Bacon Brown Ale - Uncommon Brewers

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at BBC-Cedarville

Appearance: amber in color with minimal head, clear, moderate carbonation

Smell: faint toasted malt and bacon

Taste: toasted malt, light bacon, and fall spices like allspice and perhaps cinnamon

Mouthfeel: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweet with slight bitterness at the end

Drinkability: An ok beer. I actually would like a bit more of the bacon smokiness it here. Semms very autumn seasonal. Not a bad beer, but one I will likely not get again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2012 14:31:43 | More by tigg924

tasteegood

Illinois

1.98/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Booo. On tap at twisted spoke, served in a tulip glass. No bacon odor detected. :( no smokiness. Looks like a brown, taste like a brown bit does not live up to its description. If u order it ask for a sample and decide if u want to move forward with this beer. NOT a, bad tasting brown, just doesn't live to what I was expecting.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 21:18:40 | More by tasteegood

chumba526

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appears a dark brown color with a thin brown head.

Smells of roasted malts, caramel malts and I suppose smoky bacon.

Taste is composed of a smoky roast flavor and a caramel flavor as well. A grassy hop taste is noticeable in the finish. The smokiness of the beer does seem to come from the bacon but the fat flavor of the bacon thankfully did not appear in the beer.

The carbonation is moderate. The drinkability is ok but it is too smoky to really drink more than one of these.

Overall uncommon did a nice job using bacon in a beer without making me sick. If you see it is worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2010 17:04:57 | More by chumba526

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.13/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I tried this beer twice (4 oz. pours) at the recent North American Organic Beer Fest and jotted a few notes to start as a foundation of a review, but what follows is primarily based on 10 oz. at Bailey's Taproom.

A: Dirty/murky chestnut/auburn pour with a weird head that mimics a fizzy soda topping: a single layer of fat, ivory-colored bubbles clumped at the rim in a skewed ring. No visible carbonation, no lace.

S: Malt-fueled 'brown ale' aroma, filled with dark roasted grain (baked bread) and singed nutshells. An ambitious huskiness that dances around the 'smokiness', concealing then releasing as it warms.

T: Hmmm...after trying this at a fest (first pour both days) and now at Bailey's, I (surprisingly) liked the fest pours better. My notes from then: "Smoky and nutty with ground spice in the finish. Growing dryness and bitterness, but balanced by caramel. 'Bacon' hard to find, more black pepper". From yesterday: "Burnt nuts, spices but more sooty/ashy, dark bread crust. Very dry finish and long-lasting bitterness". I gave it a 4 at the fest and a 2.5 yesterday - will generously round up for an average score.

M: Drab feel, smooth but grainy texture, low carbonation (makes the feel seem thinner). Latent alcohol warms a little and a dull metallic weight rests heavily on the tongue. Building thickness, chewiness.

D: 'Bacon' is the hook that'll garner attention, but ultimately this doesn't seem like a 'sustainable' beer once the gimmick wears off. A fun experiment though and a curiosity worth trying, but ultimately the 4+4+10 oz. consumed were enough to form the opinion that I really never need to have this beer again.

[Aside] I've tried a couple others from Uncommon (Baltic, Siamese Twin) and found them to be good/better than this one.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2010 15:15:31 | More by msubulldog25

djbreezy

Washington

2.45/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Had on tap in a fine plastic compostable cup at the NAOBF.

appearance - poured a fairly flat brown, some carbonation

smell - some combination of smoke and malt

taste - smoke, bacon, malt

mouthfeel - medium, low carbonation, soft, smooth

drinkability - this beer is disgusting, it's barely to style and the bacon/smokiness is hard to stomach

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2010 02:52:44 | More by djbreezy

jeranbrews

New York

3.43/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Consumed on tap at Popeye´s in Ryogoku Tokyo on May 7 from a tulip glass

Did you say Bacon Beer?

A - High thick fluffy vanila bean white head. Thick like the space-memory foam they make pillows out of now. Tons of wavy laving just like watching the tide go out on the beach. Beer itself has a cloudy hot caramel color with light swirls of color like crystalized amber. A beauty.

S - Sour. A protein shake smell. Like wet bacon bits that are leftover in the bowl of a ceasar salad. After warming...the same smell plus a bit of caramel. Odd but I´m not about to give up on bacon.

T - The taste is not bacon, more like hickory flavoring. A bit harsh. Aftertaste is sour and dry.

M - Despite the beauty this beer was to look at it was actually quite thin and watery. Oh well too bad.

D - This beer is an oddity. Very pretty and a nice idea, but the taste just doesn´t deliver in the right places.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2010 15:28:18 | More by jeranbrews

Halcyondays

California

3.65/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a medium brown with a nice off-white head, good retention.

S: Quite hoppy with a lot of pine, citrus, light smoke.

T: Intriguing for sure. Dark malt, with a gamey, meaty flavour. It didn't really taste like bacon, but it was there in the background. Still quite hoppy as with the nose.

M: Medium-bodied, soft/medium carbontion, quite smooth on the tongue.

D: If you can say one thing about the Uncommon brewers is that they're interesting. Nothing I've had from them has tasted like anything I've had before.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 21:18:16 | More by Halcyondays

Krevee

California

3.65/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drank on 04/25/10
Poured on-tap into a pint glass

Was looking at the tap list an Beachwood BBQ today and saw this interesting looking beer. I had been thinking about doing a homebrew with bacon, so I would though I'd give this bacon beer a try.

A - It was poured for me, and it had a medium brown hue with some light amber tinting to it in the light. It had a small light beige head to it with minimal lacing when I drank it.

S - The smell was quite pleasant. It had a faint bacon/smoky smell to it, along with some sweetness. It also had a bit of malty/buckwheat smell to it. None of the smells were very strong but they were pleasant.

T - The taste was a bit disappointing there was more bacon flavor in the smell rather than the taste. Has a sweeter maltier taste at the beginning and then has a bit more bitterness with the hops in the middle and finishes with a light smokey/maybe a tiny bit of bacon flavor at the end. The flavor isn't as toasty as your standard brown, it is much more subdued in that way. Flavor wasn't bad at all, I guess I was just hoping for a bit more of the salty stronger bacon flavor.

M - The mouthfeel was nice it was light with the right amount of carbonation. Not much so say about that except it felt nice when I was drinking it, and it went well with the style

D - Overall it was a decent beer that went well with the BBQ I was having this afternoon. Beer tasted just fine, but I don't think I would have it again unless they modified the recipe a bit, then I would try it for comparison.

This beer tasted fine, and was good in many other respects but I just don't see it as a beer I would have more then once without a few changes.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2010 00:49:49 | More by Krevee

illidurit

California

3.68/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at 515 in Santa Cruz. Brooklyn is getting a ton of hype over their bacon beer and I've heard Cigar City is not far behind, but this is the first one out that I know of. This is also made with organic buckwheat. Sample size glass as part of a flight. Very light in color for a brown ale, actually closer to a hazy orangish gold. Nice off-white froth leaving some lacing. Aroma is lightly smokey with a citric tinge, again not very 'brown.' Flavor is citric with a hint of nuttiness (buckwheat). The bacon comes through during the finish as a smokey ashy note, sort of like the aftertaste of bacon rather than the de facto taste of bacon. Light bodied and maybe a bit thin, I would say this beer comes up short of its potential but it's still a cool concept and another solid offering in the Uncommon lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2010 05:09:31 | More by illidurit

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Pours a russet coppery amber with a two finger cream colored head that dissipates slowly, leaving lots of lacing. Aroma dominated by sweet bready malt, light nuts and a faint boiled vegetable component; hint of brown sugar. Flavor is muted toasted and bready malt, lightly nutty with a somewhat astringent bitterness that may or may not have been hops. Finishes with mild bitterness, dark bread and brown bready malt. Medium bodied. Hmm, different, but subdued and not very interesting. Flavors are pleasant enough, but not balanced or interesting. No bacon is evident. I finished the glass without regret, but his is a one-and-done. An uncommon beer indeed.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 04:14:43 | More by LiquidAmber

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

473ml can. I am not an adherent of the 'bacon makes everything better' camp. Bacon is just fine all by itself.

This beer pours a crystal clear, dark brassy amber hue, with three pudgy fingers of teeming, foamy, and yet still densely caked beige head, which leaves some random droopy cloud lace around the glass as it slowly sinks away.

It smells of toasted grainy malt, and a rather biscuity one at that, a dry oily nuttiness, wet ash, a musty, vegetal character, some faint fruit salad sweetness, and flat earthy hops. The taste is lightly roasted caramel malt, somewhat pithy, weedy grain, semi-sweet generic nut butter, a certain sense of umami, that could be meaty, but I'm not wholly convinced, with a very subtle fruity, leafy hoppiness. The 6.8% alcohol is deftly integrated, not a trace is overtly perceptible.

The carbonation is pretty laid-back, a wee bit frothy, and duly supportive, the body a decent medium weight, with a late-arriving metallic edge taking its pound of flesh out of the overall smoothness. It finishes off-dry, the nutty caramel malt reasserting itself, as the vegetal and fruity notes diminish without fading, amongst a softly lingering ashy bitterness.

Judged solely on its glass-borne merits, this is an agreeable brown ale - toasted biscuits, caramel, nuts, and a fairly reserved hoppiness. However, in terms of the proclaimed guest ingredients (and especially the one that made into the name), if their mention weren't so splattered all over the label, I wouldn't have noticed them in the beer. Wait, I didn't - ok, maybe the buckwheat, but that was tenuous at best.

Serving type: can

03-22-2013 01:00:28 | More by biboergosum

harrymel

Washington

1.51/5  rDev -51%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.5

Canned 09NOV12

It's a light brown on amber with a near solid sheet of fine light tan foam. Brilliant clarity. Smells of some urine, a little tallow and some sweet malts. Really unappealing nose. Flavor is grain, bitter, some bread, some biscuit and toasted malts with a hint of coffee. No real bacon flavor. Medium on thin for the style with moderate carb. Really nothing I can find particularly appealing about this beer, poor execution.

Serving type: can

03-13-2013 04:31:10 | More by harrymel

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pretty decent brown ale that is full bodied and fairly hoppy but not really too bacony. I got a bit of smokiness on the finish but I wouldn't know about the bacon unless I read the can. The buckwheat is not too apparent as well but I applaud the alternative grain use. Fun beer that is a decent brown ale.

Serving type: can

01-03-2013 02:18:38 | More by canucklehead

DoubleJ

California

2.15/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Uncommon Brewers has jumped on the Baconmania trend with its bacon brown ale. They also take it a step further by adding buckwheat. I have a 16 ounce can to be consumed.On to the beer:

A good looking mulata. Maple wood brown with dark red hues and long lasting head of foam. And it is possible for a canned beer to be infected? My first greeting at the nose was an aroma like heated plastic, and it continues to dominate. I am able to get very subtle hints of that delicious pork belly and a berry note underneath, but the very low intensity isn't going to win me.

Some resemblance of a brown ale is tasted. Given what I smelled, this is a good thing. Note that I didn't say the taste of plastic was nill. Seems 50/50 brown ale/plastic. Little smoked meat is sensed. The body is medium full with a sweet aftertaste, which is a decent finish,but overall an underwhelming bacon brown ale with a plastic problem. Let's hope this isn't persistent in thier batches, otherwise we may as well rename this "Plastic Brown Ale".

Serving type: can

09-30-2012 07:16:05 | More by DoubleJ

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16 oz can, poured into glass.

the beer appears light brown in color, with some amber highlights. Basically no head. Aroma is slightly smokey. Same with the taste, perhaps a little salty. The bacon is there, but not overpowering. the normal rich malt flavor of a brown ale is subdued. thin to medium body, medium carbonation.

overall - an interesting beer, but one is enough to satisfy my curiousity.

Serving type: can

09-25-2012 16:08:02 | More by jmdrpi

dansmcd

Australia

3.13/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - A huge frothy light tan head perches on a dark brown body with red hues. Sticky spot lacing.

S - Roasty, earthy and a bit stale. Cough medicine comes through.

T - Yeah, OK there is some charred bacon in there, but outdone by billows of smoke. Roasted coffee beans on the side. Slight bitterness.

M - Thin disappointing body, moderate carbonation.

O - I won't be reaching for this one again.

Serving type: can

09-25-2012 08:09:02 | More by dansmcd

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

1/5  rDev -67.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

This beer pours a deep, clear brown with nice ruby tones under light. There's a one finger tan head and lasting lace. The aroma is a strange acidic, alcoholic smell with faint bacon and smoke undertones. The flavor is acidic and mild bitterness with a hint of bacon. It's mouthfeel is light. Uncommon Bacon Brown Ale is a nasty brew. Not recommended!

Serving type: can

08-27-2012 03:08:28 | More by B967ierhunter177

ADZA

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Love the idea of a big can especially one with bacon in it and it pours a hazy ruby brown with a fluffy white two finger head that settles to a massive island in the middle and clingy lacing here and there,the smell is a touch of smoked bacon,cherries,metallic malts and raisin toast,the mouthfeel is lightbodied and very carbonated has tastes of raisin toast,brown sugar,cherries,toffee and finished with a herbal bittersweetness and overall for a brew with this name and in a can i was hoping for way more but unfortnately it needs alot of work and am glad i only bought the one of cheers.

Serving type: can

07-30-2012 08:43:00 | More by ADZA

rudzud

Massachusetts

2.15/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Picked up a can of this at Julio's to compare it with Rogue's Voodoo Donut. Poured into my Duvel tulip tulip. Reviewed from notes.

A - This is the best part of the beer, the pour. Pours a nice dark clear mahogany hue with a one finger mocha off white head that fades to leave a light creamy blanket.

S - Light malty sweetness and slight metallicness. No bacon or smoke.

T - Wtf. Sweetness from malt and slight smokeyness. There is a slight meatiness, really sweet. This is just uhh, well, really, really bad.

O - Yeah, this was drain poured. It was really, really unpleasant. Just awful.
M - Nice carbonation, a bit sweet for me and slight metallic.

Serving type: can

07-12-2012 20:48:37 | More by rudzud

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-An aggressive pour births a huge mound of tan fluff. Head is semi-solid in texture and refuses to die down. Body is a murky brown color. Deep and pretty dark. Chunky lacing bits hang along the glass.

S-Yeasty and malty with just a slight tickle of salt. No actual bacon meat aroma. Mostly toasted and bready. It says its a Nut Brown Ale on the can. Where's the nuttiness?

T-Flavor is a bit astringent and medicinal. Still yeasty and grainy. The bacon flavor can only be even barely noticeable on the very back end of the flavor. Light smoke. Disappointing.

M-Light but still rather creamy. Carbonation is fairly soft. Alcohol becomes more of an issue as the beer quickly warms on a hotter day.

O/D-A gimmick beer that doesn't deliver the goods. Not only is there no serious bacon flavor, the beer's base is weak. Too medicinal and lacking those nice nutty and roasty flavors. Uncommon Brewers may have been blacklisted with me.

Serving type: can

07-04-2012 17:49:10 | More by VelvetExtract

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass from the can, the ale had a murky brown appearance and produced a massive mocha colored head. The aroma was a bubbley beer scent that could come from any macrobrew. In other words, it was nothing special. Despite the fascinating name, the ale tasted like pretty much any brown ale except with extra carbonation. A push of sour flavor existed in the middle and continued through the aftertaste. There were some hints of saltiness in the initial if a drinker pays close attention. Despite the promise of the name, I could detect no hint of beautiful, wonderful bacon.

After being impressed with Siamese Twins by Uncommon Brewers, I was disappointed with this one.

Serving type: can

06-28-2012 02:14:06 | More by JohnnyHopps

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a reddish brown pour with tons of foamy tan head, excellent lacing. smells smokey, slight hint of chocolate, roasted nuts. taste has an initial bitterness (grassy) that immediately turns sweet (maple syrup/caramel) and finishes with a roasted/smoked flavor (dark chocolate, roasted nuts, coffee, smoked well done bacon). also has a bit of a metallic taste. light to medium body, moderate carbonation, a bit of a weird flavor combination causes for some fun on the palate.

overall this is an alright brown ale/rauchbier. the only other "bacon" beer i've had (aside from a batch of homebrew that turned vinegary) is rogue's and this is better, or at least more drinkable. i'm not sold on the bacon flavor, and for a brown ale - it isn't all that impressive. good for the one try, but at about $4 a can, this will be the only time i purchase this beer.

Serving type: can

06-21-2012 06:27:25 | More by facundoCNB

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 16oz can into a duvel glass.

A: pours a dark brown that is almost rubyish around the sides when held to the light.... About a finger of slightly khaki colored head. Leavs some spots of lacing.

S: no bacon.... Don't even really get anything suggesting bacon in the nose either. The toasted buckwheat is their lightly along with a slight nuttiness and earthyness in the nose.... The nose is not pungent or smoky, not a bad smelling beer though.

T: I clearly taste the toasted buckwheat. There is a blast of sweetness in there as well, I'm still not getting any bacon here, some nuttyness and grainy earthyness, along with a very bitter blast on the finish, which seems to throw off the end of this beer or me a bit.

M: medium bodied, dry, bitter, and grainy ... With high medium effervescent carbonation, which deffinatly seems a hit much for this brew.... A bitter lingerin after taste....

O: I'm really not a fan.... First off I expected more bacon flavor, considering its name.... Then after that I didn't find it to be a particularly pleasing brown ale either. Probably would have been more suitable if they left the bacon out of the brew completely here and just made the brown ale on its own.

Serving type: can

06-13-2012 23:39:09 | More by PeterIngemi

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz tallboy can bought somewhere localish as part of a 4-pack.

Poured into 2008 Pioneer Stein #42, formed a 2 1/2" tan head over the slightly cloudy reddish brown brew. Root beer float-style head lasts and lasts, with chunky lacing. Aroma is effervescent and soapy, no bacon or smoke like I had expected.

Taste starts with worty brown sweetness, which carries through to the lightly bitter close. No bacon or smoke here either. Mouthfeel is reasonably smooth, and drinkability is okay. Not a bad beer, but certainly doesn't live up to it's name and/or hype.

Serving type: can

06-12-2012 01:57:13 | More by ppoitras

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.78/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Ale brewed with buckwheat and bacon.

A: Candy apple red through strong backlighting reveals a heavy sense of visible effervesce. A 2 finger porous foam structure is light tan in color with a good sense of retention while leaving clumpy thick patches of foam work on the vessel’s sides. Great sticky foam head is a plus.

S: Weak aroma of bran, brown bread and dry multi-grain toast. Failed to pick up on any bacon indication or any nuttiness.

T: Spicy sweet honey brown malt, light peppercorns, dried cola with a yeasty starch touch. Toasty multi-grain bread and some strong nutty tones appear with a weird brown sugar coated sweetened bacon flavor. Nut toasted flavor, flour and some dry grains conclude things with a starchy finish.

M: frothy, again starchy and chalky.

O: Unusual combination, one that works better left to the imagination unfortunately. Sounds more intriguing then it actually is, which is a mundane run of the mill brown with a gimmicky marketing attachment. And due to contrary belief, bacon doesn’t always make everything better. I like pizza too, when complimenting my beer, but not in it. Starchy, and not an easy one to consume nor finish even in a single serving can. Tastes better cold, when it warms it is starchy, dry and blah all the way to the finish. Avoid unless to satisfy your curiosity.

Serving type: can

05-16-2012 00:40:43 | More by beerthulhu