This brown ale from Shipyard Brewery was originally released back in 2006 under a slightly different name, but it appears as though the recipe has remained the same. I never had the opportunity to have this one until samples arrived from the brewery in the mail last week.
The description of the brew found within the press release points toward “…a nice smoky taste up front and a smooth, full body finishing with a crisp hop bite…” I got a bit of the roasted malt up front, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it smoky. At any rate, here’s the review.
Appearance
Brewer’s Brown pours a dark, rustic brown in color with a light tan head that faded to patchy lacing.
Aroma
There’s definitely a nice, roasted malt backbone with a semi-sweet caramel. There’s also a touch of butterscotch with light hops in the background.
Taste
This is a smooth, rich, medium bodied brown ale. The malts have a good roast with a light caramel in the mix. The finish is surprisingly dry with a lingering, subtle hop bitterness. It’s got plenty of depth with the mix of five varieties of malt. It’s well balanced and very easy to drink.
Overall
At 5.4% ABV, I can definitely see myself putting a few of these away in a sitting. Brewer’s Brown is a smooth, flavorful brew that’s got a good roasted malt base with a well balanced hop presence. My wife is a big fan of brown ales and this one got a solid thumbs up from her.
Rating: 3.5/5
