Sally Brown - Birrificio Del Ducato

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours black with a lasting off-white head.
Nose shows milk chocolate, vanilla, soft earthy coffee and gentle roasted malt.
Similar flavours, quite sweet and very gentle. Could use some extra roasted malt to balance out the sweet chocolate and vanilla notes.
Over-carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 06:57:55 | More by CrazyDavros

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Smart -champagne shaped- 330ml bottle.Oversized glass.Enjoyed several times since dec´11.Dark brown.Beige froth & close crown. Roasted malt, choco malt,dark fruit & cocoa hint aromas. Toasted malty upfront,chocolate notes.Velvet palate.Spicy in the middle,underneath bitterness.Full body, medium carbonation.Black cocoa on the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 11:47:33 | More by GONZALOYANNA

oline73

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on-tap at Max's in Baltimore during the Italian beer weekend. Poured into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours almost black with a very little bit of tan head.

Smell: Dominated by the coffee. There is also a nutty component and some mildly sweet roast.

Taste: Quite roasty from the coffee and the malt, but not overly bitter. A bit nutty with a slightly bitter coffee finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thin side with medium carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: I would have liked a slightly bolder flavor, but given the abv, they did quite a nice job with this one. The coffee flavor is nice and smooth.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2011 03:10:58 | More by oline73

metter98

New York

4.22/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very dark amber (near black) in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high tan head that quickly died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: The smell becomes stronger as the beer warms up; there are moderate aromas of coffee beans and chocolate in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but is much more complex. There is a good balance between the flavors, coffee beans seem to stand out a bit more than those of brown sugar, cocoa, dark malts, lactose and nuts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth and creamy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The appearance of this beer is deceptive because it isn't as heavy bodied as you would expect, which makes this beer very easy to drink. It's almost like drinking a sessionable hybrid of a stout and porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 15:44:47 | More by metter98

Jdmpolk

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Dark mahogany with a fingers length of thick khaki head. Leave two fingers worth of lacing.

S- Aromas of cocoa, coffee, caramel, and maple syrup are discernible.

T- Very coffee like almost tastes like the aroma of grounds. Hint of malt medium bitterness.

M- Very light for such a dark beer. Almost feels refreshing to drink to the persistent carbonation. Has a slight drying effect, and tastes frothy/creamy like a cappuccino.

O- This was a very enjoyable beer to drink. The coffee flavor was dominant throughout and made you wonder where the coffee stopped and the beer began.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 01:46:34 | More by Jdmpolk

AgentZero

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Name is misleading, this beer looks much bigger and more ominous than the name would suggest. Opaque, black beer with nice retention on a tan head that left some stick on the sides.

S - The brown comes out a bit more in the nose with some brown sugar, but the primary aroma is coffee. It's actually quite pleasant.

T - Coffee and brown sugar. Think if a brown with coffee. Yes, I just repeated myself, but that's the gist of this beer. Not blowing my socks off, but it's fairly tasty.

M - Lighter bodied, dry finish.

O - Not what I was expecting from something called an Irish Dry Stout, and there is more flavor packed in there than you would expect at less than 5% ABV. A nice beer, Ducato does stuff worth trying in my experience.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2011 14:18:26 | More by AgentZero

HiAIPA

Maine

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served at the Lion's Pride. Pours a dark brown with minor head. Wafting aromas of coffee and roast, and the taste reminded me very much of Meantime Coffee Porter. This was extremely drinkable, with nice subtleties anf flavors that were distinct yet integrated well. Coffee, roast choco grain. Nicely done.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2011 16:26:14 | More by HiAIPA

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is coffee, chocolate and some roasted malt. I get a lot of malt complexity in the aroma and all of the aspects are well represented.

The flavor is more of the same. The chocolate and roasted malt seem to dominate the flavor, but I also get a little bit of coffee in the flavor. Very nice overall.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 06:00:06 | More by Mora2000

rtepiak

Poland

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

an uncategorizable masterpiece of a brew

abv of 5.2

had at the diamond in greenpoint.

Pour of a finger and of half of head. Dark amber brew of a subtle murk. A nose of coffee and citrus pine. Palate is some between a porter, well balanced brown, and belgian double. A wonderfully placed coffee. With a touch of fig and porter/brown ale dark fruit. Black currant and chocolate delicate malt. Dry for the sake of bitter coffee, but a particularly malty blend. Very versatle palate that has a feel of many continents.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2010 22:43:48 | More by rtepiak

DoubleJ

California

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another interesting tap beer found at Beachwood BBQ. On to the beer:

Sally Brown isn't brown, but obsidian. Some lacing is left around the glass, the head retention is good. The nose, ah yes, the nose...it smells like coffee beans. A little brown sugar aroma hides in the back of it.

There's less coffee to taste, but still a fair amount. The yeast seems to give a little fruitiness to this stout, which worked well in this case. Bittersweet cocoa notes. It's medium bodied, with a dryish aftertaste.

Pleasant dry stout from Italy. It's better than some of the American made ones.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2010 03:17:55 | More by DoubleJ

Halcyondays

California

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a dark brown with a full tan head, pretty foamy.

S: Real nice nose of coffee and malt, notes of brown sugar.

T: Mocha is the defining characteristic, a balance betwixt the coffee and brown sugar. Some dark chocolate and malt, the mocha dominates the flavour. Quite tasty.

M: Fairly light-bodied, a bit thin. Smooth and creamy, but the thinness hurts it a bit.

D: Solid beer from Ducato, I like it, just hope it's not a $9.99 pricetag for a 12ozer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2010 03:14:11 | More by Halcyondays

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a blackish brown color with good head retention and considerable lacing. The nose is equaly impressive, the the aroma profile including coffee grounds, vanilla and chocolate. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely in this dry, well crafted stout. Mouthfeel is pretty light, which is pretty much what I expected from a stout with this low abv. Otherwise, it has a fairly soft mouthfeel, and the finish is long and dry. Drinkability is good, though a bit more flavor would have been nice. However, for such a low alcohol beer, I'm impressed by the amount of flavor this beer delivers.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2010 19:44:41 | More by johnmichaelsen

brentk56

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives at the Church Key bar with an espresso brown color and a modest cap that leaves a few streaks of lace

Smell: Roasty coffee with fruity chocolate undertones

Taste: Chocolate flavors, up front, with a growing fruity espresso flavor that adds a biterness by mid-palate; after the swallow, the chocolate mellow out the finish which is also rather dry

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Really nice on tap; the chocolate and coffee flavors add a very nice nuance to this otherwise dry stout

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2010 21:51:35 | More by brentk56

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter at ChurchKey.

Here at the CK, Sally also uses her family name Baracco. Those crazy I-Talians. She pours a dark, nearly opaque brown topped by a more-than-healthy dark tan froth. The nose comprises molasses, brown sugar, coffee, grasses, florals, and roasted malts. The taste holds notes of German-style milk chocolate (go take a bite out of a Milka bar and tell me I'm crazy), coffee, molasses, toffee, and a pinch o' nutmeg. Tasty, baby. The body is a heavy-ish medium, with a low carbonation and a smooth, chalky feel. Overall, one of the better Italianas I've had the pleasure of spending bar time with. I'd definitely take a second date.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2010 05:59:52 | More by TMoney2591

Perrumpo

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I really liked this beer. A deep, dark color, very smooth mouthfeel, and quite enjoyable and easy to drink. A porter with espresso, this beer ends up being almost like a stout with coffee and cocoa. Being espresso, however, the coffee flavor is not overly sweet, particularly towards the end of the taste. Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 14:25:20 | More by Perrumpo

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear deep black color porter with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light dry coffee notes with some roasted malt and a side dish of lactose. Taste is similar to a ''café au lait'' with some light coffee overshadowed by lactose and sugar. Body is a bit thin thought somewhat creamy with good carbonation. Not bad and very different from its American and English counterpart.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:07:50 | More by Phyl21ca

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The bottle says that this beer is dedicated to travelers, but all that I think of when seeing the name is Charlie Brown's little sister. However, this is a very nice example of a dry stout. Boldly black, even obsidian, in color, with a firm and dense tan head. The beer has a wonderfully roasty aroma. Lots of unmalted and highly roasted barley is in the forefront of the aroma. There's no real hop presence in the smell, and the malt, although there, is at a minimum. Still, it's an intense, very chocolate and coffee smell. The scent if incredibly engaging, and quite well done. The taste is also very good, with a slight sweetness in the front that quickly gives way to a grainy astringency. There is a bit of a tannic quality to the taste, and a lot of grain flavor. The sweetness completely fades by the midtaste, giving way to an exceedingly dry finish that has smokey, grainy, and incredibly coffee-like qualities. Long, very long, lasting roasted finish. The mouthfeel is a little more grainy than necessary, but still quite mouth-enveloping. All in all, this is a very nice stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 19:45:18 | More by Suds