Over Ale - Half Acre Beer Company

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this, Bobby.

A: This beer pours a solid, dark amber color with a finger of off white head.

S: Starts off with a fairly strong nutty note. There's a bit of citrus peel and a mild grapefruit aroma that seems kind of strange, but it works. Plenty of toast, mild roast, and lots of bready malts.

T: A more mild flavor than I was expecting. There is a lot of bread some toast and plenty of floral and earthy hops. Just a hint of citrus to go with the mild nutty malt note and molasses. A light bitterness on the back end.

M: The body is medium with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Drinkable, but it didn't really blow me away. A decent beer.

Serving type: can

08-08-2011 03:40:11 | More by womencantsail

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 07/29/11 notes. Received in the Gang Bang BIF courtesy of the Chicago group; thanks guys! Poured into a SAVOR snifter.

a - Pours a dark reddish brown color with two inches of tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of nuts, bready malts, toasted malts, caramel malts.

t - Tastes of toasted malts, nuts, bready malts, burtn caramel malts. A slight step down from the nose, due to a tiny bit of a burnt taste to it.

m - Light to medium body and moderate carbonation evident. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a pretty good brown ale. Very easy to drink and some standard toasted malts and nuts. Would give it another shot.

Serving type: can

08-01-2011 18:59:49 | More by mdfb79

musicforairports

New York

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at some relatively lame restaurant on Navy Pier in Chicago, from notes.

Clear and light brown, with a small head and little lacing.

Aroma is dominated by nutty malt qualities.

Taste is smooth malts, light up front, but there's ample chocolate/coffee in the finish to make it a really tasty brown ale.

Medium mouthfeel, light carbonation.

This is a tasty and drinkable brown ale. It's deceivingly light at first, but quite flavorful in the end. I could drink a few of these.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2011 03:31:08 | More by musicforairports

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pint can into Brewfest mug. Fresh can, but no freshness code.

A: The body pours a midnight amber color, with a touch of red around the edges. Carbonation levels are nice and low. The head is a off white, creamy texture, with frothy lacing.

S: Great balance of what seems to be German malts and a nice roasted character. Hops seem a bit in the distance. Subtle spice note as well.

T/M: The rich body, is still clean and very light on the palate. Very refreshing mouthfeel, with focused but neutral flavors. Malts give a good biscuit flavors and hops add a good spice and lingering taste.

O: Overall this is a really nice brown, good strong character, but still holding on to a light drinkablity.

Serving type: can

07-28-2011 17:27:37 | More by GDBEERMAN

david131

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a clear dark brown liquid with a few streams of rising carbonation. The off-white head is thin but creamy with good retention.

S- Grass, caramel, nuts, and some fruit. Aromatic and kind of unique.

T- Sweet caramel, nuttiness, and some fruit. Somewhat complex but very enjoyable for the style.

M- A nice carbonated bite with some lasting bitterness and flavors.

O- A unique and tasty take on the style.

Serving type: can

07-28-2011 03:15:27 | More by david131

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Russet-brown with a slight head.

Smell - bread, malty cocoa, just a touch of herbal hops.

Taste - Echoes the aroma with more bread and cocoa and just enough bitterness to be refreshing. A little bit of minerality on the finish.

Mouthfeel - medium bodied with a refreshing spike of carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2011 16:34:15 | More by

EORS

Maryland

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint can poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Deep brown with some reddish undertones. Pours with a one-finger head that dissipates quickly.

Smell: Roasty caramel malt and some faint resiny aroma from the hops.

Taste: Pleasant malt body with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Very low carbonation - smooth and light

Overall: Very nice bitter to sip with a meal, with just the right amount of hop character to balance out the malt bill.

Serving type: can

07-08-2011 02:27:43 | More by EORS

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a clear, dark amber color with a two-finger, khaki head of bubbly foam. The long lasting head receded to leave a little lace.

S - It smelled malty and grassy. Nice roasty aroma.

T - It tasted nutty with some strong caramel malt. It was grassy and piney with bittering hops.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A dry ale with a medium body.

O - This was quite good. The can provided little description of the ale within but it was a very tasty brown ale.

Serving type: can

07-05-2011 20:33:00 | More by zeff80

FosterJM

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

559th review on BA
Can to Pint
16oz

Thanks to cadaughtery for this one.

App- If you took a whipping tool to a frothy head it would be this one. A gigantic bottom up head with lots of legs and lace on it. A nice brown with some cream highlights.

Smell- Spritzy hops with some fresh roasty malts and fresher roasted nuts.

Taste- This is a very creamy brown ale with a decent amount of roast and malts as well. This brown ale was a welcome suprise as an extra.

Mouth- Medium bodied with a almost a high carbonation level.

Drink- This is a very tasty brown ale. I have only had Surly out of the can and this is right up there as well.

Serving type: can

06-12-2011 22:00:32 | More by FosterJM

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

can't recall having any other brown ales in the can (besides surly bender, which i don't like very much), so this one is setting a gold standard of sorts. very good depth of flavor while maintaining drinkability. roasty and nutty without being excessively dry or ashy. tight carbonation. if i lived in the greater chicago area, this would be a go-to fall beer for me. i wish it had a touch more body, but the drinkability would then suffer.

Serving type: can

06-09-2011 16:53:58 | More by goodbyeohio

Redrover

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz can poured into my SA perfect pint glass, the beer is a light, slightly chill hazed brown with a fluffy dark beige head.

The aroma is of toasted malts, some coco and brown bread.

The beer leads with some malt based sweetness, more brown bread a hint of plum and a slightly charcoal like finish. It is well integrated with no sharp edges.

The beer has mid-weight heft that seems to work well with the flavors. This is an easy drinking, tasty brown. Well done!

Serving type: can

06-04-2011 00:26:42 | More by Redrover

nataku00

California

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Can poured into a nonic glass. Beer pours a very dark brown, mostly clear so you can see through the murky darkness. Finger of off white frothy head on the pour dissipates to a skim of white on the surface and a collar of small bubbles along the edge. Lots of nice lacing on the edge of the glass that sticks around well.

Nose is pretty typical brown ale, light aroma of earthy hops, with biscuit and bread malts, a touch of roasted malt. There is an off metallic smell to it, feint, but it's there.

A bit of hop bitterness at the tip of the tongue, but then mostly biscuit and roasted malt. Metallic finish on the tongue, then a light malts stays on the tongue.

Light bodied and well carbonated. Fairly good session beer.

Serving type: can

06-03-2011 02:58:54 | More by nataku00

oline73

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this over Memorial Day Weekend. Reviewed from notes. Poured from a can into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown with some light coming through at the edges. There are three fingers of off white head that fade quickly.

Smell: Roasty, nutty malt with a little sweetness.

Taste: Mildly roasty, nutty malt with a hint of caramel. The finish is a bit bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation. The finish is dry.

Overall: A nice, easy drinking brown ale. Smooth and well balanced and I would be happy to have another.

Serving type: can

06-01-2011 22:30:49 | More by oline73

alexgash

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16 oz. can.

Pours a dark amber-copper. Mostly clear. Two fingers of frothy, lacy, dirty beige head. Good lacing on the glass too. Nuts, toasted grains, caramel, toffee, some fruit, and vegetal hops on the nose. Nice.

Toasted malts and herbal hops up front. Sweetish caramel and toffee malts fill in. Herbal, slightly grassy hop bitterness along with some nuttiness. Some milk chocolate and earthy tobacco near the finish. Lingering sweet caramel malt and slightly roasty bitterness. Medium-bodied, with a slightly creamy feel. Pretty tasty!

Serving type: can

05-30-2011 01:10:28 | More by alexgash

MasterSki

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at The Empty Bottle for the Growlers concert. Initial glass was served in a shaker pint, but subsequent pours were in plastic cups.

A - A finger of light tan foam settles to a thick cap, leaving huge swathes of glass-coating lace. Lightly hazed chocolate brown body.

S - Herbal hops, roasted malts, light chocolate, and a faint note of tobacco.

T - Toffee, chocolate, some roasted grains, dry-roasted nuts, a touch of bread and yeast, and a surprising medium bitterness in the finish.

M - Smooth and creamy, with medium carbonation tingle. Medium-light body, with a dry roasty finish and light residual stickiness.

D - This batch seems to be more true to the ESB roots of this beer, as I found it more bitter and dry than a typical American Brown Ale and without the occasionally cloying chocolate sweetness found in that style. Not as session-friendly as Half Acre's other year-round offerings, but a nice beer for those not really into hops (god forbid). I'd prefer Meat Wave, but this is still pretty solid.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2011 15:49:22 | More by MasterSki

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

big thanks to 2beerornot2beer for hooking it up!

a - cracked the can and filled my capt lawrence taster tulip. poured a shiny smooth brown with a generous frothy head and pretty sticky lacing for a brown ale.

s - nicely sweetned molasses. brown sugar, all the usual suspects, but nicely sweetened and pretty balanced.

t - surprisingly bitter. the brown ale is in the background...I wish it wasn't this bitter and I could taste more of that great brown ale in the background. once I got over the initial bitterness a pretty decent brown ale was hiding.

m - lively carbonation, leaves a bit of a tingle. kind of watery.

o - at first, it seemed like I was in for a treat, but the bitterness, which isn't too in your face mind you, spoiled this one for me a bit. then I got over it and it was a decent brown ale. nothing crazy, but not bad.

Serving type: can

05-24-2011 00:34:56 | More by cosmicevan

Bennettrox

Tennessee

3.15/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Much thanks to Hawks10 for the can!

A - Dark brown, ruby hues, and a half finger almost soda like head.

S - After an aggressive pour I'm really not getting much from this. Somewhat nutty and roasted malts, but really lacking in this department.

T - Much better than the nose. Almonds, a little chocolate, roasted malts, and a little grainy.

M - Very easy to drink, one of it's best qualities.

O - I really enjoy drinking this brown ale but in the flavor profile, specifically the nose, I'm not getting much. Enjoyed this one but not something I'd seek again.

Serving type: can

05-21-2011 20:27:22 | More by Bennettrox

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clean amber-ish to brown color with a light tan head. In the aroma, sweet gingerbread like malt, some small hop presence in there too. In the taste, small orange citrus, mostly a lighter roast of grain and some gingerbread like malt. A small bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry grapefruity citrus in the aftertaste. At first I was like eh, but it grew on me. Nice mellow hops, quite enjoyable.

Serving type: can

05-21-2011 16:54:52 | More by OWSLEY069

lstokes

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark brown with red undertones and a nice tan head, the nose is characterized by earthy malts with a little bit of--tea? It's weak overall. The taste is malt heavy, a little bit of smoke, a little bit of nutty character, some lemon/citrus hops. It's actually a surprisingly complex taste but I'm not sure how well it all fits together. Mouthfeel slightly watery, and so overall it's a good beer, but not a great one. Would stick with the other Half Acre offerings.

Serving type: can

04-30-2011 00:42:36 | More by lstokes

EricCioe

Montana

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This pours medium brown with red peeking through held up to a light, a one finger cream head that dissipates, and only a hint of lace. On the nose there is a mix of caramel and roasted malts with a good dash of earthy hops. The piney hop presence is more like dead pine needles in the fall rather than resiny pine. In the mouth there is a good balance between the earthy hops, but perhaps the malts stick a bit too far forward and get a little too sticky to me. The body is medium, carbonation perfect for the style, and the finish is nicely medium length with the good balance lingering. Overall, this isn't my favorite brown ale, and certainly not my favorite from Half Acre, but if this is as bad as it gets for them then they've got a great brewery.

Serving type: can

04-26-2011 03:26:40 | More by EricCioe

BasementBer

Manitoba (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: A dark red to hazelnut color with little head retention and light on the carbonation.

S: Slight boozy smell but sweet and light hop notes.

T: A good bittering brown with that american touch. Roasted in the middle and a clean smooth finish.

M: Bittering on the tongue but not enough for the pockets, and the higher alcohol is detectable.

D: A good bitter brown, I like this.

Serving type: can

04-23-2011 17:55:19 | More by BasementBer

JamnesCameron

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received from fear025 in my Birthday BIF box. Thanks, Jay!

Poured into a MJ tasting glass. Pours a dark brown, with garnet highlights. Big rocky, light tan head that really stays up. Lots of lacing evident.

Aromas of caramel malt, light toast, some earthy, piny hops. Light citrus rinds.

Flavors of light roasty graininess. Good balancing bitterness, from both hops and roasted grains. Piny hops flavors, but low bitterness. Finish is medium, with roasted grains dominating.

Mouthfeel is medium/light, with a light coating of bitterness. Good carbonation level.

Overall a very good sessionable beer. Nothing aggressive.

Serving type: can

04-17-2011 01:38:21 | More by JamnesCameron

grover37

District of Columbia

3.03/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

4 pack picked up from the brewery for $8.99 poured into a mug.

Appearance (3): Clear, ruby brown with two fingers of light cream head. Foam reduces to a patchy layer. Minimal lacing.

Smell (2.5): Grains and light milk chocolate.

Taste (3.5): Milky and light chocolate without much else going on. Very mellow with a bit of sweetness in the middle and a lingering chocolate and maybe pine. The aftertaste is the best part of this beer which doesn't have much else to offer.

Mouthfeel (3): Light to medium bodied and medium carbonation. Creamy but light mouthfeel with a bit of slickness.

Overall (2.5): Not much to it, and pretty watery. Surprisingly 6% as it tastes moe like 4%.

Serving type: can

04-16-2011 05:44:23 | More by grover37

Mora2000

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Pawola22 for sharing this beer.

The beer pours a brownish-red color with a large, shaving cream like off-white head.

The aroma is a mix of toffee and quite a bit of hops, mainly grassy and piney.

The flavor is more complex. I get a lot of toffee and caramel malt, as well as some dry cocoa powder and some piney hops. The beer has a low amount of bitterness.

Medium mouthfeel and medium to high, prickly carbonation.

Serving type: can

04-13-2011 02:24:31 | More by Mora2000

vande

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up 4 pack at the Binny's across from Goose Island down town on Clybourn..

A - A beautiful, rich looking brown that when poured into my special Sam Adam's class, left a 2 finger head floating...

S - A sweetness...hint of nut, more carmelly-malty on the nose.

T - Hops blended with the sweetness of a carmel...

M - thinner than what I thought... the appearance leads one to believe its a meatier brown, similar to a Sam Smith's... so the ligher-to-medium body is pretty easy to drink

O - Worth the buy. I've enjoyed pretty much whatever I've had from Half Acre and was happy to stumble across this one...

Serving type: can

04-08-2011 01:56:25 | More by vande