Beer of the Weekend #344: Farmer Brown Ale
The proper beer of the weekend is a freshly canned indigenous Iowa brew that hit the IC market last week: Farmer Brown Ale, brewed by the Great River Brewery of Davenport, Iowa.
Until now, Farmer Brown Ale (which is referred to on BA and the Great River website as “Organic Farmer Brown Ale”) has only been available on-tap at select locations (namely the Great River taproom and Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House in IC). I sampled it while at the brewery last April and was very impressed. Great River has gradually made a number of its beers available in cans and Farmer Brown is the most recent (as far as I know). I spotted it for the first time today at John’s and am very excited to try it here at home.
Also, for only the second time in BotW history I am using one of the nonic pint glasses I “rescued” from Brothers around 2004. The only other beer I used a nonic for, I think, was Blackhook Porter (#41). I could use my Great River pint glass, but screw that. The 16-ounce cans are perfect for the nonic.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. No freshness date. Booooo.
Appearance: Straight pour into a nonic pint glass. The color is surprisingly dark, almost black. It is, I think, extremely dark brown. Tons of thick, tan head developed (do not pour it straight) and produced the same cascading effect as nitro stouts. However, there is no nitro widget in the can. It dissipated unevenly to leave a billowy, thick lacing and trails along the glass. After continuing to fill the glass as the head dissipated, it began to look like what I imagine a proper pint looks like in the UK.
Smell: Lots of roast for brown ale. (Is this their brown ale? Did Great River can their regular stout by mistake?) Coffee, dark chocolate, and caramel. There is also nice nuttiness to it. Very solid aroma.
Taste: The mouthfeel is superb; smooth and creamy but not overly thick. The flavor is much more in line with brown ale, but it is still tilting toward stout. It is dominated by malts — chocolate and caramel — and offers a nice, roasted coffee bitterness. The nuttiness is much more pronounced, but it does compete with the coffee.
Drinkability: Sol-id, sol-id. This is brown ale to the extreme — and I like it.
Fun facts about FBA:
-Style: Great River calls it “American Nut Brown Ale” and BA classifies it as “American Brown Ale.”
-Price: I paid $8.75 for the four-pack but it is supposed to be priced at $8.99/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. It is so new the registers were not even programmed to recognize it.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue; earthy and nutty cheeses; chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 22.
-Color: 20 SRM.
-Nerdiness from the can:
Though a little vague — who is Farmer Brown? — I suppose it is informative. However, the people Great River trusts may not be people I trust.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Until now, Farmer Brown Ale (which is referred to on BA and the Great River website as “Organic Farmer Brown Ale”) has only been available on-tap at select locations (namely the Great River taproom and Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House in IC). I sampled it while at the brewery last April and was very impressed. Great River has gradually made a number of its beers available in cans and Farmer Brown is the most recent (as far as I know). I spotted it for the first time today at John’s and am very excited to try it here at home.
Also, for only the second time in BotW history I am using one of the nonic pint glasses I “rescued” from Brothers around 2004. The only other beer I used a nonic for, I think, was Blackhook Porter (#41). I could use my Great River pint glass, but screw that. The 16-ounce cans are perfect for the nonic.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. No freshness date. Booooo.
Appearance: Straight pour into a nonic pint glass. The color is surprisingly dark, almost black. It is, I think, extremely dark brown. Tons of thick, tan head developed (do not pour it straight) and produced the same cascading effect as nitro stouts. However, there is no nitro widget in the can. It dissipated unevenly to leave a billowy, thick lacing and trails along the glass. After continuing to fill the glass as the head dissipated, it began to look like what I imagine a proper pint looks like in the UK.
Smell: Lots of roast for brown ale. (Is this their brown ale? Did Great River can their regular stout by mistake?) Coffee, dark chocolate, and caramel. There is also nice nuttiness to it. Very solid aroma.
Taste: The mouthfeel is superb; smooth and creamy but not overly thick. The flavor is much more in line with brown ale, but it is still tilting toward stout. It is dominated by malts — chocolate and caramel — and offers a nice, roasted coffee bitterness. The nuttiness is much more pronounced, but it does compete with the coffee.
Drinkability: Sol-id, sol-id. This is brown ale to the extreme — and I like it.
Fun facts about FBA:
-Style: Great River calls it “American Nut Brown Ale” and BA classifies it as “American Brown Ale.”
-Price: I paid $8.75 for the four-pack but it is supposed to be priced at $8.99/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. It is so new the registers were not even programmed to recognize it.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue; earthy and nutty cheeses; chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 22.
-Color: 20 SRM.
-Nerdiness from the can:
These days, people are more and more concerned about the food and drink they are consuming, what’s in it and what the origins might be. For our Farmer Brown Ale, we use honest, wholesome ingredients like 2-row barley and dark crystal, chocolate and biscuit malt from people we know and trust. The result is robust, rich and nutty brown ale dominated by complex malt flavor.
Though a little vague — who is Farmer Brown? — I suppose it is informative. However, the people Great River trusts may not be people I trust.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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