Gritty McDuffs Lions Pride Brown Ale (Best Brown Ale)

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Brown Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Name: Lion’s Pride Brown Ale
Date: 09/01/1995
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

’95: Smooth, tasty, slightly sweet, slight bitter finish
-------- /> Name: Lion’s Pride Brown Ale
Date: 09/01/1995
Mode: Firkin
Source: Brewpub
Score: ii to i

Appearance: ruby, whispy head
Aroma: rich malt aroma with buttescotch trying to breakthru
Flavor: flavor is a mixture of chocolate malt and butterscotch
-------- /> Name: Lion’s Pride Brown Ale
Date: 10/17/1997
Score: iii to ii

Appearance: dark amber, thin tan head, thin lace
Aroma: sweet malt aroma with chocolate highlights
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, slightly nutty, hint of chocolate, just a touch of hop bitterness in the finish
-------- /> Name: Lion’s Pride Brown Ale
Date: 04/29/1999

this is the year of overwelhminq dycidal at Gritty’s

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 2/10; Palate: 2/10; Overall: 5/20
Rating: 1.8/5.0
Score: 4
-------- /> Name: Best Brown
Date: 02/28/2001
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brewpub

Appearance: dark amber, frothy tan head, gusher,
Aroma: soft malt aroma with a hint of hops,
Flavor: oxidized flavor,
Overall: sample too old

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Light brown. Aroma is caramelly, nutty, fruity and spicy (cumin, oregano) Fairly light bodied, with a vague maltiness and Ringwood notes. Minimal interest in this recipe shared with the Golden Lion in Lennoxville.

Clear light brown body with medium creamy off-white head. Aroma is mild sweet, caramel, light anise. Taste is caramel, slightly nutty, light earthy. Finish is fairly watery caramel. Watery light body.

12oz bottle. Poured a deep and see through orange color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nuts and toasted malts. Lighter tastes of the same. Body on the thin side.

12oz bottle-pours a disappearing light tan head and copper color. Aroma is toffee-medium malt, some peat, a sharpness-fruity yeast, some cocoa (detractor). Taste is watery malt, husky, then tonic water, herbal/medicinal, the aroma was mostly nice with one detractor, the taste was mostly detractors. Thanks jwc215 for picking this out.

Any first impressions?
-A classy 1/2-inch foam head sits there comfortably.
-It’s rather russet-coloured for a brown ale.
-Puffed up butterscotchy, beany malt aroma.
-Maltiness isn’t as prominent in the flavor as the aroma purported.

What if you dig deeper?
-Meaty, BBQ-sauce, and earthy notes seem to thin out the malty sweetness in both the aroma and flavor.
-Aftertaste is pretty short, a little dry, but only hopped for support, which fits the style methinks.
-Malt roastiness appears in the last half and progressively takes more room.
-Mouthfeel is competent, but without much flavor it seems to serve little purpose.

Bottle; best before May 2006

Pours brown with a thin tan head. Smells of sweet malt and earthy. Tastes of vegetables, sweet malt, earthy.

Bottle from World of Beer, Clearwater, FL. Poured clear brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate toasted nutty malt aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and soft carbonation. Medium sweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Solid drinkable beer.