Saint Botolph's Town - Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.04/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Served on-tap at LTK (Legal Test Kitchen) Bar and Kitchen in Boston, MA

A: Pours a clear dark amber in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some ruby red highlights. The beer has a half finger tall beige head that reduces to a large patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of toasted malts and caramel malts along with some lighter hints of cocoa, brown sugar, nuts, and just a hint of smokiness.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of toasted and caramel malts with a light to moderate amount of sweetness. That is followed by the hints of cocoa and brown sugar. Overall there is a light amount of nuttiness and smoke. Very light amounts of earthy hops give the beer some balance.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: This beer is very easy to drink and quite sessionable - in fact, everyone at the table enjoyed it and most people ordered a second glass with lunch.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 13:00:48 | More by dbrauneis

hagbergl

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed a pint of Pretty Things' Brown Ale, Saint Botolph's Town, at Cambridge-area beer bar Lord Hobo (great place to have drinks!). St. Botolph's Town came in a Pretty Things goblet (generous pour). Review is from notes.

Appearance (4/5): Saint Botolph's Town is–surprise, surprise–a dark brown colored ale. It is topped by a one-finger head of creamy beige foam. It features some nice ruby highlights when held up to the light and lots of sticky, soapy lacing shows on the sides of the glass as you drink.

Smell (4.5/5): SBT's nose is characterized by great brown ale notes: quite nutty, a little roasty, and malty, you'd know instantly in a blind taste test that this baby's a brown. It has an earthy edge to it that I find quite nice. Some dark bread notes can be detected as well. A little musty–and not in a bad way. This is one fine smelling brown. Lots of character!

Taste (4/5): SBT's flavor follows the nose. This beer is pretty much a malt fest from the get-go, though herbal noble hops do an admirable job of balancing and drying this one out in the finish. It is quite an earthy beer and it displays a relatively complex flavor profile (relative to many browns) in which nutty, roasty, grainy, and bready notes come out. Rich, rustic, deep–three words that describe SBT's taste very well. I would have liked this brown to be a tad bit sweeter, but can't say that this is a major sticking point.

Mouthfeel (4.5/5): Saint Botolph's Town features a full, creamy body, medium carbonation, and an exceptionally dry, bitter finish. This last quality is what, in my mind, makes SBT stand out among the crowd. Drinkability is high– the dry, bitter finish brings a quenching quality to the beer that one might think strange in a beer this dark, roasty, and full-bodied.

Overall (4/5): Pretty Things' Saint Botolph's Town is a solid brown ale, one that I think is pretty unique in its hoppy dryness and rustic earthy tones. While I favor Dogfish Head's Indian Brown, this is also a very good American interpretation of a traditional English style. Perhaps not the best Pretty Things beer, but a good choice as the seasons change and the cool fall air settles in.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 22:21:28 | More by hagbergl

Durge

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found at the Wild Horse in Beverly, Massachusetts, this brown ale is a dark brown with yellowish edges and a light tan head and nice lacing. The aroma brings malty coffeee-charcoal with some nice citrus hop nuances . The flavor is much the same with grapefruit blended with the brown bread malt. There's a nutty brown bread backbone that evolves into more coffeee. This is a medium body brew with an easy drinking and low carbonation feel. Flavorful for sure, one of the better brown ales I've had in a lonf while.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 06:34:05 | More by Durge

socon67

New York

3.45/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours brown with a hearty tan head. Decent lacing, and settles quickly

S - Slight scnet of almonds and chocolate. Reminded me of an Almond Joy candy bar, but not particularly pronounced.

T - Flavors of chocolate malt and nuts. There is also a slight taste of toffee. Would have liked the flavors to linger a bit more. Seemed muted.

M - Pleasant feel, medium bodied, and well balanced. The best property of this beer is that it is a pleasant drinker that is enjoyable to have a few.

O - A decent english brown, but nothing that stands out. If you like the style it is worth trying. Otherwise it is average.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 20:08:46 | More by socon67

Tschnab

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Red Bones, some local brewers came in and thankfully Pretty Things brought along this brew.

A- this one pours a brown chestnut color with a creamy tan head, some lace.

S- great malty smell to this, along with raisins, bread and rye, spice, brown sugar.

T- along with the characters of the smell the taste also adds a nice char and some balancing hops to smooth out the maltiness.

O- I really love this beer, beers like this are why I revere brown ales as the ultimate session brews during the fall.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2011 20:36:34 | More by Tschnab

Halcyondays

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a deep umber with a medium off-white, almost nitro looking head. Solid retention and lace.

S: Hazelnuts, toasted bread.

T: Strong dark bready character, with a hint of roast. Light hopping on the back end. Full-flavoured.

M: Medium-bodied, creamy, crisp carbonation.

O: My first from Pretty Things. A really good brown ale that made a good first impression. Reminds me a lot of Alesmith Nautical Nut Brown.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 04:13:21 | More by Halcyondays

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on-tap at Canary Square in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Mass.

A: Slightly murky, dark brown color with a two-finger head of off-white foam which left great lacing on the glass.

S: Hints of hazelnut, fresh-milled grain and fruity esters mix with a light, herbal hop scent and a bit of rich, chalky cocoa powder.

T: Rich, flavorful malts hit the palate first with sweet, nutty, roasted grains. The sweet, slightly bitter malt flavor blends in with drying hops to balance the sweetness and impart a hint of roasted coffee before washing down smooth and slightly creamy with a lingering, smoky malt bitterness.

M: Medium-full bodied brown with a rich, satisfying mouthfeel which achieves a smooth, creamy balance.

O: A very nice English brown ale kept in line with tradition by withholding the heavy hand of American hops. A bit jacked up still at nearly 6% ABV, this brown ale has smoky, sweet flavors that played nicely off the BBQ brisket sandwich and spicy horseradish sauce I had. I'd definitely pick up a bottle in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2011 23:59:06 | More by Gambrinus1184

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tap at prezo's

Nice creamy head fades at a med pace, light lacing, dark hazy molasses brown colored beer.

Nose adds nice dark malts, dark crystal, light caramel and molasses brown sugar, bit biscuity, light sweet effervescence, light earthy hops

Taste starts fairly sweet, plenty of malts, darker malts, crystal, biscuit, light brown sugar, some light earthy hops and just a touch herbal, touch of a candy flavor. Finishes still fairly sweet but not sticky, some bitterness coming through with a touch of lingering earthy hops, some darker malt flavors lingering as well.

Mouth is med with decent carb.

Overall pretty good, a bit on the sweet side, decent hop addition light but earthy, just a touch of a briny taste, but a decent drinkable brown.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2011 11:38:48 | More by jlindros

ranger60

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On draft at Deep Ellum in Allston, MA

Appearance: Dark brown and transparent. Very little head.
Smell: Malty, sweet
Taste: had a nice 'creamy' taste. Sweet and malty with very nice aftertaste
Mouthfeel: Pleasantly creamy
Drinkability: Easily drinkable

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2011 18:33:26 | More by ranger60

mostpoetsdo

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Doherty's East Ave.

A: Dark, chocolate pudding brown. Faint, light tan head. Good lacing.

S: Cocoa and hazelnut, kind of a Nutella smell to it, roasted coffee, good maltiness.

T: Dark, roasty, but super smooth malt. Bitter chocolate, with milk chocolate sweetness. Slight coffee ground taste. Sweet and roasty, very enjoyable.

M: Medium body, low carbonation, but smooth.

O/D: It won't blow you away, but this is one of the better brown ales I've had in a while. Very solid offering by Pretty Things. Might have to pick up a bomber.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 23:19:14 | More by mostpoetsdo

JizackFH

New York

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Sunswick 35/35 on 4/7/11.

Review taken from notes.

A - This beer pours a dark brown color. It has a small light tan head on it, that has decent retention and left some good lacing on the glass.

S - It smells of toasted malts and caramel. There are also notes of vanilla, hazelnuts, grassy malts, and some cocoa.

T - It tastes of dark roasted malts up front. There is a nice grassy hop character, caramel sweetness, nuttiness, and some nice dark fruit notes. The finish is pretty clean, with just a touch of lingering bitterness.

M - This has a medium body and medium carbonation. It coats the mouth nicely and goes down smooth. There is some roasty bitterness and the finish is clean.

O - This has good drinkability. It goes down easy and has great flavor. I could easily drink a few of these in a sitting. This is my first beer by pretty things, and I'm excited to try more. I would recommend giving this one a try.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 11:33:22 | More by JizackFH

wcintula

New York

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Awesome brown ale! Drank about a bomber's worth on-tap. There's not too much to speak of as far as looks go, but looks aren't everything. Great malty smell with a light spicy hop scent and dark fruits. Everything compliments everything in this beer There's a touch of booze in here as I've come to know and like in many brown ales, English or American. I never knew how many excellent brown ales there were out there.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2011 19:53:39 | More by wcintula

afksports

New York

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this fine brew on tap at Amity Hall, which is becoming more and more my go-to location for food/brew/space to enjoy it. I love some NY beer bars, but they get overcrowded and/or overpriced. Not that Amity Hall is cheap... but variety is good.

Anyway, this is a beer review, and St. Botolph's Town is a Brown. English Brown Ale at 5.9% more specifically. As such, it's got a brown appearance with a thinnish off-white/beige head, that peters out to not-so-great lacing. At the edges of the brew, it appears thin and a tad watery - not terrible for the style though. In terms of its smell, I've had it a couple times, and the first one - on cask - I spent some time raving about the floral and bready aroma. On-tap I didn't get it as much, and that's a bit weird because usually taps bring out more aromas. Either way - points here for a brown smelling like more than malts.

The taste is a little less complex, featuring a lot of malts. About average for an English Brown I suppose. Tasty, drinkable, tons of toasty and nutty malts, tad of herbal hops in the finish, nothing clingy at the back end. It feels about average in the mouth, maybe a tad better because it's fancy beer (girlfriend terminology), and as a Brown it clocks in as one of my favorite styles, so it's drinkable.

All said and done, I'm more curious about the history of the name and the label than the beer. But it's a Brown. What did we expect?

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2011 18:15:13 | More by afksports

Liverpool08

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

So far my favorite from Pretty Things. A really nice dark brown malty colored brew. Smell of sweet malt and nuts. Flavor is very creamy and smooth. Little bit of brown sugar, hazelnuts and a hint of milk chocolate. A super creamy mix of malt and nuts. Yummy. A great example of the style. I could drink these all night!

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2011 03:24:12 | More by Liverpool08

plaid75

New York

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Sapsucker's, Huntington, New York.

Poured a dusty brown hue with a one finger foamy of white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a soft caramel, cocoa and a light earthy smokiness.

The taste consisted of a smooth earthy malt with a clean nuttiness a light smoky finish.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a tasty brown ale. Not an overly exciting style, but good in its simplicity.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2011 19:28:56 | More by plaid75

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap 1/2/2011 at Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep brown color, with a short dense off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is kind of faint but contains roasted malts, maple, caramel, nuts and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out malty, then sweet flavors of caramel and maple come in quickly along with some nuts in the background. The hops presence if mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a nice beer with flavor and substance making it worth drinking for a long time if you're in the mood for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2011 15:39:05 | More by TheManiacalOne

Jayli

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed 12/30 at Deep Ellum
Served in a pint glass

A: This beer pours a nice deep brown with minor reddish hues around the edges. A one finger of light brown head sits on top that recedes at a moderate pace. Nice sticky lacing is left on the glass.

S: Nose is chocolate, plum, raisin, and hazlenut.

T: Taste starts with a bit of dark fruit - lots of plum notes, some date and fig. Light toffee comes in with some caramel and hazlenut. Finish has a good dose of chocolate notes with a bit of raisin.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, rich but light at the same time with a slightly slick finish.

D: Goes down very easy, very tasty, somewhat filling, nice kick and nice representation of style. This is a damn fine beer to enjoy for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2011 14:55:34 | More by Jayli

deafcat

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

11/6/10 On tap at Sunset Bar and Grill in Allston, Mass.
13oz pour into tulip glass

a - dark brown color - 1/2 inch head with decent retention. A little hazy. Surprisingly darker than I expected.

s - not much to the nose, little bit of spicy tones. Not very distinguished.

t - wow - sweet, delicious, full-bodied brown ale. Not usually a big fan of this style but this one is a pleasure to sip on. Delicious, slight malty character with strong hop presence.

m - decent carbonation - heavy feeling on the tongue.

d - very drinkable beer - a good warmup to a night of sampling some different brews.

Overall this is a solid choice - if you're going to drink a brown ale, this is the way to go. Full-bodied with excellent, hoppy attitude. Choice in all respects.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2010 06:31:33 | More by deafcat

Brideshead

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In appearance, a dark-brown bodied brew with ample, yellowish head.

As far as English brown ales go, this one is thick enough and loaded with enough flavor to remind one of a good complex porter. A thick, mouth-filling malty character takes over at the first sip, while the aftertaste and subsequent sips give way to the flavor of raisins and brown sugar, balanced by a mildly-bitter hop taste. A very nice sipper, especially around the fall season.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2010 03:00:48 | More by Brideshead

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Al's of Hampden

A-Ruby tinted, deep, dark brown with a medium frothy tan head that slowly reduces to a thin cap and leaves impressive ringing lace.

S-Cocoa powder, pumpernickel and roasted malt with a touch of dry nuttiness.

T-Solid dry roasted malt with touches of apple, cocoa, hearty dark bread and even a nudge of earthy hops.

M-Medium bodied and quite smooth with nice lingering flavours and a light nutty dryness in the finish.

D-A solid offering whose body of work equals up to one mighty fine drinking brown ale. Plenty of flavour and a pleasant smoothness makes this one go down easy.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2010 21:46:11 | More by Deuane

thain709

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A deep, dark brown body with some ruby highlights around the edges...a thin, light brown head that showed a little retention...some lacing

S - A fairly sweet nose with notes of caramel, toffee, some dark fruits, and the roasted malts

T - The flavors mirror the nose with the sweetness from the caramel malts and the roastiness from the malts as well...the difference in the flavor is the addition of dark chocolate coming across the palate...it provides another level of sweetness but also adds an extra bitterness since the hop bite is very subtle at the end

M - Medium bodied...creamy, smooth, nice and balanced finish

D - This was a very nice brown ale...definitely on the English side with all the malts and very little hops...the low ABV makes it sessionable and I liked the chocolate flavors as well as the balance of the beer

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2010 19:45:31 | More by thain709

sbw138

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on-tap last Friday at the POPE.

Appearance - Small head, yet left a decent lacing on the pint glass. A big lighter than many brown ales, but a nice looking dark amber color.

Smell and Taste - Decent level of caramel and slightly toasted malt of front, little hoppy backbone on the back end. Slightly fruity taste, mostly dark cherries.

Mouthfeel - Pretty good mouthfeel, good level of carbonation for a brown ale. Very smooth going down, nice level of sweetness.

Drinkability - Pretty good brew. I find that some English Brown Ales can be a little boring, but, this was surprisingly good. I would have another.

Serving type: on-tap

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2010 13:49:51 | More by sbw138

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Draft served in a pint glass. I had the opportunity recently to sample this beer on cask which was a completely different experience. Honestly, I prefer c02 with this one.

A: Average tan head with good retention and great lacing. Very dark (impressive) brown body with ruby edges and 90% opaque.

S & T: Moderate level of toasted caramel and nutty malts in the forefront with a slight hint of herbal hops in the back. Touch of dark fruits (chocolate covered cherries comes to mind), cola, lightly spicy, peppery, mild fruity esters.

M: Perfectly carbonated. Medium to full bodied brown ale, with a thicker than expected, semi creamy mouthfeel. Lightly sweet front to mid palate. Great flavor duration. Low to no bitterness. Mouth coating, semi cloying leaves a long, drawn out dry finish.

D: One of the better English Brown Ales I've tasted. At 5.9% ABV, this brew is dangerously quaffable, plus it is interesting enough to warrant a second and third pint.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2010 13:53:00 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice chestnut brown color, off white head leaving decent lacing. Smell is of roasted grain and nuts with a presence of dark dried fruit (plum and raisin), carmel and a lsight herbal quality. Taste is an exception blend of roasted grain, roasted nuts, crust bread and dried dark fruit a nice carmely sweet backbone. Does not approach bitter as many in the style do. Nice medium body with perfect carbonation for the style. A great, finely crafted English brown with lots of flavor and charachter.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2010 15:52:10 | More by rfgetz

Katahdin

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours kind of murky, cloudy, and very thick bodied. Initial smell is of roasted nuts, caramel, and some maltiness or coffee. Taste is definitely roasted but not overdone, the coffee flavor comes out and an aftertaste of something like sambuca or black licorice with hints of earthiness. Adds to its complexity as it goes down and warms. Can definitely taste the yeast combo used which adds to the flavor. Rather creamy and smooth as befits its ABV.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2010 19:30:09 | More by Katahdin