Santa Cruz Mountain Organic Dread Brown Ale

Brewed by Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
Style: Brown Ale
Santa Cruz, California USA

From a 12 oz bottle this poured a dark brown with a small tan head and light lacing. Not very attractive. The nose is of caramel malts. Light and fizzy mouthfeel. Flavor is very mild and full of odd nuances. Not much of anything in the finish, and in fact the more you drink the worse it gets. The last half of this glass went down the drain which does not happen all that often. Decidedly mediocre.

Bomber poured a clear dark reddish brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of cocoa, carmel, fruittiness and light earthiness. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of cocoa, carmel, chalkiness, a strange fruittiness and light ash with a smooth lingering chalky fruity finish.

Draft at the brewery. OK, so here’s the deal with every beer I had here: buttery. Adjust the color and basic flavor component to match the beer otherwise, and that pretty much wraps it up. This is too light in body for a brown ale, but delivers a predominate toasted caramel flavor. Eh ... (#3586, June 2009)

22oz bomber. Murky, thick brown with a hint of orange. Mild, mellow, minimal malt aroma. Sessionable, medium bodied. There is some soapy, earthy, bitter hop balance, which I think works well with the fruity malt tastes. Some mild chocolate and caramel flavor, but nothing that dominates the overall experience. A little thin and one-dimensional, but OK nonetheless.

Bottled. A hazy deep red beer with a lazing tan head. The aroma is sweet with notes of malt and caramel as well as light notes of acidity and wood. The flavor is sweet combined with a slight acidity and light notes of berries and wood. The body is thin.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy yespr/Ungstrup. Pours a hazy dark brown with a dense and lacing light brown head. Lightly tart and fruity nose. Medium body, lightly tart and roasted maltiness. Bitter and unrefined finish. 290509

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Dark mahogany color, almost black; medium head. Strange aroma, dusty, corn cobs, light chocolate. It has some chocolate flavor, but also an underlying suspicious sourness, all ending with a bit too much bitterness. Nothing special.

#22 Bottle. [Papso Shady blind Tasting 2009] Average light brown like creamy head that mostly lasted. Good display of lacework. Mahogany color. Aroma of mild roasted malt, ash like, aniseed, spice, fruit, mild sour fruity feel as well. Medium bodied with an average carbonation. Moderated sweet flavor with light acidic. Light fruit and malty finish with a hint of sourness. 7 / 3 / 7 / 3 / 14 = 3.4