Renaissance & Liberty brewing co. ‘Brown town’ IBA

Rating:

image“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.