Bland dry-bodied maroon-hued garnet-highlighted dark amber ale brings cocoa frontage and dismal powdered chocolate plunk to sour-fruited funk. Phenol finish gets metallic, agitating clumped lactose froth, coarse vegetal graining and fleeting cola stint.

Swampy grain presence frustrates concealed mocha tartness. For a Colorado brew, this is nowhere near as refined or organic as local competition and its tepid roasted finish seems dirty and cheap. Brewery defunct: 2006.

Cloudy brown-hued barley-roasted ale with delicate mocha outlining butterscotch, caramel, dried cocoa, and pale honey swatch. Yeast-thick barleywine overtones modulate dry finish.  Brewery defunct: 2000.

Sweet mocha-malt mildness and grainy earthiness contain washed out hop carbonation for an inviting Scotch-like pleasantry. Lacks richness of better brown ales, but soothing water texture remains brisk.

Diffidently indifferent ‘English-styled’ brown ale starts poorly, following up unassuming acrid waft with astringent hop toasting, suspect sourdough tier, and phenol hazelnut smear. Gets worse when metallic underside ruins meager chestnut roast.

Dreary amber-hued ale receives little support from roasted barley sweetness, sour grape esters, and simple buttery smoothness, dousing spicy chocolate nut undercurrents through anemic spritzy fizz only soft-hearted pilsner fans would condone.

Astringent copper body – less chocolate nutty than similarly styled, richer English ales – burrows citric souring and coarse hazelnut acridity through sweet barley-oats. Dirty earthen wood ebb conceals strong-brewed unsweetened ice tea illusion, distant herbal notion, and fluctuant burgundy respite.

Strong, efficient, frothy-headed, burgundy-hued brown ale with dried fruit theme, silken carbonation, and peppery hop bite creates early barleywine illusion. Black chocolate-raisin midst leads to delicately complex port-burgundy core that’s pure joy. Impressively contoured prune souring and sun-drenched fig sugaring fill out detailed finish.

From the plains of Iowa comes this truly enjoyable brown ale (brewed by New York’s Middle Ages after 2004). Aromatic mocha frisk and dark chocolate richness combine with honeyed caramel overtones to bittersweet nut finish. Resplendent barleywine illusions tucked deep inside.

Dark brownish appearance, rich cream head, and chocolate liqueur aroma welcome hop-fizzed mocha dusting, nutty caramel malting, and maple-molasses conflux of medium-bodied autumnal ale. Finish may be thin but lingered aftertaste retains smoked chocolate ambiance. Arguably Long Trail’s finest brew (excepting their newer ‘big brews’).

Meek ruby amber re-interpretation of original Brown Ale disappoints as perky hop fizz registers above disintegrative barleymalt plainness and meandering cherry-pear-quince disillusions. Skittish astringent finish blunts red-fruited nature bereft of proper grain modulation.

Way too unassuming and non-specific to compete with genuine brown ales. Pleasant hop toasting ensues before giving way to wobbly nutty caramel urge and watered down dirty grain finish.