Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: Brown Ale
Longmont, Colorado USA

Like an aggravated mother to her kids, I don’t have much to say to Deep Cover. Left Hand, with the exception of their Milk Stout, has assaulted me with so many mediocre beers that I’ve become irritated. And Deep Cover was possibly the worst way to finish off the variety pack I had inherited, emphasizing the bland character of their beers and bringing a mark of shame to the otherwise vibrant Colorado microbrewery scene. As so my comments are terse, along with the forthcoming description, fitting because I don’t want to say much about it, and there isn’t much to say about it. It’s a smooth and simple malty drink, colored a deep red and with a vaporous white head. Beyond that there’s a simple touch of cranberry and raspberry, but that’s where the dynamism ends. It’s like drinking immature angst, sipping on that acrimonious apathy exuded by teenagers in their worst years between the insouciant innocence of childhood and the noble maturity of adulthood. One gets the impression that Deep Cover simply doesn’t care. Even worse, it has no apparent reason or motive to be so ho-hum! You see, even if someone fails to achieve their life’s dream, history will grant him some degree of fame and recognition for deeds conceived and unborn, so long as the motive or reason was revolutionary, just, or grand. The fallen general, or the murdered artist become martyrs for a cause they never saw an end to, honored and remembered for time immemorial. But when a job is left incomplete for no other reason than the willingness to accept a lower quality brew, the whole process becomes wretched. And when I drink Deep Cover and look at the bottle with a chastising glare, all I get back is a shrug and a smirk. To me that is the most offensive tone a beer can convey and the reason why it is so loathsome. From a perfectly practical perspective it’s just another average beer, but I’m sensing something deeper here, something from the brewer’s spirit as an artist, and it’s entirely inadequate for the craft. Thank goodness this isn’t present in all of Left Hand’s products, but I certainly hope they can rectify this one as it’s enough to put a would-be festive drinker in poor spirits.

Bottled at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Clear ruby, average head. Aroma of sweaty hops and roasty malt. Medium bodied with clean mouthfeel. The roasty malt dominates the picture, with apricots and soapy hops simmering on top. A pleasant enough brown ale, well above average.

on tap-pours an off white head with copper/amber color. Aroma is sweet medium malt. Taste is upfront nutty. Sweet medium malt-caramel, secondary hops bite. OK carbonation.

solid brown color, sweet scent, light carbonation, malty flavor with a slightly bitter and dry aftertaste, not a big fan of brown ales in general and this changes nothing

Pours a a dark, murky orange with a wispy white head. Slightly funky aroma, a bit of toe-jam and orange marmalade - mellows after a while. Sticky flavor, mangos, nectarines, some nuttiness, back end of spruce. Very full bodied and enjoyable. Thick and creamy mouthfeel. Very different brown ale - tastes more like an APA to me. Thanks to Aurelius for this one - extra from his Ale in the Mail shipment.

Beer of the month club beer. I was expecting a boring brown ale but was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be a nice drinkable beer. It pour a clear light orange with a white head and lacing. The nose is mild with hint of chocolate and toffee. Flavors of chocolate and malt. Nice and drinkable beer.

12 oz bottle via Malt of Earth monthly beer club shipment. Pours a clear redddish amber with an average size beige head. Very subtle aroma...some caramel malt, toffee and molasses detected. Taste is the same with malts stealing the show. Very nice smooth nutty finish.

Hazy deep amber body with a small frothy tan head. Sweet caramel and dark malt aroma. Sweet toffee, roasted nuts, caramel and some dark malt flavors.