Saugatuck "Bonfire Brown" Brown Ale

I had my issues with the last Saugatuck beer. I like IPAs, and I wanted a good IPA, but I didn't get one. Brown ales are a whole different ball game. I started this blog with an unfounded and fervent dislike for brown ales and I quietly held a disdain for the people who brewed them. I mean, they could be brewing another kind of beer, couldn't they? Now, that position is held by those sour beer brewers. Screw them.

When you want a brown ale, the color seems like a gimmie, right. The head is very reluctant, and it vanishes quickly as it leaves only a small ring around the sides of the glass. The aroma is sweet, nutty, and smoky. This smells better than any brown ale I have ever had, and a desperately hope that the beer follows the nose perfectly.

First sip follows pretty darn closely, and I really think I may have found that perfect brown ale that can stand up as an example to the others. This is sweet and smoky, and it brings nuts along for the ride, but the dry finish is just enough to dampen the sweetness. It is well balanced enough that I don't want to swig - that might ruin things. 

Tip-in is mild smoke with sweet nuts somewhere in there, and the carbonation isn't anywhere around. The middle picks up with carbonation suddenly finding a voice, but the smoky sweetness envelops the nuts and the 5.5% ABV seems to be adding warmth that is more noticeable than more significant amounts in other beers. The finish brings the dryness to retard the sweetness, but only a little as the smoke leaves its footprints in the trail off.

Bottom Line: This is what brown can do for you.

4.5/5