Brandy Buck Abbey Brown
Martha's Exchange

Had this again over lunch. last time was april of last year. Seemed to fall a bit flat this time. Appearance was good, a touch of belgian yeast swirling around in a nice way but for what ever reason this time it was not as enjoyable. I paired the beer up with the philly cheese steak wrap this time versus the cheese burger last time.

Not a typical review but I thought worth noting the difference in experience the following year.

Quaffed a pint vom Faß last eve at Martha's...
Pours a deep chestnut/mahogany color into the shaker glass. It was clear yet still quite dark, with little light penetrating. Head was a wispy, thin layer of fine, tan bubbles, leaving a trace of lace. Aroma was quite light, yet it showed a touch of sweetness and fruitiness. Way too mild, though. Body was an acceptable medium, with a decent smoothness over the tongue.

Light sweetness caresses the palate, with a candy-sugar character to it. Some fruit is evident here, though light at first. As the bier warmed, more flavor comes out, with some plum-aspects being noted. The malt is crisp and crystal-like, and the finish is rather dry. Hopping is evident, though it is really just a cameo, with no significant presence overall. A pretty good Belgian dark, especially after it warms up a tad.

Prosit!!

overall: 3.55
appearance: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 3.5

897

Presented from the tap in a basic pint glass the beer was a dark brown color with ruby highlights. A half-finger of head was present and this lasted for most of the pint and left some slight lacing. No other outright signs of carbonation.

An aromatic malt smell with hints of hops in the background. Slightly fruitty in the nose with grapes and nuts.

The taste is innitially malt dominated with a hint of hoppyness lingering near the back end of each sip. The maltiness is laced with sweetness that leads to a semi-dry finish. Carmel and toffee overtones lend to the sweetness.

A fairly robust beer and slightly creamy mouthfeel.

For me, I thought the beer to be a bit too sweet. Balance was good but I personally would have liked a little more hop flavor. A good beer, but a poor choice on my part to be my first of the night. This would have paired well with dinner.

This brew pours a amber color with a big bubbley head, that doesn't look very rich at all, the withers to nothing, not even leaving a lace behind. The smell of hops hits the nose, along with the brown malt. The First sip brings a lot of hops and caramel flavor from the malt. This was not a bad beer but it was not the best one I had all night.

Cheers