Catawba Valley Whiskey Brown

Brewed by Catawba Valley Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Glen Alpine, North Carolina USA

pours a solid black with no light making it through. sweet whisky aroma, sweet whisky front almost hot but still smooth, some vanilla oak mocha in the finish.

on tap-pours a retaining creamy light tan head and cloudy copper color. Aroma is whiskey, oak, yeast, medium/dark malt. Taste is whiskey, oak, yeast, medium/dark malt, faint hops. Mild/OK carbonation. Nicely done. Occasional.

Draught. Pours an opaque brown with a small tan head. The aroma has assertive sweet bourbon, almonds, and a scent similar to white chocolate, though less sweet. The mouthfeel is not that heavy at all, especially for the supposed abv %. Carbonation is low. The bourbon notes are certainly up front, but still allow flavors of toast, chocolate, and nuts to come through. The finish is pretty tame with more oak sweetness. Pretty good sipper. Given the non-existent alcohol flavor and relatively light palate, I’d never guess this to be higher than 6%. I was going into this with the expectations of a strong ale, but in the end the overall session feel of the beer and the nutty, sweet, malty qualities made me appreciate it for what it is. Not sure I could pound too many of these in one night though.