Bow Valley Brown Ale
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had a pint at Brewster's Calgary Crowfoot location. A deep cola brown brew with a little mocha colored head. Immediately striking is the amount of smoke on the nose, there's some toffee and fruit as well but the main effect is liquid smoke that recalls bacon. Whoa. Palate is much the same, with smoke predominating but accompanied by sour vinous fruit, wood char, and a little nutty caramel flavor. In most brown ales, the latter flavors are dominant but this beer veers into sour astringent porter territory as described by Michael Lewis in his style book on stout. Interesting but not something I'd seek out on a regular basis.

 

500ml bottle poured into pint glass 4/3/12

A color is cola but the solid two fingers of light brown foam tells you its beer, decent retention and a couple partial rings of lace at the top of the glass

S some hazelnut coffee with a little chocolate milk and hard toffee, mild earthy notes and some coco powder slips its way in there, loving the smell

T still very good not as complex as the nose, herbal hops and coco powder mix well, but missing something the nose had going for it

M light for the color and on the verge of turning to foam but not quite, nutty chocolate aftertaste lingers for a while

O I rather liked this one perhaps one of Brewsters better regular offerings

I'll grab a few of these next time I pass Brewsters, decent beer at a fair price is an easy sell

500ml bottle poured into a 20oz nonic.

A - A hard pour results in a great big head of thick foamy tan cream. The color is a surprisingly dark hue, a deep amber-brown. Head retention isn’t great, but a creamy cap stays well, and leaves spots of lacing.

S - Lots of toasty caramel malt with a touch of roastiness. There’s definitely an odd kick of spiciness to it as well, along with a strong smokiness and a bit of nutty notes too.

T – Lots of smoky notes all around, I might even go as far as saying that it’s the main flavor here. Biscuity and toasty caramel malt, with a decent nuttiness and roasted feel as well. A touch heavier and darker than the average brown ale, sort of bordering of a brown ale/porter hybrid. Notes of cocoa and dark chocolate appear as it warms. There’s just a certain spice in here I can’t quite pick out, but I like it a lot. Overall, this is really quite nice.

M - Not the fullest and biggest feeling beer, but it’s got a nice creamy smoothness to it. Lively carbonation works well with the feel of the body here.

D – Overall another great beer from Brewsters. I’m not much of a brown ale fan, but this one was really good. I can definitely see myself picking this up again. Brewsters are quickly becoming my favorite local brewery.

purchased a mixed 6 pack of Brewsters 500ml bottles
A - clear dark rootbeer brown, generous tan head with very respectable retention
S - very nutty with sweet candy caramel, some toasty grain and a light hop spiciness
T - milder than the nose suggests, a salty nut malt flavour with a balancing brown sugar sweetness, with a light hop kick on the finish
M - well carbonated, bready smoothness with a drying finish
D - not the greatest brown, but flavourful and easy to enjoy, i will definitely order a pint next time at the restaurant

20oz pint at the Oliver Square location - apparently this is one of their all-time best sellers.

This beer appears a clear, dark coppery brown cola colour, with one hefty finger of puffy, creamy, and somewhat frothy beige head, which leaves some fairly solid landmass lace around the glass as it slowly falls away.

It smells of semi-sweet, roasted caramel malt, a touch of hard toffee, some mildly milky mocha, toasted nuts, and tame earthy, floral hops. The taste is nicely in line with the nose, but heightened all the same - lightly roasted, slightly biscuity caramel malt, an oily nuttiness, soft cocoa powder notes, this morning's watery coffee grounds, and dusty, earthy, and kind of herbal hops.

The carbonation is quite soft in its generally innocuous frothiness, the body a decently involved medium weight, and well smooth and creamy. It finishes off-dry, roasted, biscuity, and pleasantly floral all around.

A very enjoyable and patently drinkable Old World brown ale, definitely above par for Brewsters. I could see having a few more of these, if only my choices for other style offerings here weren't so otherwise extensive - oooh - a seasonal IPA! Just kidding.

Dark brown with a nice two-finger head that leaves sparse lacing behind. Nutty, malty smell with low hop bitterness. Slightly metallic taste and notable toffee and hazelnut hints. Very mild bread-y yeast taste and slight lemon hints from the hops.

Decent carbonation - a good beer with dinner and one I could have a few of.

Served on tap at the Crowfoot Brewster's location. Served in a dimple mug. The beer is a nice dark brown mahogany color, with a short light brown head. It has a slightly nutty smell with a bit of roasted malt. The flavor more of the same nutty flavor, caramel roasted malt and a touch of sweetness. Good carbonation gives a slightly better than average mouthfeel. Easy drinking sessional.

Thanks Orrshow! From BIF Canada 2006.

Pours a clear copper/brown, big off white head forms, lots of lace and good retention. Smell is sweet, toffee, citrus kick, floral and roast. Taste is sweet and roasty, grains, chocolate and toffee, coffee, and a citrus finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation. Very smooth but again a weak finish. A decent brown ale though.

Appearance - Pours a dark brown with a thin cap of white head. Some lacing on the glass. Looks nice enough.

Smell - Not the strongest smelling beer there is. In fact it was quite faint but what was present was nice. Chocolate and roasted malts were the dominant scents.

Taste - A nutty flavor makes itself present quite quickly. There are hints of chocolate and sweet caramel malts in there as well. Quite nice. Finishes off slightly bitter which I liked.

Mouthfeel - This beer felt nice in the mouth. Carbonation was good and the consistency was also right.

Drinkability - Goes down smooth. This beer makes it easy to empty a glass quickly. Excellent for sessions at Brewsters for sure.

This beer is a dark chocolate or cola brown colour, with a thin cap of tan head. Lacing is left all over the glass.

The smell is somewhat nutty and bitter chocolate is prevelant. Roasted malt is what immediately comes to mind. The aroma for this beer is not strong, and it tends to be served a bit colder than I would suggest.

And on to the taste. First a hit of sweet chocolaty malt, with perhaps the slightest touch of honey. This is followed by a long bout of roasted coffee that has a background of bitter chocolate. This same taste carries on into the finish.

This beer is a bit less than medium bodied, and I find the carbonation light enough to savour the drink.

This is not my first Bow Valley Brown, and certainly not my last. It is one of my favorite beers to have while out with friends. I haven't had a lot of English Brown Ales, but this one sticks out as an all around good beer.

From notes, consumed 9/27 during trip to Calgary. Had this at the Eau Claire location (at least that's the general location, near the Eau Claire Market, by the Eau Claire Sheraton).

Appearance: Served in a pint glass. Dark brown, ruby when held to the light. Served with a decent head approx 3/8 inch.

Smell: Malty, dark malts, roasted. Aroma of chocolate and coffee.

Taste: Malty, as expected. There is a hop finish to keep it in balance. Taste of bitter chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, lightly carbonated.

Drinkability: Second best of the three beers I had, I'd have it again, if I wasn't out trying to consume as many different beers as possible. I found it somewhat similar to the Empyrean 3rd Stone Brown, that is available locally in Lincoln, NE.