Fort Collins Big Shot

Brewed by Fort Collins Brewery
Style: Brown Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

(22oz bottle) Medium beige head atop crystal clear amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, toffee, hazelnut, some floral. Taste is moderately sweet, hazelnut, caramel, light chocolate. Light-medium body, low carbonation.

22oz bottle. Poured a medium amber / brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of toasted malts, caramel, nutty, and some graininess. Tastes of caramel, toasted malts, and nutty.

Hazy deep hazelnut coloured ale covered by a small white film. Well, this is aimed at the cake-loving public, rapidly throwing candied milk chocolate flavours, not unlike Ferrero Rochers with its nutty background. The smooth carbonation keeps up the sweets’ finish. Lots of bubbles, but no bite, really soft and smooth for a barely medium-bodied ale. In the finish, it grows a powderiness and an unexpected dryness. The grassy hops feel a bit awkward, but they do procure a sense of balance in this offering that you could have thought as hopelessly sweet. Lightly buttery all along, but this fits. A buttery cake, sure, but not so rich at that.

Bottle sampled on 1/10/09: Pours a transparent copper amber with a thin-lacing white head. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malt with some earthy hoppy notes. Body starts lightly sweet and toasty caramely with a mild grainy character before a drier finish. A pretty standard brown ale that could use more nutty flavor.

Bottle courtesy of illinismitty. Pours mahogany with a thin tan head. Smells fruity with some tarte hints. Tastes nutty with some fruity touches. Mouthfeel is crisp with some spicy hints on the finish.

My Bottom Line:
Cocoa powder, hazelnuts and caramel dominate the light hop bitterness of this drinkable but somewhat forgettable Brown Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the hazy dull red.
-Carbonation is rather low and the body is lean, providing a gentle, supple mouthfeel.
-That chocolatey sweetness is present from aroma to finish.
-Balance is not really achieved; this is for malty sessions.

Bottle.

Bomber. Red and brown clear filtered body. Big toast and charred bread crust and walnut nose. Hoppy but far too starchy and coarse on the palate, tastes like burnt chestnuts, toasted bread, stale bran, and mashy graham crackers. Really, really terrible about halfway through a glass.

Bomber: This pours a light, clear orange tinted brown body with a decent beige head that, alas, disappears too quickly, leaving some bits of spotted lace in its wake. It’s got an aroma of toffee, hard nuts, and a mild earthy bitterness. You can distinguish the hazelnuts in the flavor, but the malts and hops take on a bit of a dirty, dusty feel. Odd choice for a Winter special.

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