast. (Curiously, Off Color in Chicago is another one.) This 4th generation is filling the market niche created by the excesses of the 3rd Generation which, in my general criticism, thought they could make it by being extreme. (Of course, a lot of those extremities were beyond what beer could or should do to the buds... so the third generation extremists have peaked and have to scramble to find the market again.) Off-Kilter (and probably Off Color) keep beer -- particularly the alcohol and the hops -- within reasonable bounds and build their craft and customer base in a narrower range. Makes sense to me, a malt-head. Good luck, Off-Kilter.

 

Pours a light brown with no real head, has tan bubbles on the outside though that go away. Smell is of faint roasted coffee beans. Taste is coffee beans and brown sugar. Mouthfeel is light. Overall, a nice local brew from a local brewery in town.