Rock Bottom Chicago Brown Bear Brown

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

Draught at the brewpub
Black color. Roasted malt aroma. Light body, but smooth texture, with roasted malt flavor overall, and chocolate and ashes too. Good bitterness level. Too much roasted malt in the final. Not my beer, but good.

Draft... DLD’08... Dark brown ale with a mid-sized, creamy, khaki head. Great retention. Wafts of milk chocolate and lightly toasted nuts ascend from the glass. Medium-bodied with a lightly creamy mouthfeel and almost-expired carbonation. Sweet and chocolaty with decent English hop bitterness. Balanced, cocoa finish

From the tap is pours a deep brown and is capped by a bubbly tan head. The aroma holds sweet roasted malts, chocolate, and a a light nuttiness. It’s a bit thin, but the malty sweetness is tasty and the nuts balance the drink out. Sessionable.

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

Draft sample at Chicago. Poured a hazy dark brown color with a minimal frothy off-white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Medium roasted grain and chocolate malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium chocolate sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. Good drinkable beer.

On tap at R.B. Chicago. Poured a medium brown with a well-retained dusting of beige head. Rather dry aroma with caramel, brown sugar, and chocolate maltage. Nutty flavors with a chocolate & biscuity malt base, floral hoppage around the edges.. and sweet overall.. but didn’t do it for me. Cola-like mouthfeel with alcohol/bright hop highlights around the edges... smooth across the middle. Decent.

In short: A soft (too soft) nutty brown ale
How: Tap at brewpub
The look: Brown body with a small beige head
In long: Light but somewhat creamy body. Hazelnuts, some milky chocolate and some light toffee. Smooth carbonation. Not flavourful at all but still and adequately drinkable very soft session brown ale. If all Brown Bears were that smooth I’d want one as a house pet.

on tap at Rock Fest ’08. pours dark brown with tan head. bready with some toffee, not much chocolate at all.
Earlier Rating: 2/19/2008 Total Score: 3.2
1/17/07, sample on tap at RB Chicago. 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. 11/5/09, listed as "brown bear brown porter". pours muddy brown with tan head. nose of baker’s chocolate, a bit dusty. flavors of chocolate and roast. med body. floral hop notes. pretty good stuff. 3.1.

Pour is opaque ruby brown with a thin tan head...roasty rich nose and very biscuity...mouthfeel was thin and watery...no real character otherwise in the flavor...just sweetness...