Sierra Nevada Brown Ale

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Chico, California USA

On tap at Zorba’s in Perham Minnesota. Clear brown with small tan head. very little carbonation. You can definetely smell the sierra hop smell that is a staple of their beer, along with some sweet malt. Nice mouthfeel with the same malt and hop initially then it just ends. Easy drinking but not a lot there. Not much nuttiness compared to other browns that you would expect.

Draft. Brown beer with a light beige head. Medium bodied with a dry finish. Low malt aroma with some nuttiness. Rich malt flavor with caramel and low hop backing.

Tap @ Summits Cumming. Clear brown color with a small off-white head. The aroma consisted of toasted malt, some fruitiness, chocolate and some hops. Light roasted flavor with a touch of chocolate and fruit. Hoppy middle and a bitter finish.

(Draft. 01/2006) Ultimately, there just isn’t much here. "A less hoppy version or their pale ale -- only its brown," I exclaimed upon trying this, on draft, for the first time. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this beer ... but you’re not writing a post-card home about it either (unless bud is the only thing you’ve consumed over the last 20 years, in which case, yeah, you’re writing home about this one).

If I had to describe this beer, I would say it tastes like a Sierra Nevada brown ale. Slightly spicy like the pale ale, but a typical brown ale taste overpowers it. I would say a pretty average brown ale with just a touch of Sierra Nevada influence. Not bad at all, but since its only available on tap, I dont think Ill be getting it very often.

Served as a fairly clear, copper/brown with a holding, tan, rocky head. I think we all agreed on this beer’s nuttiness (and by "we", I mean myself and the three guys below), but the aromas also came across quite sour with lemon and a thick, yeasty quality. Its flavor, however, seemed thin with moderate bittersweetness ending on the side of bitterness. I found it a shame that a beer by SN could only afford the title of "Brown Ale", but, sadly, it was a fitting category.

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href= http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chic Map Room, Chicago, IL 60647<font size=-1>

Kind of a so-so brown, light chocolate aroma with a nutty bitterness to it. Similar in the taste. Goes down real easy, but the Map Room has much better to move on to.

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

I need to thank th LoSBD contingent at the Map Room for buying me this beer. How they were able to find a beer that I have never had at a place like this which has about a billion beers I will never know. I mean...I do have over 200 ratings. As for the beer...it’s brown, it’s nutty, and it is extremely average. Thanks guys, now get me an Expidition Stout.