Downtown Brown
Empire Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served in a pint glass.

Nice ruby red colour.

Thin head and lace as enjoyed.

Hints of fresh hops followed by warm toffee in the nose.

Toffee, chocolate flavors and good bitters finish .

A very good brown ale. Ended up taking a growler of this home to enjoy.

 

 

 

Hitting all the halmarks of the style in medium and moderate fashion across the board, this flavorful brown ale carries a toasty and malty note throughout early creaminess, citrus bitterness, and a woody dry finish.

Medium brown in color, the beer carries a bright clarity of garnet and crimson highlights that display the malty hue. Off white, nearly tan foam builds a study and thick blanket of foam that retains and laces stubbornly. A handsome looking beer throughout.

Malty, toasty, lightly grainy, deep caramel- all culminate in a scent that's reminescent of Cracker Jack candies. A background scent of citrus and pine give a glimpse into the hoppy balance and promise complexity and roundness. With low spice and fruitiness, the nose is a balanced display of malt and hops exclusively.

The malt forefront continues in taste with a focus on toffee, walnuts, light chocolate, medium toast, brown sugar, and malt richness. Medium sweetness takes the beer from start through mid palate where the sweetness fades and the malty richness usher in the hoppy flavors of citrus peel and pine resin that balance the sweetness and welcome the minty, woody, bitter finish. Still, fresh throughout and void of any noticable spice or fruitiness from yeast.

Medium fullness early, the carbonation gives the early impression of robust character. But as the carbonation fades, the beer gives a medium tone that carries an even fade into hop bitterness and dryness late with only a memory of toast and caramel that lingers into the next sip.

Solid and fresh throughout, the beer allows the malt and hops to govern the balance, though the balance tilts slighly favorably toward the malt. Clean and without any detectable flavors from yeast, the beer is truely American in design and execution.

Ordered a pint for $5 at the brewpub. It came clear brown with a short tan head. In short, this beer combines a lot of great aspects of the style. Upfront it's got mocha and medium roast coffee flavors. Toffee and dark chocolate rush in after that with a dry candy character and then earthy hops kick in for a bitter finish. The hops approach Indian Brown Ale territory, without stepping too far away. Love hops and brown ales? Get a pint of this.

The beer pours a brown color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a sweet crystal malt scent along with some roasted character and a mild hop aroma. The taste is good. It has a very bitter hop presense. It hits you up front and blends well with the roasted malts. Crystal malts provide a touch of sweetness and add balance. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good American brown. It's very hoppy with just enough malt character to keep it balanced.

Pours an almost opaque brown color with a full finger light tan head that resists fading. Nice lacing observed. The smell is creamy caramel and hazelnut. Full-Medium bodied, the mouth feel is lightly carbonated yet altogether creamy experience from start to finish. Full flavored the taste is as rich malt hazelnut creamy caramel as the nose. The really nice drinker. The 5.8% ABV is blended well. That one is going to keep me coming back!