Beer of the Weekend #908: Burch the Bear
The beer of the weekend is what a brown ale should be (I’m looking at you, Newcastle Brown Ale): Burch the Bear, brewed by the Big Grove Brewery of Iowa City, Iowa.
The color is dark caramel brown. A finger of dense, tan, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving a web of foam stuck to the glass.
The aroma is toasty and dark with scents of caramel, chocolate, dark malt, toasted pumpernickel, molasses, and a hint of dark fruit.
The flavor is much the same: toasty, dark, and delicious. Earthy hops settle on the taste buds to deliver a lasting bitterness. There are flavors of dark malt, overly toasted bread (like it was in the toaster for too long and is burned), caramel, chocolate, and a hint of molasses. The bitterness is what stands out the most and is most prominent.
Fun facts about Burch the Bear:
• Style: American brown ale.
• Price: $9.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
• Calories: 156 per 12 ounces (estimate).
• The beer is named after Burch, an American black bear who served as the Iowa football team’s mascot. Burch’s history is quite sad and can be read here.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
The color is dark caramel brown. A finger of dense, tan, buttery head dissipates slowly and mostly evenly, leaving a web of foam stuck to the glass.
The aroma is toasty and dark with scents of caramel, chocolate, dark malt, toasted pumpernickel, molasses, and a hint of dark fruit.
The flavor is much the same: toasty, dark, and delicious. Earthy hops settle on the taste buds to deliver a lasting bitterness. There are flavors of dark malt, overly toasted bread (like it was in the toaster for too long and is burned), caramel, chocolate, and a hint of molasses. The bitterness is what stands out the most and is most prominent.
Fun facts about Burch the Bear:
• Style: American brown ale.
• Price: $9.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
• Calories: 156 per 12 ounces (estimate).
• The beer is named after Burch, an American black bear who served as the Iowa football team’s mascot. Burch’s history is quite sad and can be read here.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
