Laughing Buddha Pandan Brown Ale

From a 22-ounce bottle--thanks to Dave at By The Bottle in Vancouver, Washington--Poured a standard brown body with a small filmy white head. Smell of ovaltine or maltomeal. Crisp, sweet, sugary, tropical sugars, rich, roasty, and unique. This is perhaps one of the best beers I have had in some time!

22 oz. bottle from Malt & Vine; Peculiar drink - Strong and sweet malt backbone that lies a on the thin side of medium bodied (almost no head,very little carbonation - maybe a bottling problem?) Sweetness is not overpowering, well balanced by the earthy inspirations that I guess are attributable to the leaves; the nuttiness is a very evident - which also give the drink a pseudo-spice complex that adds a very intriguing component. This is by far the most unique brown ale I have ever tried - a much needed variation on what mostly is a very bland style. Very impressive drink. Working through my 2nd Bomber - 5/21/2008 - Can’t understand why this is fairing so poorly as of late - I am more impressed with this than I was initially. Changed rating from 4.0 to 4.1 - I really like the Pandan flair in this drink - truely unique in a great way.

rich chocolate color, fair head. the aroma is a real treat, unlike anything else i’ve experienced. nutty indeed, there’s a fullness to the aroma which adds as a great precursor to the beer. i find this beer marvelous in both intent and execution. the combination of malts yields a respectable complexity independent of the added pandan and might be suitable on its own, but the added ingredient gives the beer another tasty wrinkle, and more importantly, it’s own unique character.

Bottle... GIABMISGFAB... This beer rocks!... Clear, dark caramel-colored ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. The nose offers a caramelized foundation with sweet, rich notes of roasted almonds, hazelnuts and milk chocolate. Full-bodied with a whole-milk mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Sweet, nutty flavor... richest brown ale I’ve ever tasted. Finishes like it began; sweet and nutty. Kudos to Beershine and Oakes for hauling this world class brown ale to the island with them!

Bottle: Dark brown color, nice light head and decent lacing. Nose of bright nutty toasty bread, super melanoidins to the rescue, holy crap this is nutty and toasty. Almost more toasty than toast! Pandan?! Holy shit, I want some for brewing. The flavor has a nice full body, more nutty accents. A decent finish. Wow, that nose is spectacular for a brown ale. So nutty, so good!