Santa Cruz Brown Ale - Epic Brewing Co.

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.16/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Picked this up in NC, release#1

Pours a ruby tinged chestnut with 3 fingers of mocha colored head. Astounding lacing & good head retention

S: Brown bread, some toastyness & nuttyness

T: Brown bread, pineyness nutty & woody bitterness along with orange peel up front. Niice nuttyness to this as it warms, a touch of pecan & pecan shell along with more pine notes & slight citric hopyness, mostly orange peel. Finishes nutty, toasty, a little dry with piney & citrus hoppyness

MF: Medium bodied, fairly firm carbonation, super balance

A nice hoppy American Brown ale, another winner from Epic, very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 03:56:58 | More by russpowell

brewski09

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Release # 3 poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head standard pint glass.

A - a deep, dark mahogany colored brown ale. This looks kinda like a Newcastle Old Stock Ale portion of the recipe. The head pours a tight 1.5cm beige color. the head fades quickly, but maintains a thin covering of foam over the entire surface with heavy foam lacing left on the side of the glass from each sip.

S - This is where the beer really got me. I got a hop forward aroma as soon as I opened the bottle. The aroma is solidly hoppy, but with a curious earthy tone to it. There is some roast that is pretty unique too (reminiscent of a mild cedar), but its really the earthiness that I keep coming back too. maybe a little black pepper too.

T - sharp earthiness like a good french cheese that's been aged several years. That sharp earthiness melds into a unique hop combination with a firm bitterness that is balancing with the high residual sugar. The roast is more developed here. I am picking up some chocolate notes with light caramel sweetness too. There is some specialty malts here too, but I can't tell which ones. The hops are reminiscent of Bravo.

M - this is a very full mouthfeel. Quite probably the most pleasing quality of the whole beer. the carbonation is fine on the tongue and the oils and sugars coat the palate as well.

O - a surprising smash hit for me. One of those beers where you are done with the first half a pint before even noticing it and pouring the rest of the bomber trying to remember where you found it so you can get more. Not a beer that really tastes like anything I've ever had before, which is really why I find myself liking it so much. If this tasted like other stuff on the market, it would be unremarkable. its uniqueness elevates it.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 00:34:04 | More by brewski09

wonothesane42

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

04-23-2013 23:20:51 | More by wonothesane42

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Release #5

Pours a cloudy, dark chestnut brown color that's nearly opaque with mahogany edges and a one finger, frothy beige head that slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Streaks and spots of soapy lacing left behind. Nice looking beer.

Slightly smokey, robust aroma with floral hops, lactic cream and sweeter malt notes rounding things out. Some lightly roasted coffee bean along with burnt toast, roasted nut and oatmeal followed by caramel, toffee, and chocolate. Subtle resinous, earthy hops but they don't get in the way of the complex malt presence.

Full bodied and surprisingly hop forward. Much stronger than the nose suggested with a nice balance of dry, earthy hops and light roasted malt notes. Actually not as complex as the aroma because the hop flavors are really strong and the malt presence is slightly one dimensional. Dank, earthy and bitter with lots of dry, grassy pine flavor that lingers throughout into a dry, roasty finish. As it warms, the malt flavors really come through with hints of caramel, toffee, hazelnut, chocolate and subtle roast. There's also some subtle lactic creaminess balancing things out. Aggressively hoppy for the style but is decently balanced after the palate adjusts. Could use a bit more roast and is hop pier than I prefer for the style, but this beer is enjoyable and easy to drink. A solid beer in an under appreciated style.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:40:59 | More by corby112

jamesDaExMoBeerGuy

Utah

4/5  rDev -2%

04-03-2013 02:43:52 | More by jamesDaExMoBeerGuy

stealth

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%

03-25-2013 07:11:48 | More by stealth

NickThePyro

Washington

4/5  rDev -2%

03-21-2013 03:22:28 | More by NickThePyro

ESeab

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

03-13-2013 20:20:13 | More by ESeab

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -2%

03-09-2013 15:56:14 | More by RedneckBeerz

nwatson

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

03-08-2013 07:12:14 | More by nwatson

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in Totowa, having never tried this before. Brown Ales are usually easygoing beers for me but given that this came in a 22 oz. bomber, I figured that this would be a bit more aggressive and hoppy. That was indeed the case and even though I hadn't had anything quite like this before, this was one of the nicer surprises that I've had recently and even for it's larger size, I didn't have any trouble getting this down on a cold later Winter night!

Natrually, the pour was brown to this. A thick, tan head accompanied it and held on for a while before clinging nicely to the sides of my glass as I worked my way down. Usual soft aroma of molasses and caramel up front, backed up by more aggressive pine and citrus hop notes underneath. The alcohol was nearly undetectable and the carbonation was light but present throughout my drinking session. Not a lot of stickiness here nor was there any lingering burning or sharp bitterness from start to finish. Instead, this beer was strong enough to feel like an American Pale Ale while maintaining the lighter body and darkness of a Brown Ale, without seeing too complicated of over the top.

As I said before, the alcohol was perfect here and added just a hint of a warming effect once I finally finished this off. While there isn't such thing as a "Brown IPA" or an "Imperial Brown Ale", this would be a good start should those categories ever come to fruition. For now, it's a welcome change from the norm and likely to be enjoyed by most. No question that this was a nice find.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 05:58:10 | More by JerzDevl2000

mactrail

California

3.59/5  rDev -12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

One of the most attractive Brown Ales I've poured. Dark umber brown with an amber glow. Big frothy head piled high with great retention. Pleasantly sparkly on the tongue.

There is some malty sweetness to start, but this is all about the hops. Dark notes of roasted barley and a touch of burnt sugar. Lots and lots of bittering hops. In fact this gets quite bitter after a few swigs. It's better with food. Not a beer for the long haul unless you're warming up for a major IPA.

Another interesting and well-made brew from Epic. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Bottleworks in San Diego. Label says Release #3 and 7.2% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:25:16 | More by mactrail

im4beer

Utah

3/5  rDev -26.5%

02-17-2013 17:06:20 | More by im4beer

SeaOfShells

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%

02-05-2013 02:55:42 | More by SeaOfShells

ste5venla

California

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

01-31-2013 02:01:46 | More by ste5venla

clayrock81

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark brown body with one-finger white head and lace ring on top of a malty, earthy aroma with a good balance between hops and malt (something akin to roasted, barley, light caramel). Medium-bodied and sturdy, the taste is one of roasted malt mixed dashes of burnt chocolate or coffee and some minor caramel sweetness. There are traces of citric and fruity hops and while I pleasantly enjoyed this fine sipper I will say that the hops are less for taste and more for balance (which isn't a bad thing). Finishes dry and a little crisp with not much of a backbite or alkie bite either.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 22:30:07 | More by clayrock81

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle I brought to share at Skuter's tasting.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, cocoa, and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild roasty and hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 07:35:51 | More by UCLABrewN84

casapy

Idaho

4/5  rDev -2%

12-04-2012 03:45:05 | More by casapy

Nmgreen

New York

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

10-26-2012 03:41:18 | More by Nmgreen

hosehead83

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a "bomber" bottle into a standard pint glass.
Cloudy, mud-puddle brown color, with a nice two-inch collar of tan foam.
Aroma-Citrus hops and subtle chocolate notes
Taste-Tangy citrus hops, toasted malt, chocolate notes. Very well-balanced and flavorfull. A Brown IPA that would match well with a loaded cheeseburger or a big slice of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 18:39:11 | More by hosehead83

Travisnin

Idaho

3/5  rDev -26.5%

09-13-2012 06:26:34 | More by Travisnin

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark brown color with a finger of frothy khaki colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts with pine hops with a bit of citrus hops, and some molasses and brown sugar.

T - Starts off with sweet caramel malts with some brown sugar and touch of grapefruit hop. Through the middle, some pine hop and bitterness come through with some molasses and more bready malts. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel and bready malts with some brown sugar and pine hops.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and lightly bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice hoppy brown ale. Good overall balance.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 05:15:34 | More by ngeunit1

superspak

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass; batch #2 bottled 3/1/2012, 6.8%. Pours hazy very dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some nice soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, toast, biscuit, chocolate, nuttiness, toffee, and molasses on the forefront; with grapefruit, orange, pine, herbal, floral, and grassy hops in the background. Very nice aromas with a great balance of maltiness with a nice amount of balanced hop aromas; very pleasant and enjoyable. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, molasses, chocolate, nuttiness, toffee, grapefruit, pine, herbal, floral, earth, and grassy hops. Good amount of spicy pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, toffee, citrus, pine, herbal, and earthy hops on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic malt balance with the hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very nice creamy and slightly sticky mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal alcohol warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding hoppy brown ale! Great malty flavor balance with hop flavors; and very smooth to drink. Highly enjoyable stuff, I would easily get this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 04:23:29 | More by superspak

lovindahops

New York

3.93/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This Santa Cruz brown ale has been staring at my for the last few weeks so I figured I would tap into this

A- a very opaque body that shows mild carbonation coming to the top of the glass. The head of foam is the most impressive aspect about this brew. It's a fluffy mocha head that lingers and creates layers on the side of the glass. Very glossy and impressive with the duration of the brew staying around

S- very hoppy with caramel and piney hoppy flavors becoming present at the forefront. While the scent profile is not intense, it's still fresh and hoppy

T- massive caramel malt that is enrobed in dark piney resinous hops. Very pungent with spicyness cleansing the initial flavors of dank hops. The caramel malt and sweet sugar flavors are at the exit as well

M- very coating and creamy flavors

O- good hoppy brown ale that I wish was more readily available

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 00:00:35 | More by lovindahops

Ryan1423

Alaska

5/5  rDev +22.5%

07-08-2012 18:33:53 | More by Ryan1423