 Ernest (4216), Boulder, Colorado, USA
May 9, 2008
Bottle.
Head is initially small, frothy, light brown, mostly diminishing.
Body is dark brown.
Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (caramel, roasted nuts/grain), lightly to moderately hoppy (resin).
Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter.
Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter.
Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation.
Not that enticing in the aroma department for me, but that’s partly because it relies a bit too much on green/American hops. The flavor balance is ok for quaffing if you can handle the acidity level, which I’m not fond of. Overall not bad, but definitely west coast style and thus not my cup of tea.
fidel (133), Livermore, California, USA
Aug 24, 2008 Slightly transparent redish dark brown, roasted malt, smokey, little chocolate, slighty nutty as well.
AgentSteve (747), Livermore, California, USA
Aug 24, 2008 Pours deep amber brown with red brilliance through the light. Slight nose of sweet toasted malt with a bit of smoke. The flavor is the same, but there’s a sort of crystal malt sweetness that stands out making it too sweet.
cbkschubert (1566), Skyline, Arizona, USA
Aug 15, 2008 22 oz. bottle from BevMo (Tucson) - Pours a clear brown color with a one and a half finger thick light tan head. Light lacing. Aroma is cola, toasted caramel malt, and light chocolate. Flavor is roasted and chocolate malt. Palate is kinda dry and the roastiness lingers a bit. To be honest, I didn’t get much nutiness out of this one. Medium body. A good beer.
DarkElf (2650), La Jolla, California, USA
Aug 12, 2008 05-Aug-08 (22-oz bottle: Purchased 06-May-08 for $3.49 at BevMo in Solana Beach, CA) I always expect good things from Full Sail, especially with the Brewmaster Reserve series, but I seriously underestimated this beer. This is not your basic brown ale with a bit of nuttiness, no, this is big and bold and utterly delicious. The beer pours dark-brown in color and clear with a deep ruddy, translucent glow through the center. The light-tan head build to barely a half-inch in height before settling to a broken film and bubbly ring. The beer’s aroma is evident without even sticking your nose in the glass. Concentrated aroma of nuts leads the way and dark-roasted, smoky malts immediately follow with almost equal intensity, with smoked meats, dark chocolate, dark bread and a bit of ashiness making contributions as well. On the palate, this beer is rich and full-bodied with medium carbonation. Dark-roasted malts, mildly sweet chocolate, earth, blackened toast, all hit the entry running, finishing dry and almost tannic, with bitter roast, ash, smoke and a hint of sourness. What a joy to drink. Easily one of the better nut browns I’ve run across. Don’t underestimate this impressive beer, it’s worthy of the Reserve designation.
Old_Mr_Crow (1007), Seattle, Washington, USA
Aug 10, 2008 Cask at browers.
Pours a very dark brown pushing black with a robust head. Way too much burnt coffee and chocolate, not nearly enough nutty malt. What a mess.
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