Jun 27, 2011

Clown Shoes Brown Angel

Doing things a little differently isn’t out of the norm for the folks behind the Clown Shoes line of beers. If their hopped up amber ale, Eagle Claw Fist, is any indication, this isn’t going to be your average brown ale.

And it’s not. Taking the traditional English brown ale and essentially throwing it out the window, the brewery has gone with a more “Americanized,” hoppier take on the style. Using Maris Otter malt for the backbone, it’s the use of Amarillo and Columbus hops that really give this beer it’s attitude and character. As you can guess, this 7% ABV (and 40 IBU) brown ale is anything but traditional.

Clown Shoes Brown Angel photoLove the label artwork.

Appearance

Brown Angel pours a dark chestnut in color with a dense, creamy head. The mocha colored cap faded slowly to a thin ring around the surface.

Aroma

Lightly roasted malt, nuts, subtle coffee and piny hops fill the nose with each sniff. So far so good. It certainly smells hoppier than most brown ales.

Taste

And this is where it gets interesting. The beer has a firm base of lightly roasted malt, hints of coffee and a welcome nuttiness, but it’s the enhanced hop profile that really grabs the palate. The hop presence isn’t obviously on the same scale as an IPA, but for a brown ale, it’s pretty elevated leaving a lingering bitterness on the tongue after each swallow. Even at 7% ABV this beer is dangerously drinkable.

Overall

This is certainly not your standard brown ale. It’s got a more pronounce hop character while that keeps things interesting. I could certainly get used to drinking Brown Angel as a change of pace from your more standard brown ales that I would typically enjoy in the Autumn month.

Rating: 3.75/5

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