Trade Route Pandan Brown Ale

Brewed by Trade Route Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Pacific, Washington USA

22oz. bottle. Strong aroma of hazelnut and pandan (whatever that is!), sweet and roasted, some faint coffee and maple syrup notes, an unfamiliar spiciness is here as well. Dark brown in color with deep red highlights, head is fine and slight. Flavor is a tad omre balanced than indicated by the aroma, with a sweet, lightly burnt brown malt profile, more nut and cola detected, with a dry, oddly herbal, leafy finish and a decided lack of bitterness or hop profile. Some ashiness late. Palate is smooth and low in effervescence, body is medium. Intriguing in its way, but the spice addition is a bit over the top, ultimately.

22o bottle. The aroma is dominated by the pandan which is very fragrant, kinda nutty and vegetal. A fellow rater thought it smelled like hazelnuts, I can see that, but more like slightly rancid hazelnuts. Some light chocolate malt in the back, but I can’t get past the pandan leaf. Brownish red color. The pandan leaf is prominent in the flavor, it reminds me of the eucalyptus plant my mom had. There is a mild ashyness and a fair amount of nuttiness. Interesting beer but the brewers should have gone a little easier on the pandan leaf. I did not finish my 5 oz glass of this.

22 oz. brown bomber bottle. No freshness date. Acquired thru trade. Poured out a deep brown color, with orange highlights around the edges. Aromas are of oil roasted nuts, burnt sugars, some sweet coffee. Flavors are nutty, sugary, holiday cookies. Thin mouthfeel, thin body. Strange brew, but still tasty.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle. Reddened chocolate brown, thin. Aroma has a heavy, almost syrupy roasted nut and bran cereal quality about it, with lots of rugged earthiness and singed brown rice. Toasted breads and robust, earthy floral qualities in a strange dual waft of rich malts and what must be pandan leaves. Hints of date. Redolent of the ruddy sugars of toasted coconut and something very fiberous and husky and healthy. Palm sugar is more apparent in the flavor, lacing the chocolate malts and cereals to suggest what a hawaiian spiced mocha or an asian brownie might taste like. Wisp of mint on the espresso and bitter chocolate. Lightly tannic character of black cherry and basic wood, which carries more of the anise seed pungency and date sweetness so strong in the nose. Bran consistently muscling through uneasily, cut through distinctly with some juicy citrus punch in the mid palate. Espresso plastic touch drying it out and lending a little soap. Texture is just a shade below medium and softly carbonated; generally round; some tartness of old red wine and a cinnamon toned nuttiness in a fairly lengthy finish of an odd sweetness. A fairly complex effort with lots of vibrancy and liveliness, though lacking somewhat in direction; a mostly-realized, inventive idea. Thanks Andre!

750ml bottle. Sweeter aroma. Brown sugar, toasty sweet malt, peanut butter, chocolate. Simple and sweet. Pours a dark, rich brown with a thin gray film atop. Flavor is quite nutty with notes of slightly charred caramel, some juicy fruit sweetness, chocolate. Hmmm... Interesting. After all the sweetness subsided, there’s an odd dirty earthiness that leaves a weird aftertaste. Almost mushroomy. Medium bodied and creamy. Unique with different layers of complexity. Thanks Eben!

Has a very asain resturant aroma, I get a mix between those mini corn-on-the-cobbs and a leafy garnish to a Chinese entré. Seems like a very weak brown ale with some nuttiness at first sip. I get a brown sugar feeling, must be the palm sugar. Then there is a strange taste, can’t think of a good way to describe it, asian influenced for sure. I couldnt drink much of it but I think that it is great that someone did this.

Slightly hazy chestnut colour. Nutty aroma with something a little strange - pandan leaf I’m assuming. Full-bodied for a brown. Great nutty flavour. Some quality depth in the malt, too.

22oz Bottle Pours out a dark brown topped with a cream tan head. Odd aroma of sour sugar and some malt. Tast is sweet with some fruit. A touch of bitter at the end. A nice brown.