Dark brown with ruddy leanings, Country
Brown poured with a quickly diminishing yet oddly persistent tan head.
Roasted malts and toasted brown bread were the prevalent aromatics. As
for the flavour, this nicely balanced number ambles between malt,
molasses, and biscuit, with a short burst of dry hops to shut the barn
door.
For me, brown ales are often a reliable
barometer of a brewer’s skill. Remember, I don’t brew myself, so this
may be pure fancy, but to me, a brown ale is easy to make but hard to
make well. From a reviewer’s perspective, earning basic points is easy
enough, but it’s a tricky style that shows imperfections pretty clearly.
Based on the quality of Country Brown, and in the strength of only one
other beer, I suspect that the folks at LotM are more than mere hobby
brewers. This beer was tasty and balanced, with few knocks against it.
Sure, I’d like to see higher integer preceding the %, and a few more
IBUs, but the foundation of this ale is better that good—not too sweet,
not flimsy, and not tinny. In short, this is a dandy brown ale.
Interestingly,
after I reviewed this ale, I checked out some of the reviews on the big
beer reviewing sites just to see what other people were saying. This is
not something I often do, because I trust my own opinions, but I was
curious about this brewery I’d never even heard of. The reviews of this
beer were sparse, but none was particularly complimentary. I’m not
calling bullshit on any of those reviewers, nor claiming I know
something they don’t (since I have little formal training and a
lumbering palate at best). I just think it’s a good demonstration of the
subjectivity of beer reviewing.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
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