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

damienblack

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a rich medium brown, like a typical nutty brown ale. Huge head billows up with a flourish of bubbles. Great retention, and leaves some intricate lacing. Has kind of a belgian yeasty smell to it, and the sweet aroma of slightly darkened malts along with molasses. Bit of toffee as well. Taste... this is a flavorful yet mellow sessionable brown. A bit of toasted toffee, some nuttiness, a bit of coffee. Some more flavours as it opens up a bit, I noticed something fruity in there as well. Maybe some burnt caramel. Nice gravitas, filling and bready, goes quite well with dinner tonight (sirloin tips). On the heavier side of medium body while lacking the density of a porter or stout. Nice and drinkable, but had a bit of funkiness at first. I hope Pretty Things becomes a New England staple, Dann deserves it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 02:24:04 | More by damienblack

natasharai

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Poured with a large foamy creamy tan head that dissipated leaving very little lacing. The beer is clear with a dark brown color. The head is easily aroused by swirling the glass.

Smell: Fruity, citrus, toasted malt, chocolate and coffee.

Taste: Fresh cherry, other fresh fruit, toasted malt, some bread flavor and yeasty character, roasted coffee, slight licorice, and a roasted nutty flavor

Mouthfeel: Tingle on the tongue from carbonation, medium body, slightly syrupy, small dryness afterwards.

Overall: Really good drinkability, nice roasty flavors, and a nice moutfeel. This beer has some really nice subtle flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 04:52:29 | More by natasharai

digr

Massachusetts

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

Dark Brown Opaque Pour.
1/4 inch head to start with smallish bubbles. The foam diminished to a small residue after about 3 minutes.

Smell - mild toffee, slightly "sweet"

Taste - smooth dark toast, slight bite of burnt caramel. Mild bitter aftertaste of hops. Slightly sweet is fairly balanced by toffee and bitterness. I can taste the dark malt, almost like I am chewing it.

Feel -Medium mouth feel.

Alcohol - no alcohol bite.

Subsequent sips evoke coffee tones.
Stronger than an average brown, and milder than an average Porter. Would go good with a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs, and baked beans!

22 oz bottle says it is the first batch!

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 03:10:54 | More by digr

Jwale73

Rhode Island

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

22oz. bottle served in a standard pint glass. Bottled April 2009 Batch Two indicated on a paper swatch covering the cap. Poured a murky chestnust color with very little light penetration. One inch, tight, frothy off-white head with good retention, eventually settles into a thin, consistent cap. Some thick stands of lacing coat the glass during the session. Nose is malty and suggests dark fruit, perhaps prunes, and maybe a little cocoa. Taste consistent with nose, but some roasted coffee flavors also come out and a kiss of hops is revealed at the finish. Mouthfeel is between light- and medium-bodied with a nice, consistent level of background carbonation. Nice English Brown with a decent amount of complexity, particularly in terms of the abv. Too bad it's not available in sixers; it would make a great session brown.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 23:44:14 | More by Jwale73

selecter70

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Oh the glee when I saw this....First Batch! ...Dan Paquette brew!...St. Botolph (aka Boston...like the great label depicts- well from the colonial period)...Nice big bottle that poured an unfiltered opaque, hazy ruddy-brown, leaving a thin whitish head for a short bit. An aroma full of wet grasses, dry grains, sour fermenting and lemon peel. The aroma had a bit more of a nutty malt to it and a nice mildly sour rustic farm ale taste, hearty and full of denseness. I really should've brought out the stein for this one...now, to find it on draught!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 23:13:59 | More by selecter70

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

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

Pours a cloudy dark brown with ruby highlights and a big bubbly head that sticks around for a bit before sticking itself to the glass. Smells of chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, and sweet malts. Tastes is sweet malts with lots of brown sugar and chocolate. has a hint of spicy yeast in there as well. Crisp carbonation, medium body, light syrupy mouthfeel. Great little session brown, I wish they put this in a six pack I'd buy it all the time.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 22:03:24 | More by johnnnniee

twelvsies

Maine

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

More good beer from Dann Paquette and the Pretty Things project. Not surprised here. I usually don't go for the brown ales too much these days but this is one I would return to for sure. A robust brown beer, edges of amber coming through, a smallish bubbly head floating atop. Very malty, but not too rich, remaining pretty straightforward and drinkable. A touch of sweetness, toffee and English tea character. In the aroma I picked up a bit of a bubblegum flavor which just slightly accents the finish and aftertaste here. Very interesting. Earthy and musty, which I like. A very good representation of a classic English style, but distinctly American at the same time. Great name for a great beer (Wikipedia it...), making me proud to be a Bostonian once again.

Enjoyed on tap at Vee Vee where I believe it has a permanent home.

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2009 14:06:31 | More by twelvsies

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.1/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a one finger light tan head that fades very slowly leaving some lace. Deep cloudy amber color, some yeast settles out. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Earthy nose. Flavor is a strange grainy coffee, some sweetness. Burnt coffee finish. $6.45 for a 22oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, MA.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 22:47:07 | More by jdhilt

goatgoat

California

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

First batch, Feb '09.

Pours a thick clear woody brown. A creamy tan head builds about a finger high falls to a thin cap in modest amount of time. No lace.
Aroma is sweet malts, fruity. A little chocolate, a little roasty. Topped with an earthy spiciness.
Flavor is pleasantly malty, following the chocolate, roast aroma. A bit less fruity than the aroma. Leads to a moderately bitterness that lingers but finally gives up to a slightly sweet, coating finish.
Medium body. Carbonation is a little high, but creamy enough to not be damning.

This is solid, but not outstanding, brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2009 19:04:04 | More by goatgoat

gfreed

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dense, yet a fluffy tan head rests on the surface for a good long time. Rather hoppy aroma with some citrus and flowers, with malt in the background. The taste was overall rather unbalanced-- rather, perhaps it was *too* balanced. There was no differentiating between the malt and the hops for me, so there was no real flavor one way or the other. It was just beer. I expected something malty and instead got something... not so malty, but not so hoppy, either. Worth a try, especially if you live in MA and want to support your local brewery. I preferred the PT saison over this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2009 01:03:04 | More by gfreed

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

2.6/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

After being so happy with the Jack D'or, I was eager to try this second offering from Pretty Things. Man, was I disappointed.

Off white head forms, then settles very quickly to a thin ring around the glass. The beer is the color of brown shoe polish. No lacing at all.

Aroma is real earthy with some molasses and deep malt. Not the most pleasant.

Um, didn't really like this at all. I enjoyed this with a couple of friends and all of us looked at each other with that look.... Grain, grain, grain. Sweet malt and a strange just shy of sour flavor. Very earthy and frankly a little dirt like.

Mouth feel was a bit grainy and chalky.

Not very drinkable in my book.

Sorry, I hope chapter 3 of the Pretty Things book is a ore enjoyable one.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 11:57:21 | More by Reagan1984

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

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

Pours a nice deep, dark brown with a fluffy, bubbly white head that stay nicely on top before slowly fading.

Smell is definitely some caramel, brown sugar and some raisiny/dried fruit sweetness.

Taste is a very nice mix of tanginess and malty sweetness. For an English brown ale brewed here in the states, this is one of my favorites (thus far). This is a very drinkable and pretty straightforward beer and for the price (@$6 a bomber) its a great deal.

Another successful offering from Pretty Things, that makes 2 for 2 thus far.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 23:51:43 | More by indiapaleale

EPICAC

Massachusetts

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

Pours a mildly cloudy, garnet-tinted, dark brown. It's toped by a light-brown, fluffy head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with hints of chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, and a nice whiff of coffee on the swirl.

Sweet caramel and bittersweet chocolate malts upfront move through the center becoming fruitier towards the finish with a nice hints of plum. They give way to a slightly astringent character, a roasty coffee bitterness, and a lingering fruity sweetness in the finish. The beer is medium-bodied and smooth with moderate carbonation and a mild, minerally finish.

This brew has a good, malt profile and sweetness. The malts are balanced by a good roasted component that still leaves a nice lingering sweetness in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 19:22:33 | More by EPICAC

number1bum

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up this bomber at Julio's on the way to EBF. There's a sticker across the cap that says Bottled February 2009; First Batch.

Pours a reddish dark brown, a mahogany sort of hue, with a slowly rising and falling three fingers of tan head. When the head settles it keeps a wispy, mostly full lace but leaves a more than average amount of stick on the sides.

Smells of sweet caramel malt, brown sugar, some cocoa, a hint of vanilla bean, and a woodsy/earthy aroma.

Tastes much like it smells, with equal parts caramelized malt and brown sugar, along with some cocoa and chocolate that has a bit of a milky sweet quality to it. There is some earthy and woodsy hop flavor and bitterness in the finish to give it some balance. And that's just what it is - balanced, as well as smooth and flavorful.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth, but it's maybe just a hair more carbonated than I'd like it to be; it would be creamier and softer on the palate with somewhat more moderate carbonation.

This is an easy drinking, tasty brown ale. I'm a sucker for a brown ale with some character and this has it. I'd certainly have this again. Pretty Things is now 2 for 2 in my book.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2009 21:38:43 | More by number1bum

kmo1030

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a deep dark brown with a nice creamy tan head.
the aroma combines nutty toffee brown sugar, and soft ripe dark fruit like raisin, plum and the like. also pear.
the flavor stays in the same vein with the fruits taking a little bit more of prominent role, fig, raisin, plum and pear are all here with notes of coffee, burnt caramel, toffee, brown sugar, a touch of earthy nut, and touch of anise. these falvors transition into some herbal piney bitterness. sweet up front, but finishes clean. my first thought when tasting this was doppelbock.
the mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft creamy carbonation.
it's got a nice drinkability to it. plenty of interesting things going on, but mellow, refreshing and very approachable. an excellent beer, and i'm not even a huge fan of the style. i'm officially really looking forward to the next release from pretty things.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 00:16:43 | More by kmo1030

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

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

22oz bottle at 52 degrees.

Pours dark mahogany with chestnut edgework. An inch-plus tan head of froth settled slowly to a solid skim coat on the surface, and revealed some decent jagged ropes of lacing.

Aromatics lead off with dark caramel, chipped toffee, toasted raisins, and cocoa. Hints of butterscotch, brown sugar, and dark rum follow through.

Medium bodied with a thinnish, almost watery mouthfeel. A smidge of tackiness in the end.

Toffee, caramel, burnt cookies, and toasted malt start the palate. Mild hints of chocolate, molasses, and dried figs follow through.

Finishes with a minerally, fruity nod to the English, fading residuals, and raisin bits.

Nice one. On cask would be a treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 01:15:21 | More by brewandbbq

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Neutral brown color with a very nice light beige head. Long lasting time. Good rocky lace after each sip--almost forms a ring.

Chalky, brown ale aroma. Mellow crystal malts with a dash of chocolate. Attractive.

I am drinking this immediately after the Pretty Thing's Jack D'Or. I find this to be a better beer--rich darker malt flavors with a generous amount of hop without losing the English Brown Ale character. Again, the body is lower than expected, but I find this to be a creamier offering. Relatively dry, the aftertaste offers great balance between the darker malts and the light hop.

I'd love to try this in a flight of Browns; I think it would fare well.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 01:13:35 | More by smcolw

TrevorGW

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours the darkest brown possible. Off-white head dies quickly, but looked nice while it lasted.

Aroma is tricky -- some wheat, coffee, brown sugar.

Taste is not as robust as expected. Faint unsweetened chocolate, dark caramel, cashews, and licorice. Semi-sweet and wet finish. Hops are pretty loose and submissive here.

Mouthfeel is nice and smooth. A good full-bodied beer without the chewiness of an imperial stout or porter.

Overall a good brown ale or old ale. Complex, but not necessarily memorable.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 19:12:01 | More by TrevorGW

Zippie9999

Connecticut

4.83/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

-Had on tap at the Dirty truth in North Hampton, MA on 2/21/09.
A: Nice mellow brown appaerance. Definite mahogany notes w/ appearance.
S: malty, cherry, wants to be a flemish sour red without actually being one!
T: Sour cherries W/ a hint of molasses
M: smooth, creamy, with a feeling of wanting to be a sour flemish sour red
D: A very drinkable beer. Very hard to catagorize, but definitely one to toss into the mix when it comes to beer, wine and cheese parties!

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 07:14:48 | More by Zippie9999

tigg924

Massachusetts

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

Appearance: medium head, medium carbonation, not clear, leather brown

Smell: chocolate and malt

Taste: malts, brown sugar, and molasses dominate

Mouthfeel: sweet and smooth

Drinkability: A very good and interesting beer which i will have again. Not as tasty as some English browns I have had, but it is a winner.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 03:12:03 | More by tigg924

Hojaminbag

Colorado

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

Reddish brown body that is slightly hazy with some yeast particles floating around. Two fingers of beige head that has moderate retention and a low amount of lacing.

This one smells pretty good. Dark fruits, sweet malts.

Tasty beer. The dark fruits pronounce themselves a little more and a sweetness akin to mollases comes through also. Some caramel type malts and a touch of hops.

Mouthfeel is good, and this beer is pretty drinkable. Another quality beer from Pretty Things that will keep me picking up their offerings in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 21:35:15 | More by Hojaminbag

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

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

22oz bomber. bottle cap is wrapped in a paper label indicating "feb '09 first batch"

reddish brown color, gemstone clear for 2/3 of the bottle. (slight yeast haze later on.) decent sized beige head fades to thin wispy layer. low to moderate lacing.

aroma has faint plums and licorice. subtle grassiness. mild caramel. trace of phenols in the back.

malty caramel flavors, with some belgian fruitiness, plus grassy hops, though they are a bit overemphasized by the licorice, nutmeg and phenols, with a bitterness that is moderate and even has momentary notes of coffee.

smooth with faint astringency in the finish. moderate carbonation can be fluffy.

again, you need to know the intentions behind the brew. it's not really meant to be a "typical" english brown. dann paquette actually said that this uses an altbier yeast and is finished with a relatively "neutral" belgian strain. this would certainly explain the fruit and spice characters.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 07:51:27 | More by tai4ji2x

timmay41

Massachusetts

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

I thought the Jack D'Or was pretty ambitious and well executed, and after reading more about Pretty Things I was pleased to find this self-described "rustic dark ale" on draft at the Moan and Dove (Amherst, MA).

A: The bar was dimly lit but from what I could tell this ale pours with a medium brown body close to a Samuel Smith's Nut Brown. Hold it up to a candle and the bottom of the glass turns khaki colored. Topped with a modest half-finger creamy head. Nice lacing.

S: Aromas of malty richness, raisins, and hazelnut.

T & M: Grainy up front with roasted malts and some hop character. The finish is smooth and slightly nutty. Touts a balanced and unaggressive feel... until just a slight bite kicks in on the back of the throat. So it's a really cool English-American hybrid in terms of taste.

D: Very inviting and drinkable. I imagine as a session beer different notes and subtleties would come out.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2009 01:33:31 | More by timmay41

Patrick

Massachusetts

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

A: Pours a pretty dark brown with some dark ruby tints around the edges. A thick creamy tan head sits on top and leaves some nice lacing behind.

S: Smells like biscuits, caramel, maybe some dark fruits in there too.

T: Lots of breadiness up front with the mild sweetness short to follow. The end is dry with some earthy hop flavor.

M: Smooth, well carbonated, dry.

D: This is another fantastic beer from Pretty Things, keep em coming!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 22:19:21 | More by Patrick

IBUnit63

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Into a Portsmouth snifter we go - picked up on (un)official release date.

Nice gelatinous, doughy head with decent staying power and lacing. Body is not quite root beer color and very opaque...this is bottle-conditioned so there's a fair amount of haze in there - it may have jostled on the way home.

Roasted, even smoky malt has a LOT of dried plums and figs, as well as a bit of molasses. Not much alcohol burn...hop sensation is piney in nature.

Dark fruits really emerge in taste - very ripe with good contrast to the smoky malt. Clean and smooth with a well-rounded finish.

Palate feel brings out a little alcohol burn at first with a slight tinge - afterwords this becomes cleaner and husky from the malt dominance. Not too light, not too heavy...

This drinks pretty well for the flavor profile; another well-constructed effort from the gentlemen in Holyoke.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 14:47:13 | More by IBUnit63