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This Californian brewery has a thing about no story on their labels, so we don’t know much about this drop, other than its a double brown ale (9% alcohol vol.) brewed with cocoa nibs, and that this beer is part of an artisan serious (2 of 6). It’s obviously trying to replicate a chocolate brownie, which sounds delightful.

Poured into a pint for maximum joy, we get a cola colour with no head at all in this glass. We see mild carbonation bubbling up to the surface, which looks oily. No lacing either due to his oiliness. Definite aromas of chocolate, molasses, nice roasted malts and dark ripe fruits. First sip is very pleasing. Gentle alcohol heat which does not overpower combines with a smooth milk chocolate, and spice on the lips, alongside a surprising mild citrus hop hit. It’s unbelievably smooth and balanced for 9%! The alcohol balance here really brings out the cocoa, and you certainly can imagine having a chocolate brownie. The hop bitterness sits very gently on the tongue, again with mild citrus flavour. This must be the cascade and willamette hops used after researching this beer on their website. Toffee and nutty flavours from the malts combine perfectly on the palate, and adding the cocoa nibs gives it a mild sweetness but not sickly. It’s almost drying but again it’s so smooth and balanced that no faults can really be found. The surprisingly medium sized body enables you to smash it down comfortably without feeling pissed. This is a damn fine beer. This almost equals the breweries’ steelhead double IPA in terms of enjoyment, and balance. Brilliant double brown ale here.

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“After our mind bending GABS entry for 2014, we decided to one up ourselves for 2015. This patchwork craziness is a box ticker of immense proportions. Not only is the Taxidermied Pachyderm pentagonally hopped, it’s also barrel aged, brewed with 40% rye malt, and bursting out with lashings of caramel, chocolate and hop bitterness. It’s sewn together in the most extreme of ways, stitched up from a modest list of all the things that we love – your Gran’s Singer couldn’t have done a better job.”

The fact that the GABS festival now comes to Sydney is enough to make any New South Welsh craft beer fan drop their Spiegelau’s. But when the brewers of some of the better beers of the day start bottling those brews….it’s pure heaven.

Served in an English pint. Pouring an almost flat-looking cola appearance with next to no head whatsoever. Even an aggressive swirl of the glass struggles to activate any foam. It seems it’s always either over carbonated or under carbonated with Hopdog beers. (Except for the horns up rye IPA, which is a brilliant beer) The aroma of this beast is something that has to be experienced. Wafts of lemon juice, citrus rind, solvent, metal, white vinegar and to add a touch of normality….a hint of yellow grapefruit. Very acidic. It’s actually quite hard to put this aroma into one word but if we had to it would be this……bizarre! In the mouth it’s dry with a slightly metallic texture. The Co2 level is mild and bitterness is firm. Quite a sharp acidity on the palate too, really tickling the edges of the tongue. The flavour profile isn’t as perplexing as the aroma as a robust sourness invades the taste buds initially. Some mild dark chocolatey malts do appear in the background but they are quickly drowned out as a sharp, citric astringency develops through the mid. The sourness continues in to the finish with an assertive dryness that’s drawn out long on to the back end. Extremely unique beer here and certainly not for the conservative beer drinker. We honestly thought this was much better on tap at the GABS festival. The bottled version doesn’t do it any favours.

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Well, the name Bobby Brown says it all really. If you’re an 80’s baby (like us) then there is no need for an introduction. For the unfortunate souls that either missed out or chose to ignore his drug-induced, fashion-forward music videos and sometimes bizarre public displays…..well, fair enough. We like to remember him for the funked up, iconic 90’s anthem, ‘humpin around’. What a song! Once we felt the need to reminisce on this retro hit it was time to actually review the beer, so on we go.

Served in a pint glass. The mahogany pour reveals some gorgeous ruby red hues when held against the light. Topping it off is a solid one and a half finger beige crown that holds well, gradually deconstructing and retaining at a good 5-6mm. Decent head retention, drawing some nice, spotted lace trails as we imbibe. The first thing we realise is that this isn’t your standard malt-driven brown ale, the substantial fruity hop profile that’s being lifted will tell you that. A brilliant fusion of pineapple, passion fruit and lychee over malt-forward wafts of caramel, roasted hazelnuts, cocoa powder and fig is a solid example of the brewing finesse on show here. Two completely different aromas from opposite ends of the spectrum being married together is not only hard to balance but very easy to get wrong. Impressive. In the mouth it has moderate weight with a smooth, creamy texture. Minimal grip on the tongue but a delicate bitterness offers a little tickle as it slides down. Nice, well-rounded mouth feel with mild-medium carbonation. Bitter hops and tropical fruits dominate what little malt flavours we can taste upon entry. As the bitterness subsides, hints of caramel and nutty malts develop through the mid and lead to a dry, roasted finish with reasonable length. The 5.1% ABV we thought was too low at first but we changed our minds by the end of the beer as it lends session ability but at the same time offering extra flavour. Really good beer this one, we have always thought of six string as a one brew wonder (as their dark red IPA is delicious) but recent brews such as their anniversary ale and this brown ale has worked heavily in their favour. Keep it up boys, we like where you’re heading.

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Following numerous recommendations from fans and fellow craft beer lovers alike, we thought it was high time we gave this ale a nudge. After all, it is brewed by one of the best American breweries on the market.

Served in a beer tulip the dense, muddy brown pour allows no light to filter through whatsoever. Crowning it is a compact 1 finger brown head that gradually reduces to a fine layer with reasonable lace being omitted. Really ominous-looking beer, it actually presents itself as a RIS. And as we were expecting, a rich, complex and pungent aroma was awaiting us. The dominant scents emanating are bitter espresso, brandy, licorice, molasses sweetness, oak and prunes. A tonne of undertone aromas here too, we detect hints of cherry cola, soy sauce, vanilla, toffee malts and obviously a sharp astringency from the 12% ABV. Incredible stuff here, so complex. The mouth feel is thick and super creamy, gripping the tongue on the way down. Mildly carbonated with full-ish body. Well, it’s safe to say that the richness and complexity follows on to the flavour with a sharp alcohol burn to get things underway. Bitter espresso, molasses and woody notes gradually intensify as they lead in to the mid-palate. Another short alcohol sting bridges on to the long and drawn out roasted, espresso finish. Excellent length on display here. Really impressive stuff. We can understand why we were being ushered in to trying this, like no brown ale we’ve ever tried before. We now recommend it to you. Mammoth beer.

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With an already distinguished name and quite possibly one of the best IPA’s in the world comes this India brown ale. No little one liners or phrases for this beauty, maybe just a suggestion of the confidence that the brewers know of what is to come for our palates. Let’s see.

We served this in an IPA glass and we are met with a dark brown appearance with some attractive ruby red hues when held against the light. We can’t help but be reminded of the 60 minute IPA again here as the clarity is amazing, even more so as this is a pretty dark beer. The head is reasonable, initially rising to about a finger before reducing to a ring without much lacing. It really isn’t a concern when we are taking in some truly gorgeous aromas. Quite complex actually. Our first thoughts are big juicy wafts of ripe cherry and prunes with a suggestion of fig, toffee and cranberry. Then in comes this sweet, caramelised character of brown sugar and brandy which has a woody/oaky undertone to it. Almost hickory-like aroma comes in late too. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant aroma, we just can’t stop sniffing the aromatics this beer is producing. In the mouth it’s smooth with an oily texture. Carbonation is mild-moderate with somewhere between medium and full body. Kick starting the flavour profile is a delicious mix of ripe cherry, fig and subtle cocoa. All three of these flavours carry forward through the mid picking up extra flavours of brandy, caramel and coffee that all reconvene in the finish along with a little warmth from the ABV (7.2% which may we add is very well disguised). Good length and honestly it’s remarkable how the brewers have juggled so many flavours without confusing any of them. This is an absolute pearler of a beer you would be silly to give this a miss. We were right, who needs phrases and one liners when you know your beer is this good. Phenomenal.

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Quite a decent little microbrewery this one. Better known in the beer world as Prickly Moses this winery/brewery is situated in the Otways in rural Victoria, officially by the name of Otway Estate.

Served in a shaker glass the opaque black pour whipped up a big, rocky 2 finger tan head that holds well, eventually settling to at least a 1 cm crown. Excellent head retention with thick, sudsy lacing being strewn all the way down the glass. It doesn’t take much of a twirl to lift the big roasted aromas out of the glass, instantly the olfactory’s are inspired by rich, roasted espresso, chocolate, mocha, vanilla and caramel. We love the way the late hopping gives not only balance but the bitterness an extra edge with a subtle, yet sharp addition of grapefruit. Very nice. In the mouth the malts are offering a creamy texture as the mild carbonation and moderate body are brought alive by the IBU (68). Upfront a subdued alcohol warmth and the moreish chocolate malts and espresso bitterness blends brilliantly into an assertive hop dryness through the mid palate. A caramelised sweetness picks up hints of toffee and molasses as the roasted finish lingers well on the back end. Good length. 6.2% ABV. To be honest this beer has well exceeded its expectations, from the pour through to the finish this beer is elegant, well balanced and true to its style. Damn fine brew.

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“Mornington Brown is an English-style brown ale, brewed using classic imported English ale malts. Our Brown displays all the wonderful rich and toffee characters associated with these malts. Pouring a deep golden brown with hints of red, aromas of toffee, brown sugar and raisins greet the nose. The palate offers more toffee and raisins, with a supporting cast of chocolate and nuts. Rich, full-bodied, smooth and moreish.”

Here we have the brown ale from this Victorian brewery. It’s an English style using the English ale malt that you taste from a lot of the beers tasted in many classic pommy pubs. It has that Classic caramelised toffee aroma, almost chocolatey from the roasted grain. Pours a nice golden brown with a faint ruby hue, arousing a huge head, about 3-4 fingers in height. We were worried it was over fermented due to the high carbonation at the start but it subsides mid way through. There was little lacing on the glass but a 5-6mm cap existed right until the end which surprised us for a English style ale. The mouth feel is rich so at 5% ABV and the flavours shine. More chocolate, hazelnut, mild coffee and also the smell of raisin that a good Belgian beer contains. This is a real tasty ale..we definitely like what we see from these guys. We want more.

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Big fans of this breweries ‘Kellerdoor’ range. As you will see in our ‘Whats going on’ section we visited this brewery a couple of months ago and we were very impressed.

Served in a beer tulip the deep brown pour whips up a frothy 1 finger tan head that retains quite well leaving good lacing. Aroma is really interesting, complex as a black IPA would be as there are the distinguishable hoppy scents like pine, lychee, passion fruit and citrus but the earthy characteristics such as the caramel, nuts and roasted malts come through softly and really take the edge off. Really well balanced aroma, neither side win the battle. In the mouth it’s silky smooth with medium carbonation. Medium-full body. The ‘India’ aspect is displayed well upfront with the 70 IBU rating offering a slightly aggressive bitterness. Subtle grapefruit flavours are detected before a caramelised, malty mid-palate mutes any dryness in the mouth. The finish offers good balance with a nutty, yet bitter back end. 8% ABV is actually really well buried. Nothing outstanding going on, just a well balanced and surprisingly easy drinking imperial IBA.

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“Biscuit and toffee malt flavours dominate. Fruity hop characters on the palate and a gentle bitterness on the finish. You are never at sea when you drink with The Lord”.

From one of the oldest pubs in Sydney (one we have visited many, many times), this seasonal release is wrought with high expectations. Poured into a tulip glass, there is minimal head but fairly high bubble content. Amberish/brown in colour with an attractive copper tone which strikes us as quite light for a brown ale. The quickly dissipating head eventually settles to a scattered patch of foam on top. There is a nice mix of toffee/caramel yet sweet perfume on the nose. Just like the old admiral, a decent roastiness with hints of nuts, fig and dark fruits add to this dark delight. In the mouth it’s smooth and oily with low carbonation. Moderately bodied. First sip yields biscuity, grainy flavours with elements of sweetness from the toffee malt. There are fruity hops in here too…maybe oranges which lead to muted hints of Jaffa through the mid-palate. The finish is nutty and earthy with a lingering taste of rice crackers on the back end. As we smash it down, there is mild lacing on the glass. Sitting at 4.7% ABV, this is one smooth, sessional ale. There is bottle conditioning here also. We think this will be high on the agenda next time we visit The Lord. Nice ale.

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Now this is something brand new all round. Our first crack at the Darach Mòr range and our first ever whiskey barrel aged brown ale. Let’s get stuck in.

Served in a shaker glass the dark brown pour produced a thin head that collapsed to a ring of brown foam around the inner edge of the glass. No lacing. Ooff! Instantly the aroma’s (due to the fact this ale was aged in 12 year old Islay whiskey barrels) offers up dense, dank and earthy wafts of rotting wood, tobacco, smoke, char, whiskey and oak. Complex and to be honest quite nauseating. The mouth feel is thin and watery with mild carbonation. Body is quite light on and literally feels like a weak bourbon and coke. Something we weren’t expecting after copping a whiff of this pungent aroma. Upfront the rich and astringent flavours of whiskey are really evident. Following on are complex smoky notes that move forward through the mid-palate and rounds off with a moist, oaky, woody and essentially saturated finish with lingering hints of flat cola. We consumed this beer at just below room temperature because we thought it would improve the flavour but to no effect. The 6% ABV is missing and quite low considering this is a barrel aged. Yes, there are points for creativity and craft brewing but it hasn’t hit the mark for us. We can’t say we enjoyed it all that much.

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 “This is our forsøger of substituting the morning mochaccino coffee with a beer. You get the nicely roasted chocolate malts, some creamy lactose of the milk and a shot of nutty espresso coffee in your mug. And then some alcohol, it seemed just as indlysende as some vodka in a white russian.We do not recommend opting for this beer instead of coffee (all the time …) Ingredients: Water, Malted barley, flaked oats, lactose, Hops (Simcoe , Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Centennial), coffee and Yeast”.

There aren’t many better winter warmers than stouts, porters and barrel aged but the humble old brown ale is sometimes not given the respect it deserves. Especially when it’s brewed with coffee beans! Served in a shaker glass the dark brown pour produces a beige 1 and a half inch head that retains. Thick, soapy residue is omitted showing good lacing. There are a couple of elements to this aroma that stand out from the norm. The standard caramel, cocoa, roasted nuts, chocolate and coffee are here, but we detect a slight saltiness. There is booze evident and also a hint of chipotle that may be misleading but there is a distinctive gamey, almost oyster like aroma that definitely overrides. Quite peculiar yet enjoyable considering this is usually an attribute of a stout. The mouthfeel is quite metallic with low carbonation. Full bodied. The palate initially offers up a sharp boozy astringency along with cocoa, coffee and a subtle hint of macadamia. Some salted caramel in the mid-palate delivers a spicy, boozy (7% ABV) and ultimately dry finish with lingering hints of bitter espresso and cocoa. Wow, this is one complex and unconventional brown ale. So smooth and creamy on one hand, yet sharp and acrid on the other. Great balance, and an overall great beer with exceptional complexity.

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“Nail dedicates this special batch to brewing guru Hugh Dunn of ECU for his help to not only rebuilding Nail but lifting it to another level”.

This is our first crack at what we believe is a retired breweries range. Served in a shaker glass the deep mahogany brown pour produced a tight 2 finger head that retained and laced well. A really good display of malts are on offer here. Pale, chocolate and crystal malts all integrate beautifully with each other to create chewy and caramelised aromas of caramel, chocolate, nuts, praline, bread and vanilla. The mouth feel is frothy with medium-high carbonation. Maybe a tad too high considering the style of beer. Medium bodied. Even though the carbonation level is high for a brown ale the flavours are not hindered as the taste buds are met with sweet sticky toffee and dark fruits. Subtle doughy notes in the mid-palate are complimented by soft roasted malts and toffee to finish. The back end seems to drop off a bit short but there’s still enough to salvage. The 4.5% ABV may add to this beers slightly weak body. Not much else to say about this beer except that it’s perfectly average. We can’t find anything overly exceptional here.

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“A full-bodied, brown ale with a rich chocolate taste created from roasted chocolate and caramel malts. Topped with Czech Saaz Hops to give it a spicy flavor and aroma”.

It’s no barley wine or imperial stout but the humble old brown ale is always a good option for a winter warmer. Served in a shaker glass the dark mahogany brown pour produced a tight half inch beige head that collapsed quickly. Minimal lacing to be seen. As to be expected, nuts and chocolate are the first to meet the olfactory. Additions of caramel, roasted malts, toast and spice separate this ale from the standard brown ale. The mouth feel is quite creamy with an evident alcohol warmth on the tongue. Mildly carbonated with a full bodied palate. Initially the chocolate and nuts are infused by an obvious alcohol burn (8% ABV). Caramel and roasted malts carry the mid-palate forward onto the roasted nutty finish with good length that’s well drawn out on to the back end. At first we thought the ABV was hindering the chewy, roasted flavours but by the end the sting from the booze wore off and the nutty, chocolatey flavours became more pronounced. Very nice brown ale here. Strong and bitey yet smooth and creamy. Very good balance. Very good beer.

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“Rogue Ales has collided with Voodoo Doughnut to create Bacon Maple Ale! This unique artisan creation contains a baker’s dozen number of ingredients including bacon and maple syrup from one of Voodoo’s signature doughnuts”.

Wow..crazy beer. Love the pink bottle. First whiffs emanate smokey meats with the sweetness of the maple. Pours almost like an IPA with that deep copper hue and a big frothy head which fades off. On the palate, there is the smoked malt and from observation of the bottle, there are 3 types used in the brewing. Not sure about the doughnut aspect of the beer but there is definately that sweet, savoury mix going on. Bacon is actually used in the brew and the smoky flavours, combined with the selected malts and pure maple is a great mix. Lots of lacing on the glass as we push this puppy down. Of note also is the famous pacman yeast.. The head brewers beard yeast. There is also a mild hop/bitterness thrown in amongst the other flavours. Sitting at 5.6% , this beer as an experimental is a cracker. The flavour profile is balanced superbly. This beer is really expensive ($32) but as a craft lover, who cares. Just drink it..it’s a special drop.

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“Using a broad mix of chocolate and crystal malts, the Cavalier Brown delivers an initial burst of caramel sweetness, followed by a dry, crisp roasted note. The perfect mix of chocolate and toasty caramel flavours. With the added complexity of aromas from classic American hops, subtle citrus notes reveal something new in every sip”.

There aren’t too many breweries out there in the brewersphere who can lay claim to winning a beer award within two weeks of being an officially registered brewery. These guys did just that with this brown ale. Poured into a shaker glass the appearance displays a light brown with burgundy hues. The tightly held two finger beige head retains and draws some nice lacing down the glass. Lots of roasted fragrances emanating from the aroma, exactly what we want in a brown ale. Chocolate malts, caramel, fudge, nuts and cocoa blend together to produce this gorgeously rich aroma. In the mouth it’s mildly carbonated with a smooth silky texture. Upfront we picked up light notes of chocolate and caramel. The more roasted characters develop through the mid-palate and on to the back end which is rounded off by a malty and nutty finish. At 5 % ABV its safe to say this ale stuck to four to the floor brewing with out much experimenting, but don’t think we’re saying its tedious, it’s been executed beautifully we just feel it needs a little extra pizzazz. Other than that, it’s a tasty, sessional brown ale. Not bad.

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“When the weather turns a little cooler, Brookes Brown Ale is the beer to reach for. Chocolate, coffee and caramel flavours combine wonderfully with old-world floral hops to create a comforting aromatic brew”.

We uncovered this small-scale microbrewery on our last trip through Bendigo, VIC. Or ‘Trendigo’ as the area is becoming known. Poured into a shaker glass the appearance displays a dark mahogany/brown with a tanned, frothy two finger head that preserves well. Some random webbed lacing was left clinging to the glass as it recedes. The aroma is slightly subdued but what we can detect are hints of cocoa, espresso, caramel, chocolate and lightly roasted malt. Mildly carbonated with a slightly silky mouth feel. The bulk of the flavours were initially hidden until the beer started to acclimatize. Once it had warmed it developed notes of chocolate and roasted malt. The mid-palate through to the end consisted of coffee, nuts and sweet roasted malts with a well drawn out roasted finish. Good length. 5.2% ABV….which seems to be the volume they brew every beer in the range at. But, it works and the beers of theirs we have tried so far are simple and true to style. We’d have to admit we’re fans of this little known micro-brewery from Bendigo. Keep it up lads.

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“Brown Angel was designed to have three distinct levels: a dark brown backbone with notes of chocolate and coffee resulting from the use of 1500 pounds of Maris Otter malt, aggressive American hops (Amarillo and Columbus) provide bitterness and some citrus,  while a more delicate floral finish is achieved from the use of the classic English hop, East Kent Goldings.  This is NOT your old school brown, but rather a sexy American interpretation.  At 40 IBUs and 7% Alcohol it goes down sneaky fast”.

Along with breweries like Dieu Du Ciel, Brash and Moon Dog these guys constantly bring out eye-catching labels one release after the other. Here we have a luscious-looking black girl in red undies, donning her clown shoes and a set of angel wings. Poured into a shaker glass the body displays a deep mahogany with a two fingered beige head that swells but recedes quite quickly. Reasonable lacing. Slightly subdued aroma for a ‘double’ brown ale. Nuts, roasted malt, subtle chocolate, wet piney hops and caramel stand out the most. Unfortunately there isn’t a great deal of depth and variety to the nose. Maybe a slight hint of coffee just underneath. Mildly carbonated with a soft mouth feel. Medium body. Roasted malts, subtle coffee and chocolate on the front palate, drawing out through the mid and rounding off with a soft earthy/nutty finish. Pretty good duration though. Our first qualm with this ale is that 7% ABV doesn’t qualify for a double. Furthermore, a double would usually emanate much stronger aromas and usually produce much stronger flavours. Slightly disappointing for a clown shoes brew. We hold these guys in very high regard, but this one doesn’t cut the mustard.

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“This Liberty – Renaissance collaboration brew is an India Brown Ale, heavily dosed with hops – American Columbus and Centennial, battling it out against NZ Cascade and Chinook. The Kiwi brewer at Liberty uses American hops – The American head brewer at Renaissance exclusively uses Kiwi hops. The beer is a nut brown/ruby color with a generous spicy/floral hop aroma”.

Poured into a shaker glass the colour of the body displayed a murky brown with a big tight two finger head that hung around until the last sip. Great retention and good lacing left clinging to the glass. Very well balanced aroma. Just as we thought the resinous hops, fruit and pine were dominating, the rich wafts of chocolate, caramel, coffee and malt stood up to create a harmony between the two. Very nice. Medium carbonation with a dry-ish mouth feel. Medium-full bodied. The palate is quite similar to a full bodied black IPA. Bitter hops upfront followed by a malty mid-palate and a long roasted finish. Gorgeous hints of caramel, fig and chocolate linger on the back palate very nicely, begging for another sip. Well hidden booze adds to the class of this beer (8.5% ABV) Renaissance and liberty, hops and malt, bitter and roasted. Either way you look at this its a match made in heaven.

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“Murray’s Angry Man Brown Ale is a beer with bite that is deceptively drinkable. Strong, uncompromising flavour it is a BIG Brown Ale – bitter up front and smooth at the finish. Strong hop flavour and aroma and a little bit chocolaty. Beautiful dark ruby red when held up to the light, but solid dark brown in the shade”.

This is the darker, richer brother of the angry man pale ale. Served in a shaker glass the dark brown, almost cola-like pour constructs a tightly held 2 finger off white cap which maintains nicely. Laced well. The nose is producing an earthy aroma of roasted malt, nuts, caramel, chocolate and a suggestion of coffee. There is a subtle yet herbal  hop aroma creeping in here too, similar to tea leaf. Quite heavily weighted, almost stout-like mouth feel. Mildly carbonated with full body. A nice touch of  warming booze, some light malt sweetness and a mild hop dryness come through initially. The more decadent flavours of chocolate and coffee are formed through the mid-palate leading to the earthy, roasted finish. A lovely nuttiness on the back end of this quality American style brown ale really rounds it off well, displaying excellent length at the same time. 6.5% ABV is a little on the higher end for a brown ale but it’s perfectly balanced between the hop bitterness and roasty malts. Wow, top notch brew. Big ups Muzza!

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From our no.1 Kiwi brewery comes this quite simply labelled brown ale. I mean, who needs flashy labels when you brew the best beer in your country?

Aggressively poured into an English pint glass the deep mahogany appearance reveals attractive ruby highlights when held to the light. Crowning this liquid beauty is a steady one finger beige head that eventually reduced to a thin layer on top. Minimal lacing. From past experiences with this breweries beers (and what we love the most about them) is their propensity to be very liberal with their hopping so we’re expecting a hoppy brown ale here. Quite juicy on the nose we’re loving the sweet, jammy aromas of fig, currants, caramel and plum. There is a fragrant nuttiness along with a firm hop profile offering fruity wafts of grapefruit and pine. Classy, as always. So smooth in the mouth with this silky soft texture. Carbonation is low and the body is about mild-medium. A firm hop presence gets things underway with a solid hop bitterness cutting through the earthy malts, caramel, brown sugar and nuts. A toffee-like sweetness through the mid carries forward and finishes slightly bitter with a suggestion of roasted chocolate malts on the back end. Fairly good length on the tongue. The slightly above average 5.7% ABV again reflects the class of this brewery as there is no sign of it in flavour or aroma. What we like the most about this ale is that it doesn’t come with that usual heavy, syrupy element. The generous hopping has ensured the bitterness balances out the heavier, more cloying flavours. Class brew from world class brewers. Bang on.