Barley Island Dirty Helen Brown Ale

Brewed by Barley Island Brewing
Style: Brown Ale
Noblesville, Indiana USA

Bottle. Felt like more of a doppelbock than a Brown Ale to me -- very boozy somehow for a 4% beer. Didn’t really get any flavors outside of brusque alcohol and maybe some hops. A very different beer from Newcastle and I strongly prefer the former. Best part of this beer is the color: it’s a beautiful dark red-brown. Best paired with cold weather and limited expectations.

Date: 06/06/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

clear dark brown, overwhelming frothy beige head, solid drippy lace, toasted malt aroma with an astrengent edge, light body, toasted and chocolate malt flavor, dry with light bitterness, nutty chocolate flavor grows richer but stays very dry,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Pours brown, clear, with a moderate, white head. Aroma is hops and roasted malt. Mody is somewhat watery with a bit of a caramel, sweet flavor.

12oz bottle. Pours a cloudy orange/brown with a thin, fleeting head. Aroma is a light mixture of nuttiness, hops, and roasted malt. Taste is medium-bodied and well-carbonated with a strong nutty flavor and some subtler, sweeter hints of caramel and chocolate. A pleasant if somewhat formulaic brown ale.

This relatively dark pour has a thin head and a deep caramel-colored pour. The flavor is reminiscent of creme brulee, pineapple, and just a hint of leather, yet not overwhelming. Effervescent and cola-like, this ale would do well along side a hearty meal.

Pours to a dark brown mahogany body with a thin white head. The aroma is nutty toasted brown malt, iced tea, and light earthy yeasts. The flavor is sweet iced tea and toasty brown malts. The palate is sweet, lightly tart, medium bodied, and chewy.

12 ounce bottle from Blue Max in Burnsville, MN (June 2007, consumed a bit above fridge temperature from a Unibroue glass. Largish, frothy off-white head decays slowly above the dusky, murky walnut body.....light hazelnuts and vanilla are almost subsumed in a somewhat off sour grapiness that muscles into the nose....the body is quite dry, lightly tart in the middle and rather burnt/toasted at the finish, with again a bit of grapy sourness that just doesn’t work; the nutty, dark malts are there, but barely so....body is on the thin side, carbonation is strong and soda-like; quite dry on the palate. Not terribly pleasant. Nice label, though.

The Dan Journal #77. Tasted 4/5/2007. 12oz bottle. Murky light brown hue. Ring of white head. Toasty caramel aromas with notes of cocoa nutty and a touch of soy. Medium bodied with a syrupy grainy cocoa woody flavor. Short lived, replaced by an acidic metallic flavor. Finish is fumbled and citrusy. Meh...