Bear Republic / Fat Head's / Stone TBA - Stone Brewing Co.

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip)
A- This beer pours a hazy dense garnet body with a thick tan head and a strong carbonation supporting the head for most of the beer.

S- The perfume of hops is like sticking your head in a bag of cascade hops and it is heard to stop sniffing this beer and start drinking it.

T- The green herbal and floral hops are very bright with a pungent dark green hop taste that lingers a bit after each sip. There is a mellow roasted malt hint underneath the hops.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a gentle fizz that gives a bit of a creamy texture and no alcohol heat noticed.

O- The big fresh hop aroma is amazing but it doesn’t transfer fully to the taste. The taste has some mysterious dark malt character that supports the hops and adds some nice depth.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 19:48:41 | More by rhoadsrage

Lawl3ss

Texas

2.99/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.75

Lightly chilled 12 oz. bottle into a stemmed tulip.

Look- Opaque ruby brown with three fingers of loose head that settles dlowly. Meager lacing.

Smell- Brown sugar, red velvet cake, mild grapefruit. Swirling brings out a chocolate ice cream aroma.

Taste- Burnt caramel, roasted almonds, raisin. Earthy, herbal bittering.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, light-medium carbonation. Moderately abrasive feel. Dry, toasty finsh. Not as smooth or rich as expected.

Overall- Well, I've got to say this is something of a flop. Overpriced and really not that good. Avery New World Porter is extremely similar and blows this out of the water. I certainly wouldn't want to pick up a six pack of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 01:33:04 | More by Lawl3ss

mralphabet

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass.

A: Poured a dark amber with a good 2 fingers worth of head that settled to a thin layer with wonder lacing from start to finish.

S: I'm getting a big hit of caramel, brown sugar, molasses and a bunch of hops... mix of piny, floral and citrus hop.

T: Just like the smell big sweet caramel, brown sugar, and molasses but then the hops kicks in and it really kicks in.. big hits of citrus, floral and piny hops.

M: Medium bodied, bitter but pretty smooth. Aftertaste is a little on the bitter side.

O: I love a good brown and I'm not a big IPA guy, but this beer was really interesting to be and even though it leans heavily to the hoppy side I really liked this onesubstance. Worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:49:54 | More by mralphabet

Reidrover

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from "Lifesource" in Salem $2.49 on sale Clear hazelnut brown coloured ale large thick frothy light tan head. Fine aromas of spicy/citic hops..pleasantly surprised. Some chocolate and nuts also Smooth,creamy dark chocolate and toffeeish malt tastes with a good bit of hop in the back which comes to the fore at the end. Nice really Great smooth yet thickish mouthfeel. Great beer ..even if it was on sale and out on a shelf not in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:19:53 | More by Reidrover

Murrhey

Montana

3.08/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured in a pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

A- Two minute long retention. Nice lacing. Copper or auburn color with medium clarity.

S- Brown sugar and medium bodied malts. Warm and sugary but still not very strong.

T- Hop forward and sugary. Bitter and strong.

M- Aggressive carbonation and medium bodied, sugary linger.

O- Decent collaboration, not ideal.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 02:42:37 | More by Murrhey

socon67

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Brown pour with robust foamy head. Rusty red hue in the light. Some lacing is present.

S - Smells of fresh fruits and sugary cake. Has a slight wet hop smell.

T - Rich taste of sweet sugary berries and cake. Has flavors of a summer dessert. Finish has a lingering hop bitterness that is fairly mild.

M - Complexity and balance is nice, but this one seems to be a bit heavy-handed.

O - Nice collarobation to try and enjoy. Certainly a very flavorful brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 17:37:22 | More by socon67

KKB

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ok so even though this beer hasn't really received rave reviews, I'm actually pretty dang excited to drink it owing to the fact that it is a collaboration between three (well, at least two) of my favorite breweries. So, without further ado, here we go.

A - Cloudy golden brown body with very light carbonation and a tan head. Somewhat translucent with gold around the edges...slight cola look.

S - Slight burnt malt (that just becomes a little malty with warming) smell with hops and a sweetness in the nose as well probably from the molasses and sugar, some definite hops in the nose as well. Very nice, if somewhat mild.

T - More of the nose really, it's good, if somewhat underwhelming. It's got a little more of that charred malt...I sat on it for a minute cause I was afraid I was drinking it a little bit too cold, and it has definitely opened up some, some of the molasses is coming through and the hops are a bit more noticeable. It's still pretty underwhelming overall though. Not bad, don't get me wrong, just not great...as it get really warm too some of the sugar starts talking to you, don't hate it.

M - Mouthfeel is right on, whenever Stone is involved you can pretty much bank on the mouthfeel being right on and this is no exception.

O - I wouldn't seek this out, if it was offered to me I would drink it. It's good, don't get me wrong. But I've been getting spoiled lately and I would say that this is just good, and not too far above it.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 23:34:25 | More by KKB

babaracas

Florida

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy brown with amber edges, billowing tan head. Smell: brown sugar, roasty, wood smoke, orange citrus. Taste: toast, caramel, quick grapefruit note, sweet orange, mild roast and cocoa. Hopping is subdued in the nose for "Hoppy Brown Ale," but picks up. Medium bodied, creamy. A bit overcarbonated, drying earthy + citric finish. Interesting, different. Was this brewed more than once?

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 05:02:43 | More by babaracas

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a deep brown with burnt orange hues at its edges. Clarity looks to be good. The pillowy sand-colored head is quite large and impressive. Retention is phenomenal. Thick collars of lacing clutch the glass.

S: Caramel, molasses, brown sugar,. Faint woody and cocoa notes. Faint leather. Hops are piney and full of citrus pith; slightly floral and spicy too. Cascade is definitely the dominant hop here.

T: Bitter hop bite of pine and grapefruit starts to mellow out and shift into bright tropical citrus notes, though a resiny pine bitterness is pervasive. Malt tastes start to steal the spotlight as bread crust and some woody tastes start to take over. Brown sugar makes a strong thrust on the mid-palate. Sugary molasses and faint notes of caramel chews and cocoa are also perceptible. Ghost-like kiss of smoke. Hops develop a leafy/spicy edge toward the end. Finishes with oily, piney hop tastes and a lingering brown sugar sweetness.

M: Moderately thick body. Very full and creamy, slightly chewy. Enamel scraping hop feel. Low to moderate carbonation.

O: The hopping would be nice here . . . if this were an IPA. The malt base comes across as too sweet and a bit cloying. Definitely too much brown sugar. The hop bitterness doesn't so much balance the sweetness as it does vie with it for dominance. This beer is one big clash, and it makes for a less than desirable drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 01:18:57 | More by ryan1788a5

Greywulfken

New York

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: medium brown, slightly translucent, nice beige head that left tons of gooey lace all down the glass

S: I might've missed some of this - I got some malts and a little sweetness, but not much else

T: very impressed: bitter hops burst out, but a wash of subtle and soft brown malts sweeten the pot; hints of brown sugar and vanilla, but then wham! More bitter hops... Great back-and-forth.

M: light on the tongue, low carbonation, great aftertaste (you're gonna want more); super drinkability - the 7.1% abv may be too much for some session drinkers, but I could drink this all night

O: again, very impressed - I've passed on this a few times, not really sure what to make of it - but today was "buy new beers" day and boy, am I glad I did. Instantly one of my favorite brown ales, probably owing to the two-headed punch of excellent-tasting hops and brown malts. I would definitely re-buy this. Makes me wish I had either another one, or one of Stone's smoked porters to follow it up.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 00:49:53 | More by Greywulfken

BrianGaynor

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: beautiful hazy brown appearance with a light tan finger head. Looks delicious.

Aroma: strong malty scent

Taste: slightly bitter taste. Some vanilla comes through, or is that the brown sugar? Either way a pleasant taste.

Palate: lightly carbonated and easy to drink.

Overall: this is the second time I’ve had this beer; I got it before and enjoyed it so much I wanted to get it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 16:34:26 | More by BrianGaynor

zac16125

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
no born on date, 2012 bottle

A: An aggressive pour yields an opaque mahogany brown with 3 fingers width of light tan colored head which dissipates down to 1/2 a finger that remains throughout the drink.  Leaves a good amount of streaky lacing.  

S: Citrus hops, brown sugar, smokey roasted malt, a slightly astringent anise type of aroma.  Pretty nice.  

T: Smokey, roasted malts, medicinal, noticeable bitterness that I guess is from the hops, although its not traditional hop flavors (or maybe they are just masked by the big smokey/roast notes).  Pretty unique, so bonus points for that, but not all that enjoyable.  

M/D: Pretty heavy carbonation, medium bodied, drinkability is below average.  

O:   Overall, Im not impressed.  Im not sure when this was released, or how it was fresh, but as is its not my thing.  Pretty one dimensional with smokey/roasted malts dominating.  I love all 3 of these breweries, but this collaboration is one Id pass on in the future.  

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 02:11:29 | More by zac16125

jegross2

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewing T.B.A., a collaboration brown ale from Stone Brewing Company, Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon and Bear Republic Brewing Company.
Score: 87

2012 vintage bottle. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter and enjoyed on 09/15/12.

Appearance: Pours a root beer-ish brown color with three titanic fingers of tan foamy, dense soda-like head that slowly settles to a think creamy layer of head. Really good lacing, slightly above average retention. 4/5

Smell: Lots of grapefruity hops upfront, then cocoa, brown sugar and a touch of caramel malt. A hint of raisins too. Smells like a black IPA. 3.75/5

Taste: Pine wood flavor upfront, followed by creamy, but cotton-mouthing grapefruit and hot cocoa. There is a little brown sugar flavor towards the finish too, but it is not very sweet. Smooth and subtle caramel malt backbone. A cocoa-y grapefruit flavor really sticks and lingers on the back of the tongue. 3.75/5

Mouthfeel: Light-plus bodied, medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a dry finish. A little sweet, a little bitter. 4/5

Overall: I honestly expected to hate this beer, but I found that I enjoyed it. The grapefruit aroma/taste is really interesting, and the mouthfeel really works with the beer's flavor profile to enhance the drinking experience. While not anything that would set the earth on fire, this brown ale tastes much more like a solid black IPA. This not a beer I would go out of my way to try again, but I would certainly drink another glass if offered again.

Recommendation: Worthy trying, not worth going out of your way to hunt down. Casual beer drinkers might find the mouthfeel and wood flavor strange, but I enjoyed it.

Pairings: Cohiba cigars.

Cost: $3.49 for a 12 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 22:49:38 | More by jegross2

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this a few times at tastings, but never reviewed it... Picked up a bottle locally tonight in preparations of the Boise "Stone Tap Takeover". These bottles were cellared at Stone and never made it to Boise out of the gate.

Paid $3 for the 12oz at the COOP. Poured into my slim tulip... 2 finger khaki head... great retention and lacing... the brew is a slightly hazed light walnut color... pretty.

Nose shows slight grapefruit hoppiness... some brown sugar and hints of toffee.. maybe some raisin... seems a bit "old"

Sorta what I expected... a decent hop bitterness... the hop flavor has died back leaving only some residual pithy hoppiness.. Does not taste as "brown" as I was expecting... the caramel malt and some brown maltiness is pretty light... finishes fairly dry with just the slight essence of burnt sugars and still a surprising hop bite... flavors are a little thin throughout.

Body is a bit too carbonated... a bit burpy..

I appreciate a good American Brown ale though, I don't buy them enough.. This is pretty okay, but nothing to right home about.

4/3/3/3/3.5

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 03:50:19 | More by JohnGalt1

coastiefish

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Loaded with slow moving tiny carbonation. Poured from a 12oz into a tulip. Foamy one finger light tan head. Rich brown body

S - Grapefruit toffee nose. Bittery orange peel. Sweet and hint of smokey

T - Roasted malts, a bit spicy, herbally hopped

M - Puffy from all the carbonation, I wish it drank just a bit smoother

O - Pretty good brew. I dont drink much of the style, however I did enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 23:10:27 | More by coastiefish

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I found this in a store on my way back from Boston today.
Pours a solid dark brown with a smallish off white head that slowly dissipates but never leaves. Earthy spicy piney hops on top of a hint of bready chocolatey malt sums up the aroma quite well. The flavor is sharp resinous bitter with a bit of mineral water and a hint of bread chocolate and caramel. Medium to thin body with a moderate level of carbonation and a resinous chalky mouthfeel. This is probably a bit less than fresh as the hops seems to be muted and not bright. Decent enough beer, but I'll bet it was much better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 22:27:46 | More by johnnnniee

albertjr21

New York

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle with no freshness date. Poured in a snifter on 9-2-12.

Pour quickly raises a dense foam head under a dull faded brown color. Aroma is rich with hints of luscious complex hop character and deep sweet malt to hold it all in check. Aromatic notes of candied orange and light cocoa perhaps. There's plenty of hops here in the flavor alright and they seem to collaborate fairly well with the brown sugar and molasses that are clearly coming through as well. This is a BIG flavor brew without the huge booze and I dig it...

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 20:51:11 | More by albertjr21

mjurney

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very cloudy, amber-brown color. I can see some bubbles rising up. Thick creamy head. Leaves very nice lacing behind.

Hoppy aroma... Grapefruity, piney, citrus. There some sweet toffee malts.

Bitter hops up front, citrus, grapefruity, piney. Malt character in the middle, I get caramel, toffee, nutty, slight coffee. Finish off dry bitterness. Body is medium, a little sticky.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 04:32:13 | More by mjurney

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours brown with a hint of ruby color. The heads also pours well with good retention and lacing on the glass. The aroma is IPA - some pine is present and a sweeter hop. Good body to the beer - a slight caramel malt offsets the hops and is well balanced although slightly more IPA. Bottle says not to age but found this bottle recently so unsure of its age - the flavor, even the hops still appear fresh.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 20:58:00 | More by Oakenator

Ben4881

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

TBA - Extra Hoppy Brown Ale (Bear Republic/Fat Head's/Stone)

12 oz. bottle poured into 16 oz pint glass.

A - Pours brown with faint gold highlights and bold red hues. The head is fluffy and khaki with moderate retention and excellent stickiness. The lacing is light. <4.5>

S - Hops tickle the nose first - grapefruit mainly. This comes as no surpirse as a hop stank filled the air upon prying the cap off. However, a toasty, burnt, and sweet malt aroma softens the bouqet. Upon repeated draws, there is an alochol odor that begins to take over. A very intersting and balanced aroma. <4.5>

T - Slightly tart, but prickly hop bitter flavor stings the front of the pallet. This gives way to a different kind of bitter, a more roasted flavor with a heavy hand of caramelized sugar, which carries a hint of alcohol. This breaks to semi-dry, semi-sweet finish with a wicked roasted pine needle aftertaste accompanied by a healthy warming sensation. <4.5>

M - A creamy medium body with noticeable carbonation that is, thankfully, more foam that crackle. <4>

O - Considering this style is completely unconventional, and the message from Norgrove highlights the difficulty in naming such an undertaking, allow me to brainstorm. To me, this might be (in Dogfish Head terms) where Idian Brown Ale meets 90 Minute IPA. Or, perhaps it is a Brown IPA. Or, could it be a Cascadian Brown Ale? As to be expected from the breweries' reputations, the hop flavor is strong. While there is some balance toward traditional brown ale characteristics, the hops end up running the show. The presence of alchol belies the moderate 7.1% listed on the bottle. This beer would be a welcomed companion during the days and weeks leading into and out of winter. <4.5>

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 19:11:52 | More by Ben4881

BeerDawgs

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A 12oz bottle picked up at Greens in Columbia, SC

A - A cloudy amber/brown, with tons of head, and sediment floating all around in the brew. Sticky lace left all over the glass. Very nice looking brew

S - Very hoppy, pineapple. Nice

T - Hop assualt up front, molasses on the back end. Bitter, dry finish

M - Light bodied, huge carbonation kick

O - A hoppy palate wrecker brown ale. Love it!

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:18:08 | More by BeerDawgs

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. Pours brown initially, but will go to a reddish color when held up to the light. It's very hazy, not well filtered. There's a white colored head that provides some pretty decent lacing.

Smell is good but not great. Has characteristics of a good brown ale such as toffee and some nice caramelized malt. On top of that it's well hopped and has some nice a nice zesty citrus peel aromas as well as some aromas of pine.

Taste is on par with the smell. Starts plenty sweet, really has a nice malt backbone with the toffee and caramel. Then there is a strong helping of citrus zest and pine. At the end there is a slight hint of smoke.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium to full. Well balanced where it starts sweet and has a nice bitter bite. Reasonably clean finish as well with a good carbonation level. GOod overall beer, I'm liking that more brewers are trying the hoppy brown ale. Not the best Stone collaboration, but good none the less.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:00:38 | More by AndyAvalanche

vfgccp

New York

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Very nice ice tea body with a cherry mahogany hue. Bone white head with decent lace and retention.

S - Caramel, butterscotch, touch of bubblegum, and an earthy hop.

T - Toast, white malt, caramel, and light coffee. Dusty hop backend with a lingering bitterness.

M - Medium/light body, but par for the course.

O - The malt profile is great, but there's something about the hop character that I'm not a huge fan of. Overall though, the bitter/malt balance is excellent for the hoppy American Brown Ale / light American Black Ale / light Black IPA style they're aiming for.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 21:22:46 | More by vfgccp

metter98

New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very hazy brown in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a massive two finger high beige head that took a long time to settle down, consistently leaving a thin layer of bubbles coating the surface and the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of citrus, floral and spicy hops in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of brown malts and citrus, floral and spicy hops as well as hints of brown sugar and molasses.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of lingering dryness in the finish.
O: The citrus and spicy hops used in this beer impart unique aromas and smells, which makes this taste much different compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 01:42:37 | More by metter98

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle to Founders tulip.

A - Poured medium brown and settled a very murky swamp-like brown colour. A lot of cream coloured head formed on the pour with good retention and good lacing.

S - Big hop aroma up front with pine, grapefruit and some orange zest. Some roast and sweet brown sugar in the background.

T - A fairly assertive bitterness up front with some pine, earthy and grapefruit notes. The middle adds some light roast, sweet brown sugar and spice. A long, bitter finish.

M - Medium body with some good chew. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 15:29:28 | More by TheSevenDuffs