Brown Bear
Thirsty Bear Brewing Company

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From:
Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
English Brown Ale
ABV:
6.3%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.49 | pDev: 9.46%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 12, 2015
Added:
Jul 24, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

 
Rated: 3.56 by Wontonst from California

Jul 12, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by PBRmeasap1980 from Indiana

May 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by harpus from Alabama

May 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Feb 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by k47k from New York

Jan 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by jmccraney from Washington

Mar 27, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 02, 2013
Photo of czfreeman
Reviewed by czfreeman from California

3.18/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured as a sampler glass.
Dark brown color, medium head. Looks like a decent brown ale.
Smells are dark malt, some chocolate, lots of roasted notes in there, a hint of floral hops, and some pepper to balance the malt.
ON the palate, Dark fruits, earthy roated notes, coffee, some bitter cocoa, dark bread, and a touch of plum or some dried fruit. Finishes lighter than expected, which cleans up the mouthfeel and makes for an enjoyable finish.
Mouthfeel is medium, finishing fairly clean and slightly sweet. Leans a bit on the sweet side overall as most beers here seem to, i.e vanilla beer, etc, but overall decent brown ale.
Jun 15, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Arborescence from Finland

May 27, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Piason from California

May 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by moneyfunnel from California

Apr 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Pugsly from New York

Mar 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Hoppaholic from Florida

Jan 12, 2012
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.88/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: brown in color with a 1" head that lingers around a while. Some spotty lace dots the glass during the session.

Smell: caramel and malt sweetness are all you can detect.

Taste: caramel, some mild earthiness, a bit of dark fruit sweetness, and a soft bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth at the finish. Aftertaste is very short here.

Overall: a very sessionable brown ale that has a nice flavor profile that will keep you interested for a few pints. Definitely a beer worth having at the pub.
Dec 14, 2011
Photo of argock
Reviewed by argock from Virginia

3.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on-tap in a slender weizen-style branded glass at Thirsty Bear Brewing Company (San Francisco, CA).

A: Very dark brown with short cap of light beige head which leaves a few scraggly lines of lace.

S: Caramel and toffee are light with more dark malitness and a light herbal hopping

T: A sweeter take on a brown ale with much more malt sweetness with caramel and toffee flavors and no buttery off-flavors. Hopping is light and herbal and grassy.

M: Solid medium-body with low carbonation and mildly dry finish.

O: A pretty good brown ale with a sweet caramel character. Thirsty Bear has definitely improved since I was here 3 years ago.
Nov 14, 2011
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.48/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Clear, dark amber colour with very little head. Some lacing.

Sweet caramel aroma with some bitter toffee on the nose. Slightly nutty.

Crisp and clean malt with a touch of earthiness. Nice nutty character with some bread crust.

Medium body with moderately-high carbonation. Too fizzy.

A decent brown ale but nothing out of this world. Balance.
Aug 10, 2011
Photo of litheum94
Reviewed by litheum94 from California

3.94/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Part of the sampler platter. Reviewed 7/15/10.

P: Dark, brownish-red. Ring of tan head.

A: Chocolate and caramel malts. Touch of roasted coffee.

T: Nice coffee flavor, with out being burnt tasting. Hint of chocolate on the finish. Very smooth.

A great brown ale, and stands out in the sampler.
Aug 08, 2011
Photo of DrJay
Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

3.56/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Clear, reddish brown with a beige/tan head. Lots of thick lace that formed rings outlining each sip, great head retention. Malty, nutty aroma, a bit of chocolate and toffee. Medium to low bitterness with the same malt profile as in the aroma. Hop flavour was almost non-existant. Lingering bitterness and sweet malts. Medium bodied and smooth, lowish carbonation. Not bad overall, a decent pint.
Apr 03, 2010
Brown Bear from Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 25 ratings