Humboldt Brown (Hemp Ale) - Nectar Ales

thebrood1987

New Jersey

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

Great looking brown ale that is almost mahogany in color with some red coming through the brown. This is a tricky beer to review in my opinion because of the use of hemp seeds in out of all styles a brown ale. On the smell I get a chocolate/caramel sweet malt smell with some herbal earthy notes. The first thing I notice about this beer are the sweet chocolate and caramel tasting malts with a slick oily mouthfeel.

The slick sweet malts dominate the first part of the taste and then it ends with that herbal, grassy (from the hemp seeds), earthy, roasted nut (from the hemp seeds) and maybe a touch of citrus hop all coming together with the malts. That's the best way I can explain this taste because it has a lot of subtle complexities.

This is an underrated beer and I hope to see more hemp ales maybe combined with different styles such as a pale ale or india pale ale so the hemp flavors stand out more. I understand why they chose a brown ale to showcase the hemp seeds because the nutty grassy flavor they seem to give off blend in perfectly with the roasted chocolate caramel malts. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 22:24:51 | More by thebrood1987

Drew966

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

05-17-2013 21:16:23 | More by Drew966

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -6.3%

05-15-2013 00:35:01 | More by JAHMUR

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -6.3%

05-13-2013 16:21:21 | More by leftstagebrew

civicm87

New York

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

05-08-2013 23:45:42 | More by civicm87

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

05-07-2013 23:26:07 | More by blknikon

jklecko2

Missouri

3/5  rDev -13.5%

05-06-2013 19:25:18 | More by jklecko2

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +15.3%

05-05-2013 15:07:39 | More by kylehay2004

oldedog

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -6.3%

05-05-2013 02:18:01 | More by oldedog

Localdrinklax

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

05-01-2013 02:32:19 | More by Localdrinklax

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -13.5%

04-30-2013 20:20:01 | More by Phillyz

BradMacMullin

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

04-28-2013 23:23:10 | More by BradMacMullin

kerry4porters

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev +8.1%

04-28-2013 20:05:17 | More by kerry4porters

aflies

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev -6.3%

04-25-2013 04:53:42 | More by aflies

snohojimbo

Washington

4/5  rDev +15.3%

04-25-2013 01:06:05 | More by snohojimbo

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

04-20-2013 02:40:48 | More by DrunkinYogi

jamisonspitzer

Maryland

3/5  rDev -13.5%

04-18-2013 02:07:57 | More by jamisonspitzer

macrosmatic

Florida

3.76/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into an Upland pint glass.

A: Clear burnished brown with a half-finger's worth of off-white head and moderate visible carbonation.

S: Brown, mildly roasted bready malts (these, as usual, smell a bit like cardboard to me), some nuttiness, a bit of spices, kinda earthy. Not blowing me away here.

T: A simple flavor profile - earthy brown malt sweetness, nutty, hints of spice, and a slight hoppy bitterness near the end. A very clean, almost absent finish.

M: Medium body, carbonation on the low side, no alcohol presence to speak of.

O: A solid brown ale, but nothing exciting. Still, for the style it's fairly well-done, and I wouldn't hesitate to grab a couple more if I'm ever in the mood.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 21:19:36 | More by macrosmatic

tbryan5

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev +8.1%

04-12-2013 02:26:08 | More by tbryan5

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.56/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12oz Bottle from Whole Foods Las Vegas NV for $2.50

Appearance - Clear light brown with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, grassy/peat, chocolate

Taste & Mouth - There is a slightly below average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, grassy/peat. There is also a hint of chocolate and some dark fruits. It ends with a earthy malty aftertaste.

Overall – Not my type of flavours found in a beer, but it still tastes well crafted and interesting. It has a touch too many earthy notes for me but still worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 04:45:14 | More by spinrsx

hopkrid

Florida

4/5  rDev +15.3%

04-09-2013 01:31:58 | More by hopkrid

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown to black yet still can see a bit of light coming through this beer. Some head at pour disappates to almost nothing with no lacing present on the glass. Aroma reveals some earthy tones - grass (no pun intended) and dirt (on the good side). Flavor is mild and not as interesting with a mostly consistent flavor from front to back. Relatively light.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 23:27:52 | More by Oakenator

Burt

Rhode Island

3/5  rDev -13.5%

03-17-2013 23:08:46 | More by Burt

dgv0

Florida

3/5  rDev -13.5%

03-17-2013 01:51:59 | More by dgv0

JasonTaverner

Virginia

3/5  rDev -13.5%

03-11-2013 02:26:23 | More by JasonTaverner