Bellwoods Brewery Grizzy Beer Brown Ale at 6.2% ABV (C$5.50 from Bellwoods Brewery, 500 ml, bottle date 2-Apr-2015)
Pours hazy brown with a fat finger of loose rocky tan head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (4/5) Nose is roasty malts, coffee, dark fruit, light citrus, toffee malt, mild smoke. (8/10) Taste is mild sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, long roasty and slightly smoky finish. (4/5)
What an interesting beer – it looks like a porter, tastes like a black IPA, smells like something in between. Hoppy and malty in balance, and much more interesting than your normal brown ale, but still largely within the definitions of the style if you’re a little flexible in your interpretation of the “Northern English Brown” variant. That said, it’s definitely much hoppier than typical examples of the style like Newcastle Brown or Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
