Indian Brown Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
Ranked #26
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,464
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 10.76%
Reviews:
2,105
Ratings:
6,281
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 31, 2024
Added:
Aug 07, 2001
Wants:
  393
Gots:
  1,286
Also known as Indian Brown Dark IPA

Forget about the car companies, this is the original hybrid. A cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale and an American Brown, Indian Brown Ale is well-hopped and malty at the same time (It's magical!).

The beer has characteristics of each style that inspired it: the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regiment of an India Pale Ale. We dry-hop the Indian Brown Ale in a similar fashion to our 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA. This beer is brewed with Aromatic barley and organic brown sugar.

50 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by marvin213:
Photo of marvin213
Reviewed by marvin213 from North Carolina

4.17/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This beer, like all DFH productions, looks good. Even poured into a seashell-embossed (enjoying this one at the beach) Pilsner-type glass, this brew looks appealing like dark, rich chocolate. A 1/4" head turns into a thin, patchy layer of bubbles with lacing apparent on the glass sides even before the first sip. Interestingly, the very bottom 1/4" of this pour is a much lighter brown--almost like a caramel glaze (but on the bottom).

The aroma is sugary hops, and I like it! I can smell the hops with a tinge of alcohol, and the malty "aromatic" barley prompts me to expand my nostrils so as to engulf this waft of beer aroma. A very neat, unique, and enjoyable smell--something I've come to expect from the brewmasters at Dogfish Head.

The taste, quite simply, is good. Unlike other beers, I think I smell more than I taste. The barley definitely offers a malted milkball-like quality that is (obviously) very pleasant. I taste the caramelized sugar most in the aftertaste, after I've swallowed and I collect remnants of the sip from my teeth and inner cheeks. I'm not sure why, but this beer experience continually conjures up images of caramelized onions on a big, Waffle House-style flat grill/griddle. In line with this thinking, this liquid is fulfilling like an order of hash browns scattered, covered, and chunked--there's lots of interesting components to the serving that all assemble to form a simple yet tasteful delight. Looking for a potential negative, I think the barley may be a tad overwhelming. The hops provide a nice balance, though I must say I can't distinguish Liberty from Goldings. The caramelized sugar really contributes to a nice effect on the palate.

The mouthfeel is really good. The hop combo offers a bit of that enamel-pulling characteristic while the barley contributes some of that aforementioned milkball yumminess. I think it's the sugar that really makes the feel better than good--it's why, after each sip, I suck my teeth like a teenager given a directive he/she doesn't like. For me and this beer, however, there's no dissension.

The drinkability is good--yet another mass-produced but still unique beverage from DFH Brewery. It's beers like this--hardly mentioned even in discussions specifically about DFH, that solidify in my mind that this brewery really is on top of this game. Though I won't follow this one with another of it's kind, I'd like to keep this one around so as to always be able to enjoy it.
Apr 12, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.09 by gongfu from Connecticut

Jan 31, 2024
 
Rated: 4.24 by eluvah from New York

Sep 15, 2023
Photo of Shiredave
Reviewed by Shiredave from New York

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Innovative, hybrid style part robust porter, part IPA all Brown Ale.
Deep, chocolate brown with a frothy, pale tan head of sticky foam.
Aroma is brown sugar and leather, chocolate malted milk and whiff of phenolic esters.
Flavor is robust for a brown ale and firmly bittered but not IPA IBU's, full of dark and caramel grain character.
Medium plus body with great balance of sweet and herb bite though a little bit cloying as it warms.
This reminds me of Ubu Ale and Turbo Dog but bigger and better - with a hint of Kick Ass Brown hopiness.
Like most DFH beers, unique, off-style and memorable.
Jun 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by seakayak from Massachusetts

Mar 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.79 by SoundMakesSense from Indiana

Mar 05, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 19, 2022
 
Rated: 3.74 by dan_amdg from Illinois

Feb 12, 2022
Photo of eameslover
Reviewed by eameslover from Michigan

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
First time I had ever seen this style...Really good! No joke, I could taste a stout, an IPA (not a lot but some distinctive hops) and a good brown ale. Mostly the first and last but it wasn't entirely one if the aforementioned styles. I really enjoyed it
Apr 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by BeerRay from Rhode Island

Apr 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.37 by Dillpickle315 from Colorado

Mar 27, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by carolinabeerguy from North Carolina

Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 3.59 by TwilightBeerCareer from Illinois

Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by Argento from Rhode Island

Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 3.58 by carolinared from North Carolina

Mar 19, 2021
 
Rated: 3.98 by emiliobaratta from Venezuela

Mar 04, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by tp1962 from Illinois

Feb 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.15 by GaryM6 from New York

Jan 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.68 by Soneast from Wisconsin

Nov 08, 2020
Indian Brown Ale from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 6281 ratings