Rock Bottom Chicago Barrel-Aged Brown Bear Brown

Brewed by Rock Bottom Chicago
Style: Brown Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Nice looking pour, a darned near black yet brown body with a creamy light brown head that laces intricately. The aroma is a pleasant blending of chocolate, Bourbon, and lightly roasted malt and barley. Unfortunately, the Bourbon dominates rather than blends with the other flavors and makes it a rather lopsided drink. The finish is sticky with Bourbon sweetness.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Bottom Chicago, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

A dark brown ale with a thin moka head. A wonderful aroma of wood, vanilla, chocolate and warming alcohol. In mout, a silky molasses and vanilla, warming alcohol, nuts, a bit lighter than expected, but overall, a nice offering. On tap at brewpub, May 17 2009.
Earlier Rating: 12/30/2005 Total Score: 3.3
Murky deep brown with a light moka head. Vanilla beans and light chocolate notes in aroma. In mouth, vanilla beans come out well, with woody nutty notes, and light hops. Light alcohol warmth comes out as beer warms up. Rather watery mouthfeel. On tap at RB, Nov. 12, 2005.

On tap at FoBAB 5. Poured clear reddish-brown with a short off-white head that receded to a light ring. The aroma picked up lots of sweetness.. chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and bourbon sugars.. if an aroma can be “sticky”, this was it! The flavor had sweeter chocolates and bourbon sugars with lighly-toasted sour oak and sweet vanilla accents.. OK, but rather meh. Lighter-bodied and slick on the palate with a bit more maltage at the spritzy finish. Didn’t care much for this one.
Earlier Rating: 4/28/2006 Total Score: 3.2
On tap at R.B. Chicago. Poured a very deep brown with a short, creamy beige head. Nose was almost watery... bourbon envelops the nose, with sweet, toasty chocolate, toffee, and vanilla beneath. Bourbon dominated the underlying beer. Flavor was very, very sweet and bourbon-fueled (gave sweetness, and was not overly boozy)... charred oak, vanilla, toffee, and some biscuity malt were all in there, too. Quite light-bodied... almost watery at first. Warmth brought some thickness. Decent overall.. but bourbon usually doesn’t improve an average beer.

Another snifter at RB - Chicago (listed at 9% with 5 months in Woodford Reserve barrels). Poured deep brown with a short-lived cap of brownish-beige head. Aroma was soft at first, but still carried too much bourbon barrel influence.. vanilla, chocolate, and caramel paired with strong bourbon sugars.. just about lost the underlying beer. Flavor was of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon for the most part.. warmth brought out some nutty notes across the middle, but even more bourbon.. vanilla, oak, and bourbon sugars ride through the finish. Too heavily influenced by the barrel.. lighter-bodied.. warm finish. Didn’t seem like the right beer to put in the barrel.

Draught at Rock Bottom Chicago. Pours dark brown with a small fizzy light brown head, mostly diminishing, fair lacing. Aroma is average malt (cookie, toasted, nutty), average hops (perfume), average yeast (dough) with notes of heavy alcohol (bourbon) and brown sugar. Medium bodied, oily texture, flat carbonation and a chalky finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, light acidity and bitterness; heavy bourbon flavor.

Draught at the brew pub. Dark brown, nearly opaque, with orange around the edges. Head was off white and laced the snifter it was served in. Smelled mostly of oak and bourbon with some chocolate in the background. Medium bodied with milk chocolate, bourbon, and oak flavors. Bourbon dominated. Thick and rich with a kick.

Draught, at Rock Bottom Chicago.
Brown beer that was what it said on the tin but not special. Brown body. An ale in name only. Ok enough. Session with my amigo Spencer.

sample on tap. brown with good head. mild hop aroma with nice sweet malts and brown sugar. taste of nice candied dark fruits, clean hop presense, and good finish. pretty good.

Chicago. Mostly opaque with some lighter mahogany accents. A creamy, thin tan head retracts to marshmallow lace. Creamy mocha wafts and Dutch chocolate frozen custard are accentuated by a vibrant Jim Beam edge. Some caramel ribbons curse through the nose along with toffee bars and cool milk chocolate. Flavor’s farce is somewhat separated, with the bourbon barrel riding it out. Cool, easy pass hits at a light mocha fluff, elevated to nearly a chocolate torte status. Modest carbonation, and, as it undergoes its temperature-warming sequence, the flavor pulls further away from the already distant chocolate covered hazelnuts and chocolate covered mocha beans. Separated, thinning finish with trace elements of mocha chocolate chips. The barrel is the beer.