Beer of the Weekend #869: Brown Eyed Girl
I wrote last week that I wanted to spend more time at Twisted Vine's taproom. Well, I was back in central Iowa for a night and did just that-for as long as it took to fill my growler with Brown Eyed Girl.
The color is brown with a light ruby tint. A half finger of tight, buttery, light tan head does not stick around for long. A thin collar and wispy skim are left behind.
The aroma is toasty and candy-like. There are scents of toasted malt, caramel, milk chocolate, cherry licorice, and also black licorice. Toffee is present, too, and quite prominent.
The flavor mostly mirrors the aroma with characters of toasted malt, milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, and cherry licorice. It has a flavor reminiscent of toasted bread, too. However, it tastes unfinished, unrefined, unpolished; it tastes like a mediocre microbrew.
Fun facts about Brown Eyed Girl:
• Style: American brown ale.
• Price: $22 for a 64-ounce growler fill at the Twisted Vine Brewery.
• Alcohol content: 7.9 percent ABV, which is pretty hefty for a brown ale.
• IBU: 22.
• The properly punctuated name would be Brown-eyed Girl, but I'm willing to overlook that. Brewers brew beer.
• Here's a first: I returned home yesterday and found that my growler had leaked during transport. I had it on its side inside a small cooler. I suspect the bartender did not tighten the cap all the way before she added the plastic seal. I had the growler filled Tuesday night, so perhaps the beer was able to breathe too much, impacting the aroma and flavor.
The Quiet Man's grade: C+.
The color is brown with a light ruby tint. A half finger of tight, buttery, light tan head does not stick around for long. A thin collar and wispy skim are left behind.
The aroma is toasty and candy-like. There are scents of toasted malt, caramel, milk chocolate, cherry licorice, and also black licorice. Toffee is present, too, and quite prominent.
The flavor mostly mirrors the aroma with characters of toasted malt, milk chocolate, toffee, caramel, and cherry licorice. It has a flavor reminiscent of toasted bread, too. However, it tastes unfinished, unrefined, unpolished; it tastes like a mediocre microbrew.
Fun facts about Brown Eyed Girl:
• Style: American brown ale.
• Price: $22 for a 64-ounce growler fill at the Twisted Vine Brewery.
• Alcohol content: 7.9 percent ABV, which is pretty hefty for a brown ale.
• IBU: 22.
• The properly punctuated name would be Brown-eyed Girl, but I'm willing to overlook that. Brewers brew beer.
• Here's a first: I returned home yesterday and found that my growler had leaked during transport. I had it on its side inside a small cooler. I suspect the bartender did not tighten the cap all the way before she added the plastic seal. I had the growler filled Tuesday night, so perhaps the beer was able to breathe too much, impacting the aroma and flavor.
The Quiet Man's grade: C+.
