Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

nickthetick

Maryland

5/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: pours a clear brown, a beautiful copper when held to the light, into an American shaker with a solid finger of khaki head that leaves some wonderful lacing.

S: a barrage of roated nuts, toffee, leather. Altogether a very earthy, nutty beer.

T: a lot like the nose with the very first thing hitting the tongue being a bouquet of roasted nuts and a nice wood flavor. There is a great light leather note and an equally light darker fruit note and even some brown sugar.

MF: heavy, but not chewy or filling. Crisp flavor profile, great effervescence with a clean finish.

O: this is an amazing brown ale; to this point then best I have had. Every year it is among the top of my list to look fo on the shelves as far as seasonals. It makes me think of a late september or early october day thats still warm but damp and rainy. This beer and a movie are perfecte for that day.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 21:49:58 | More by nickthetick

JamesS

Indiana

4.85/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a very nice deep brown color with some nice head, although very little lacing. Excellent deep scent with wonderfully roasted malt grain aromas; very dark and rich. Great flavor, huge deep grain flavors; a nice roastiness; some nice hops at the end, but just to even it out; a wonderful Ent-draught! Goes down very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 01:17:43 | More by JamesS

thegodfather1076

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was served out of a 12oz. bottle dispensed into a glass....

Presentation - Very nice label and artwork in the typical Sierra Nevada style but with a Fall flair to it. Neck label states 2011 as this is a seasonal offering as well as a small description of the beer. Rear label also give a small description, the Sierra Nevada website, and the ABV.

Appearance - Pours out a deep brown color with a very nice 2 finger tan foam head that hangs around for quite a while before fading into a frothy covering. Head leaves an excellent lacing on the glass.

Smell - Smell is just wonderful. Sells of smokey roasted malts with coffee and nuttiness mixed in. Slight hints of a citrusy floral hoppiness are also evident.

Taste - Taste is extraordinary. Tastes of sweet roasted bready malts and nuttiness on the front end. Hints of toffee and roast coffee balance out the sweetness. A very light piney hoppiness can be detected which really mixes well with the rest of the flavor.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with a medium carbonation. Has a slightly creamy feel.

Drinkability - The flavor and mouthfeel on this make it extremely drinkable. Very smooth and not all that filling for a medium bodied.

The only downside to this offering is that it is a seasonal and not offered year round. This is my favorite Brown Ale hands down and is my go to beer when it is available. From the smell to the taste to the reasonable price it is gonna be hard to beat Tumbler in any aspect. Highly recommended!!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 16:46:07 | More by thegodfather1076

CBOLAND17

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I am a big fan of Sierra Nevada and this one didnt disappoint. A good brown ale is perfect for autumn so i think they hit the nail on the head with this one. Not only is this beer perfect for the season its also a great brown ale in general. It isnt as heavy as a DFH Indian Brown Ale or Palo Santo Marron or a Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale and also isnt as high in alcohol content which makes it very drinkable yet maintaining all of that great maltiness that we love about brown ales. This is a great beer to kick back on a patio or deck and watch the leaves come down.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 03:49:26 | More by CBOLAND17

FredTheSeal

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours with a tan fizzy but billowy head that sticks around longer than most and leaves some lacing as it dissipates. Crystal clear deep brown/red in color.

S - Sweet & malty with a floral hop fragrance.

T - Delicious. Malty and roasted followed immediately by a slightly floral hop flavor and then bitterness. The flavor hangs around for a while.

M - High carbonation, medium body.

D - Very drinkable. The flavor is bold but not too bold. I could easily put away 6 of these in a session!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 01:24:55 | More by FredTheSeal

redneckchugger

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a perfect shade or brown, with an inch of tan head. Lots of lacing on the side of my pilsner glass.
Nose is a bit lackluster, very clean for an ale, its almost like smelling a lager.
The taste makes up for the nose. Lots of caramelized sugar, and toffee, with a slight hint of hops in the back.
Nice mid bodied mouth-feel. Goes down nicely, but at 5.5% that's about what i would expect. So glad to see a nice, low abv, beer that's tasty without being hoppy enough to melt you teeth(not that there anything wrong with hop bombs.) This is the best brown ale i have had, and one of the best beers period. Kudos to you Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 02:25:26 | More by redneckchugger

Justin23060

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Very dark amber. Stiff light beige head created a solid wall of lacing on the side of the glass (well done indeed).

S - A little more "Bocky" than I expected. Mild hop. Definitely an American, not English, Brown.

T - Way different than I expected based on the smell. Malt and hop are in balance, though hops are more for drying it out rather than taste. Some toffee and chocolate in the background.

M - Wow... the dryness is really well done and not puckering at all. Mildly crisp. The linger did not get lost in the dryness, and is just about perfect. Carb is pretty creamy but not lacking.

O - Quality is there. Not just a brewery trying to have "some thing different for a seasonal". Go S.N. Kinda sorry I only got one so late in the season.

Side Note: Awesome with some sweet potato fries and horseradish mayo.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 08:32:10 | More by Justin23060

joecast

Australia

4.65/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Attractive deep mahogany. Clear with streams of bubbles maintaining a healthy tan head.

Dark grains build up the nose. Nicely done without being overly sweet. Some crusty fresh baked bread is in there I swear. Light chocolate. Very nice.

Such a well balanced taste. Not surprising really. Light cocoa and malt sweetness but manages to finish clean. Light bitterness seems to come as much from clever use of dark grains as it does from hops.

Having turned on to the recent trend of hoppy browns, this one shows how good the other side can be. Without completely leaving hops out of course.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 04:32:07 | More by joecast

Bryan17

4.63/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Sam Adams tulip glass.
A: Very nice dark chestnut brown. Hazy at first, but clears up slightly. Held up to the light, it has a slightly reddish hue. Head largely dissapates to some lacing.
S: Roasted malt, but with a nuttier smell. A very subtle alcoholic undertone.
T: Excellent. Initially, a very bitter bite, opening up to sweet, roasty flavors. Finish is very smooth with no bitterness. Some hops are mixed in there, but they are dominated by the malt. Reminds me of pumpernickel bread.
M: Prickly carbonation.
O: An excellent beer, crisp and suitable for fall. Will go for this one again. One of my favorites from Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 00:37:47 | More by Bryan17

ThreeWiseMen

California

4.6/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz. bottle poured into a standard pint glass. Bottle dated July 9, 2010 (roughly 5 weeks old).

Appearance: Standard pour yielded a full inch of soft, tan foam. As that head slowly receded, it left a thick trail of lacing on the walls of the pint glass (lacing was great all the way down). Nice head retention. Body is deep brown through the center with caramel edges. When held to light, crimson shades shine through. While dark, the beer exhibits great clarity. Impressive across the board.

Smell: Nuts, caramel, and "autumn" spices. There's something about this one that just smells like Thanksgiving. It's sort of reminiscent of a pumpkin ale, but without the pumpkin. I'm not too familiar with the spices used in pumpkin ales, but I assume some of the common ones are also used in Tumbler. Soft, woody hops clean up the end of each whiff. Butter and/or toffee appear as the beer warms. Very unique. I really like this aroma.

Taste: Caramel and nuts appear on the palate first, but they're quickly followed by a rich, bready malt backbone. Again I get "autumn" spices. Hops add a touch of citrus, earth and pine (all pretty subtle), and also create a pleasingly bitter finish. Thought he majority of the flavors seem to come from the malts, Tumbler actually displays nice balance. Spot on style-wise, and unique and tasty to boot!

Mouthfeel: Fuller in body than most browns, but not by a lot. Starts out malty and finishes crisp and bitter. Carbonation adds a bit of prickliness; suits the style well. Nearly all of the flavors cling to the palate long after the end of each sip, creating a very flavorful aftertaste.

Drinkability: You'd be hard-pressed to find a better American brown ale than this. Unique, flavorful, balanced, and tasty; extremely drinkable. This may have just dethroned Deschutes Buzzsaw Brown as my favorite American brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 04:15:27 | More by ThreeWiseMen

generallee

New York

4.6/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a mug. The label has a short discretion of the beer, the year it was brewed (2010) and its ABV% (5.5%).

Appearance: The body is dark brown with deep reddish amber highlights. Sitting on top is a tall thick and creamy beige head. The head has excellent retention and makes lots of sticky lace and lace rings on the glass.

Smell: I am hit with a big sweet maltiness in the nose. Fresh bready and sweet roasted barley note dominate but there are some hop notes as well sneaking in there too.

Taste/Palate: On the tongue there is a firm medium to full bodied malty sweetness with notes of brown sugar, caramel, roasted grain and fresh bread. On the back end there is a decent hop presence that balances out the big malt sweetness and adds a bit of earthy/leafy bitterness to the finish. The texture and carbonation are right on and keep things smooth but lively and very drinkable.

Notes: In my opinion this is a well made American Brown Ale and a good autumn release. I can see this beer pairing well with some of the hardier fall seasonal foods.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 03:21:13 | More by generallee

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The nose on this beer is so good that I just kept going back to it for a whiff. Inevitably, that leads to high expectations for all other aspects of the beer. It delivers. Nice smooth flavor profile with a rounded tone to it. A lot of brown ales I try tend to be too fruity and vibrant, but this is not one of them. It's even. I like this one. It's rare that this style does it for me, but this beer delivers. A pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 17:33:55 | More by RblWthACoz

JEdmund

Kansas

4.58/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

An attractive ruby-hued brown with a picture-perfect head. Smell is a lovely mixture of coffee, brown sugar, and biscuits. They nailed the texture on this one. That strikes me before the flavor even. It's just amazingly soft, like a nitrogen-infused beer. I'm pretty sure their porter has this exceptional quality too. On to the flavor... It's just solid, from start to finish, and it doesn't hit you over the head with any one flavor. There's just a light roast and light brown sugar sweetness that hit the right amount together. It feels like a light stout, but in no way feels thin on flavor. I really do think I could enjoy this as a session beer. It definitely screams 'fall', as much as I'm trying not to romanticize it. Another top-knotch beer from Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 00:10:20 | More by JEdmund

aquaderek

California

4.58/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured this beer into a pint glass. The beer is looks like the autumn brown ale it is, think fall maple leafs and you get the color. A nice head lacing sits a top the brown nectar. The nose is bouquet of malty spiciness (chocolate, hazelnut, ect, ect). The taste and mouthfeel are above average, I think the real thing that sets this beer apart is the wonderful balance. The drinkablility of this beer is exceptional+. I am usually not a fan of the brown ale, but this is an exception.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 21:30:08 | More by aquaderek

Minkybut

Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was a nice coca cola colored beer. It poured a nice fluffy tan head that had a great malty smell to it. The beer was smooth with a slight caramel taste. This is a really great tasting beer and I will certainly buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 17:39:25 | More by Minkybut

rembrant

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev +18%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

look--poured into a tall Cincy Red's beerglass,is "picture perfect" with a dense 2 finger head a rich froth that laces up and lingers and a rich jewel like red-brown color. Pretty.

Aroma Very hard to single out a predominant scent. There's plenty of aroma going,a multi-malt,multi hop blend where you get hits of some fruit, Peach/ Apricot? some resin..California Killer Buds?? and traces of caramel and smoky malts,some pecan richness, some fresh/whole hops,some roastiness...

Flavor As with the aroma there's a LOT of complex but subtle stuff,like a fine bit of harmony though no one thing dominates. If you need to be hit by a bus to grab your attention, this is just an ale. If you want to poke and prod a bit, there's a lot happening. A smooth semi sweet caramel nut leads with a few other malt details just behind that blend with the leading edge of a good solid hops mix. The hops are NOT that well known SNPA flavor, though there's a bit of that,here, it shares the bill with more fruity,herbal and resiny varieties for a finish that's neatly constructed and in good balance.
Impressive...in that this is built to be a drinker,not a showcase sipper. It isn't "imperial" big and extreme or out of a whiskey barrell and yet it is complex,tasty, well executed.

Mouthfeel,good transitions. Starts a bit sweet,full,semi-viscous then shifts to a hoppier sparkling thinner/wet finish where both malts and hops linger.

Drinkable? Oh yeah! We got a 12 on a rare for Ohio "Special", $15, or $1.25 per bottle. I expected a good drinker from SN but did 3 bottles before getting patient enough to slow down and review. Even were it a bit more $ it could be a good "Go-To" or session beer. It's a nice surprise the old pros at Sirra took the trouble to craft a Brown that's every bit as elegant and crafty as some stuff I can only afford as a rare single bottle treat

Dogfish's Palo Santo Maron recently impressed me as a beer that was not in any way massive,or a big wham of a Stout or DIPA, but had beautiful "Quality". This has "Quality",details, finnese, and at half that price.

Even so, you can down 3 watchin' a ball game and not fuss about the fine print.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2010 01:01:14 | More by rembrant

mweso2000

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev +18%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice 2 finger head with a lace that clings to the glass. Dark mocha brown in appearance. Smells of sweet malt, molasses,with a hint of brown sugar. Tastes of sweet toasted malt yeast and oats. Touch of hop bitterness near the end. This is the only brown ale besides Dogfish that I have had that I like. While not quite up to the level of DF it is probably a better representation of the style. I find most brown ales to be too sweet, but this one gets it right. Sweet but not overly so.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 20:37:14 | More by mweso2000

schoolboy

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

OK, all my ratings on this beer are per this style (as they always should be, but in my case they are often just an overall rating). That said, this is a style I don't usually seek out. Although the "American" prefix makes this a more palatable style - I am usually not a big fan of these.

I almost didn't buy this but I thought SN might mkae this their own and make it good, and I think they did that. I also think they achieved what they set out to, creating an autum beer that fits the season well.

That part of it erks me. I sitting out here in the early August heat drinking this. I will put the rest away at least until the footballs are flying. It's good.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 17:44:30 | More by schoolboy

erosier

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Pours a nice clear brown/amber color with a medium sized and medium bodied tan colored head that laces the glass nicely as it fades slowly.
S: Smells of sweet roasted malts, hints of brown sugar, coffee, slightly nutty and a nice faint earthy finish to it.
T: Tastes of sweet roasted malts, some deeper roasted malts, nice flavors of brown sugar, coffee, some sweeter nuts, and finishes with a nice crisp hop finish.
M: Very crisp, clean, medium bodied, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Very drinkable, this is actually crisp like a fall breeze, not a whole lot of alcohol - really well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 00:34:09 | More by erosier

BeerBob

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale pours a dark tannin from a brown glass 12oz bottle with a pry off cap.

Head, tan in color, went to over 2 fingers of fine frothy foam with lots of lacing.

Nose is of dark roasted malts, with some burnt component. Some Mission fig poke through as well.

Palate is creamy smooth, with bitter hops up front, and moving to soft sweet malts. Bitter hops and dried fruit, first and foremost, make up the flavor profile.

Soft and creamy, pleasant nose, and it’s beer, what’s not to like!

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 07:23:38 | More by BeerBob

scootny

New York

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A perfectly clear amberish brown with a huge head and chunky lacing. Smell is sweet with faint molasses and brown bread. Hops are evident with an earthy body and mildly sharp edge. Taste is exceptional. Rich malty body with a clean earthed hops finish. English style mineral undertone firms up the dryness while leaving a lovely toasted brown bread in the finish. A bit of butter and sweet mild molasses. Feel is crisp and lightly creamy with a lovely suppleness to the light medium weight. This is super drinkable and goes with pizza as well as traditional hearty fall fare. A great American brown. Stock up on tis one.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 07:03:58 | More by scootny

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Pours warm brown with hues of red. The generously tall and creamy tan head takes some time to sink into nice lacings.

S: Dry; black coffee, dark chocolate and faint vanilla. Caramell malt, roasted, holding some sweetness. Some nuts.

T: Surprisingly malty, roasted in a way that makes me think of Rauchbier; smoked ham and sausages. Rich smooth coffee and dark bitter chocolate. Hops but far from the powerful American-style as Sierra Nevada usually use; very mild citric and piney notes. Very nice.

M: Body is full while carbonation is held back. Aftertaste is long and almost like what you would expect from an Espresso; bitter.

O: Man, this was nice. Surprisingly enough it was made by Sierra Nevada; low on what makes American-hops American - far from what Sierra utsually puts on the market.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 20:42:51 | More by Sunnanek

WinthrHOPHEAD89

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into Irish Style pint

**note: this being the last bottle of a six pack, it was sitting in my fridge for about a month and a half.

A - Pours a 4-5 finger crowning light tan head. Consistency is lots of big soapy bubbles, mixed with a creamy pillowy froth. Pouring this beer into a glass does cause the bubbles to "tumble" but not quite like a Guinness. The head slowly dissipates, but nice lacing is left on the glass. Slight effervesence, with bubbles clinging to the bottom and sides of the glass.

S - The aroma is lots of chocolate, caramel, and smokey dark malts. A bit nutty too. Very very nice smell!!!

T - The taste is almost exactly how it smells, strangely enough. Lots of chocolate notes up front, with a caramel sweetness on the finish. The roasted nutty malts linger on the surface of the tongue, bit is no way unpleasant. The taste is not faint, but not too "in your face" either. Very well balanced taste. Alcohol is hardly noticable.

M - The head on this beer gives a very creamy mouthfeel. But as for th beer itself, it is rather on the thin side. It is no way watery, just not as thick as lets a stout. The complexion of this beer is a little sticky tho, which makes up for the slight thinness in the body.

D - The drinkabilty on this beer is very high, although I would not call this a sessionable beer by any means. Maybe one or two, but any more than that might be a little rough on the stomache.

Final Thoughts: Two Thumbs Up!!! Would certainly buy another 6 pack of this is I can find it. Very nice fall/winter beer!! Cheers to Sierra Nevada, definitely one of the best in their line-up!!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 03:41:55 | More by WinthrHOPHEAD89

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.45/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale has a thick, beige head and a clear amber-brown appearance. Carbonation is medium. The aroma is sharp, but not strong, with a spiciness to it. Taste is mild, but the deep-roasted barley flavor, with a nice hop bite underneath, is pleasant. Mouth-feel is light. Sierra Nevada Tumbler finishes satisfying and refreshing. Although, there is really nothing new here as per brown ale, I found the full, dark-roasted coffee taste to be a winner. I would highly recommend this one.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 01:24:49 | More by RonaldTheriot

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 12oz. bottle into a mug.

The color is a clear dark brown with a reddish hue. There a nice large, two fingers of brownish foamy head ans some nice lacing.

The smell is a little hoppy with a nice sweet malt undertone. Some nice toffee flavor with a little of butterscotch and a slight touch of peanut butter.

The taste is a little roasty with a bit of bitterness. It has a nice nutty flavor that was not too strong but just right. The is a nice maple flavor in the background and even has the slight chocolate flavor.

The feel is pretty smooth with a medium body and is well balanced with the right amount of bitterness. A fantastic fall, beer this may be my favorite brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 01:21:40 | More by Duhast500