Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale

Not sure if I got a bad bottle but this beer was a drain pour. I was expecting a nice sweet brown ale however this tasted nothing like that. I am not going to even waste my time reviewing this beer, if someone ever orders one I may have to sample it to see if mine was bad, but otherwise I don't anticipate picking this up again. I love sweet beers but this was just a watery brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-15-2010 03:53:10 | id: 1128003

On-tap at Beer Bistro, in Toronto.

This lacquered cherry oak colour makes for a lovely beer, and I'm sure would make a fine stain for a study desk. Its rich, satiny tones shine with buoyancy and clarity. Its head is thin but looms constantly - the surface is a smooth flowing river dotted with islands - and it is well-founded enough to tack on some impressively strapping strings of lace.

Its bouquet hits the nose like a stiff sea breeze; its mélange of musty oak, rotted fruits and figgy pudding is complexly knitted and wakes the senses at one fell swoop. Its resounding malt presence, although quite sweet in its own right, loosely resembles a slightly less-sweet tawny-port. My nose is insisting to my brain not to put the glass down.

That ample, sticky-sweet maltiness makes an equally respectable flavour profile. A grocery list of fruits, both fresh (grapes, prunes, apples) as well as dried and candied (cranberry, apricot), provide a liveliness beyond all the rich, nutty and sweet maltiness. That maltiness however, and not the fruity undertones, is what makes this tasty.

It always seems almost absurd to comment on a beer's water (even despite that it does, after all, make up something like 95% of the beer's content). This water profile is especially clean and appreciably soft, with just enough mineral content to lend the brisk, floral bitterness a biting hand. It's not really a session beer - but easily could be if you saw it fit.

I don't know what exactly those freaky deaky Dutch do to their brown ales but I sure as hell like it. This variation seemed to possess a little more depth and complexity than what you typically find in your run of the mill English offering. It was more... refined? Well, whatever the word, suffice to say that I enjoyed it plenty and would certainly revisit.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 03-13-2010 00:51:41 | id: 1126193

On tap at Chancey Smith's. Deep murky brown with a nice creamy off white cap,. Nose of burnt brown sugar, caramel malts, toasted bread crust, a bit of spice. Tastes sweet, probably overly so, of brown sugar, caramel, toasty malts and rye bread. A bit of spice and sweet vanilla comes out at the finish. Overall good, but too sweet for me, and probably a bit too sweet for a brown ale, due to Belgian candy sugars. ok.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 02-11-2010 03:18:28 | id: 1103540

On tap at the Beer Bistro, served in a tulip on Super Bowl Sunday late lunch. Lustrous dark brown colour stood out, plenty of sheen happening there. Head was short and beige, it covered the surface and stuck around, nice ring and some sheet lace. Honey and noughat on the nose, not a very strong smell though.

Smooth, silky mouthfeel, nice texture. Slight sweetness is pleasant and never cloying, brown sugar and molasses, some candied cherry. There is an even balance to this offering and enough acidity to make it interesting, some dark fruit weighs in nicely, bitterness mostly in the swallow and the finish, just about right I'd say. All around a nice brown and well worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 02-09-2010 01:00:00 | id: 1101930

This beer appears a clear dark amber colour, with one finger of thin, soapy off-white head, which renders some sparse webbed lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells of caramel malt, pitted fruit, and earthy hops. The taste is light molasses, apple, pear, and soft woody, earthy hops. The carbonation is mild, the body medium weight and smooth, and it finishes off-dry, with some fruity malt carrying through.

A tasty, fruity brown ale - funny how a well-made example of the style increases one's appreciation of it. I don't really know where the BA classification of this beer comes from, unless the beer has changed recipes over time...

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 02-05-2010 21:59:52 | id: 1099285

Poured into a Tulip.

A: Chestnut brown with ruby highlights and fairly active carbonation. A small cream cap has good density and fair retention. Leaves bits of lace.

S: Baking chocolate, toasted walnuts and a bit of black tea greet the nose.

T: Starts out with a generous dose of roasted nuts. Bitterness is very mild and adds just a touch of black tea. Gets a bit acidic toward the end as charred wood flavors creep in. Finishes dry and rather clean.

M: The body is dry, light and a bit too fizzy.

D: More of an English Brown than a Belgian Dark in my book. Certainly enjoyable enough. I'm glad I picked it up.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-01-2010 07:00:08 | id: 1096365

Thanks to my buddy Neil for sharing this beer with me!

A: A small frothy head fades quickly but leaves a ring of retention throughout the session. Gorgeous gorgeous ruby and mahogany in the light. Just a tad bit of lacing.
S: Nothing overwhelming, but it works. Fig and raisins, among other dark fruits that I can't quite pinpoint. Then a tangy aroma that plays around with a toasted malt backbone.
T: There's that heavy tang and toastiness, right up front. Well-balanced, with a mild astringency. Tons of citrus...more than I expected from the aroma. The malts are sweet without being dominant. My last few sips are zapped with burning alcohol, but that warm feeling at the back of my throat only lasts a few seconds.
M/D: Light body and low to medium carbonation. I can imagine sucking back this entire 4-pack in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-31-2010 05:02:41 | id: 1095351

pours a thin brown with quickly disappearing off white head.

smell is weird and artificial to me. honestly smells like a forty with caramel.

taste is a bit better. nice presence of malts but still very thin. very similiar to other commercial brown ales.

mouthfeel: thin then sticky cheeked syrupyness.

drinkability: not one of my favorite brown ales. worth a try though. fairly sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-08-2010 03:12:29 | id: 1077636

Bought this from a local party store because the dude working the register was pushing it at a cut rate. He raved that his customers "really liked it", but I was skeptical. Do his customers really come back to the store to tell him they just couldn't get enough of the Tilburg's they bought from him at half-price? Dubious story, but I picked it up anyway.

Took a break from work this morning to have a bottle:

A: Legit mahogany, with lots of vibrant red when held to the light. Very clear. Thin tan head with little retention. Good color-wise, but I could already tell this baby was going to be watery.

S: There was a distinct scent lingering just under the surface here that I just couldn't nail. I swirled this thing 100 times and finally ran out of time. Mildly astringent, roasty smell at first sniff. Post-swirl, I detected wax, root vegetables (parsnips?), dough and yeast. Was expecting some nuttiness perhaps, but nothing very rich in the nose here.

T: Kind of non-descript for me. Some sweet notes, some bitter notes, but nothing very distinct. This beer didn't seem too deep or complex, just kind of ho-hum.

M: Some sharp carbonation upfront that fades quickly. Finishes watery and gives you a brief, queer aftertaste that I couldn't quite identify - yeast perhaps.

Overall, didn't particularly like this and I wouldn't expect to drink it again. It is light and thin, so you could session with it, but there are lots of better options if that's what you're after.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 12-31-2009 18:03:29 | id: 1071749

This beer is pretty unusual. It is most similar to the Carribean-Latino brew style known as Malta-Hatuey (the style, not the brand).

G – Tulip.

A – Deep mahogany with a one finger head, lesser retention.

S – Honey, bread, raisins and dark brown sugar.

T – Sweet brown sugar flavor that seems to almost separate from the malt character, which is generally full, rich and moderately buttery and with traces of caramel flavor as well. The hop is muted and only appears to balance the sweet and malty tastes. There is also a subdued berry-fruit tone to it, but only the faintest hints.

M – Sweet and lightly carbonated. A comparison to sweet tea, at least in terms of liquid viscosity, is appropriate.

D – Too sweet to be consumed frequently. But I still think it is very interesting and quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 12-27-2009 07:37:06 | id: 1068113