India Brown Ale - Brasserie Trois Dames

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.81/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

330ml bottle, 6% ABV, with quite a different label than that already pictured here - now it's more of an antiquated depiction of a dancing woman from the Asian subcontinent.

This beer pours a hazy, dark red brickish amber hue, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and loosely foamy beige head, which leaves a wall of sticky sudsy lace around the glass as it lazily sinks away. Quite nice, actually.

It smells of biscuity, lightly toasted caramel malt, semi-sweet nutty chocolate, and peppy floral, generic citrus hops. The taste is fairly bitter leafy, earthy hops, understated bready caramel malt, more dry nuts and confectioner's cocoa, some musty citrus peel, a growing metallic edge, and an ethereal yeastiness.

The carbonation is adequately present, with a slight frothiness, the body just on the shy side of medium weight, and generally smooth, a small lingering stoney, flinty character the fly in this particular ointment. It finishes barely off-dry - the wet stone and muddled hops outpacing the now phlegmatic malt.

I have to admit, this brown ale has some kick, and it isn't even from the booze - the hops and somewhat weird flintiness provide all that in a decent stand-in role. Different, a tad skewed, but that seems to be the modus operandi for this brewer, when attempting new-world-esque styles. Good on 'em for doing so.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:01:58 | More by biboergosum

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a dark brown color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of deep caramelized malt with strong earthy hops that don’t really mesh with the malt notes. Taste is also a bit off balance between some strongly caramelized malt with quite a lot of residual sugars and some earthy with light pine notes that don’t really holds against the huge malt backbone. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Weird one and not something I would seek again.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 13:41:28 | More by Phyl21ca

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle served in a chalice.

A: Pours a dark brown bit cloudy color forming a two fingers aired and bubbled beige head. Good retention and not many lacings left

S: Nice smell of roasted malts and citrus-flowery hops. Some notes of dark chocolate and yeasts

T: Follows the nose. Roasted malts and fresh citrus hops. Interesting combination. In the end, it's more to an American IPA but the roasted malts bitterness somehow combines with the hops bitterness improving a bit the IBUs. Again, some notes of chocolate and yeasts

M: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Nice bitter aftertaste

O: Very good American style Swiss beer. Trois Dames quality. Recommended

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 17:42:06 | More by eduardolinhalis