Brown Angel - Clown Shoes

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

4.93/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled last week of January 2011:

Out of a 22 ounce bomber and into a pint glass:

A: deep brown colored body with a light cream colored one finger head leaving some nice ringy lacing. The body is too dark for any carbonation to be seen

S: nuts and roasty chocolates with some slight caramels backing that up. A bit of brown sugar comes in with the hops telling you that this is a beer.

T: superb with a roasty, sweet, malty caramel, chocolate flavor. The nuttiness doesn't take any backseat as it powers through into the taste, everything is there.

M: medium but still well done between wet and dry on the tongue. It is very smooth and creamy, just like any Brown should be.

O: there is barely a single thing I can say that is bad on this, this is an exceptionally well done beer. I know I'm biased towards browns, but is this really this good?

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 00:00:16 | More by kangarooAdam59

cfergusn

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: I like the look, dark and rich.. head was just perfect for this pour.
S: Oh, coffee and chocolate...
T: It was like drinking a light chocolate coffee, with hints of hops that sneak in at the end.
M: As you drink, it goes from smooth to a little bite, with full blends coming out as you swallow..
O: I am a lover of the darker ladies, so when one recommend this to me, I had to try. She was spot on, name says it all... My lady friend is now my Brown Angel...

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 05:40:48 | More by cfergusn

BingDings

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: The beer pours a nice thick rich brown with a creamy and sturdy head that leaves behind some lacing.

Smell: The smell is a bit nutty with the thick rich scents of coffee and malt and almost reminds me of molasses.

Taste: The taste of this beer starts out with a hint of citrus and fruity notes which quickly become a malty roasted flavor. Upon swallowing, there are hoppy and bitter flavors that turn sweet at the last second of exhaling.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with the perfect amount of carbonation. It definitely has a smooth creamy feel as you swish it around a bit.

Overall: This beer is quite fantastic. The complex flavors and smells are blended together wonderfully and I will definitely be keeping this beer in mind this summer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 04:40:15 | More by BingDings

hopheadjuice

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is NOT your old school brown, but rather a sexy american interpretation.

22 oz bomber seriously sexy label.

A: Dark dark brown with hints of garnet red in the sunlight.

S: Smells really good with nutty malts upfront and a strong hop backbone thats rare with a brown ale. ( in other words smells AWESOME!)

T: The taste might possibly knock the socks right off of you, it has a brown ale taste up front but the amazing hops dominate the finish for a 1 of a kind taste.

M: The Mouthfeel is very pleasent as this brew quenches my thirst as well being somewhat dry. spot on carbonation as well.

D: I could drink this beer for many different occasions, an amazing brown ale indeed I highly recommend to anybody.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 21:31:45 | More by hopheadjuice

wburch1967

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +24%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I have really enjoyed all of the clown shoes beer I have tried so far, as I have been making my way through the line up. The first two beers were abrasive, but in a good way. this one is just a bitter brown!

A deep dark mahogony is topped by a beutiful tan head that took forever to drop, leaving fin lace.
The smell is of chocolate, almonds, toast, and piney grapefruity hops. Complex. Awesome. The taste is even better, as I found those flavors mixed really well to make a very easy drinking beer coming in at 7%.

This is a great brown ale. Highly reccomended!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 21:28:01 | More by wburch1967

BeerMusketeer

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Really excited by so many great new locals. I loved hoppy feet and I enjoyed this more, need to try a bottle. Had on cask at Stoddard's. The appearance was murky and dark brown with spidery lacing hanging out on the side of the glass. The smell was a little subdued, but I got lots of coffee, chocolate, and some fresh hops. The taste was fantastic. Like a chocolate, coffee, toffee bar. Smooth, creamy, wondreful. If the river was Brown Angel, and I was a divin' duck...

Serving type: cask

05-11-2010 19:59:58 | More by BeerMusketeer

yesyouam

New York

4.63/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Clown Shoes Brown Angel is a dim, reddish brown ale with a thick, bubbly, yellowish foam that lasts all night and leaves solid foam on the glass. It has a chocolate and coffee aroma with a good dose of citrus, grass and perfume. It's pretty full bodied, super silky and smooth. The finish is soft and delicate. It leaves the mouth feeling almost a little tingly, like after eating a mint. It has a nice, full, well-blended, well-balanced flavor. It's very chocolatey with some dark roast coffee. The hops provide just enough bitterness to zip the taste up and keep me coming back for another sip. It tastes a little wooden, but not resiny. There's a hint of lemon peel. There seems to be a hint of mint at the finish. Wow, I don't know if I've ever had a brown ale like this before. This is straight-up delicious. I can't put this beer down and when it's empty, I'm going to cry.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 17:38:54 | More by yesyouam

BenjieK

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Great brown ale from Clown Shoes!

A: Mahogany. Big fluffy head that goes down slowly and leaves sticky lace.

S: Nutty, dank, raosty hops and caramel. really complex.

T: Hoppier than the nose, but as it warmed a beautiful core of coffee and chocolate malt cmae though.

M: Well carbonated and creamy.

D: Drank two like nothing. great beer!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 15:28:40 | More by BenjieK

bens0n

Texas

4.6/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a murky golden brown color with a moderate amount of yellowy tan head.

On the nose I pick up on sweet and bready malts, its got a lovely toasty note that weaves its way into the rest of the thick aroma.

Flavor wise its more of the same, sweet bready and toasty malts. There is a very slight bitter hoppy note in the middle.

It has a crisp finish with a little more carbonation than I like, aftertaste is on the bitter side.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 07:18:01 | More by bens0n

abecall98

California

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Reagan1984 for giving me the opportunity to try this beer. Very great asset to BA.

A - pours a very dark brown into my pint glass. Smalle white head that dissapeared pretty quickly. However, lacing still seems to last throughout the journy.

S - smell is sweet malt, with a slight hint of roast. It's pleasing, but lacking strength, I wish there was more head that provided to give more nose.

T - oh boy, this is good. Tastes like coffee, caramel, and malt. Such a full flavored brown ale. Chops come through deliciously after the malt. It's got a pleasing nutty aftertaste.

M - very smooth. Carbonation was perfect. The strong flavor lasts, the smoothness coats the mouth, and the mouthfeel is highly above what your average brown ale delivers.

D - for a brown ale, and a 7% one at that, this beer is amazingly drinkable. The flavors of the malt are rich and complex, and it keeps bringing me back.

O - this beer is beyond what I think of an average brown ale. It takes the drinkability of your brown ale, and adds in complexity, and layers of flavor. I would have this again in a heartbeat.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2010 02:08:38 | More by abecall98

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I love this beer. Though I love brown ales, they often bore beer geeks due to their mildness and eagerness to be satisfactory to every beer drinker, instead of impressing a smaller niche of beer fans. This one has character and volume, can appeal to a wide variety of beer fans, while keeping its own unique identity.

Poured into a simple pint glass. Appropriately brown in color with an off-white head that leaves gorgeous lacing.

Gives off aromas of caramel malt, oats, and even coffee and chocolate believe it or not. Never experienced chocolate notes in a brown ale before. Capping off the malty, earthy notes are significant resinous, floral hops.

The taste is similar to the aroma. Herbal, earthy, citrusy hops interplay back and forth with sweet, nutty malts. There’s something here for everyone. The end finishes a little long with some bitterness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, almost reminiscent of a powdery oatmeal stout.

I’ll say it again - I love this one - apparently more than the average reviewer here. It may be one of my stuck-on-an-island beers. It takes a style that can please a large amount of people and adds some excitement to the mix. Each layer of the flavor profile shines while balancing each other nicely.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2010 01:38:53 | More by jbertsch

HomebrewerBrian

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a light Brown color with just a little tan head, and lacing. Looked like a hazier newcastle fresh from the pour.

Initial smell is very floral with a hint of toasted malt, biscuit. Though the hop presence definitely dominates the aroma of the malts in this one.

Things get interesting upon first sip. Despite smelling Floral, the beer tastes very earthy to me, with just enough floral to give the hop flavors a decent complexity that keeps me interested in the lingering flavors instead of just fading to an overpowering bitterness.

The initial malt flavors are similar to the smell but the consist of a subtle caramel sweetness that is pleasant and helps to balance out the strong hop profile. Though I do feel that there could be a little more malt backbone and sweetness to help keep the end result less hop dominant, and sit a little cleaner in the brown ale classification.

Mouthfeel is slightly thicker than average, but very much in line with what I want/expect out of a brown. Has a pleasant amount of body, and carbonation is good, on the drier side of normal browns. Drinkability of this for me is quite high.

Overall I think there is still some room to spruce up the prescence and contribution of the malt flavors that seem a little lost of lacking. Although, I enjoyed this 'Double-Brown' quite a bit, and could definitely see myself drinking more of these as the weather heats up.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 06:30:38 | More by HomebrewerBrian

WesWes

New York

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a translucent dark brown color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a wonderful, dry roasted scent that screams Special Roast and crystal malts. It also has a mild hop aroma that melds nicely with the malts. It's bitter, but the aroma is malt forward. The taste is great as well! Wow, what a complex array of flavors. First, it has a very flavorful and complex malt bill that provides a good deal of roasted character. It's dry and bitter with a touch of nuttiness. It goes down with ease and finishes with a nice hop taste that's bitter, yet more complimentary. The mouthfeel is good. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a tremendous brown ale. It has great balance for such a complex beer.

Thanks to Clown Shoes for a "fresh" look at this wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 17:35:11 | More by WesWes

mdr4669

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Sammy Smiths pint glass.

App: Deep and rich burgundy coloration with little head with nice and consistent lacing all the way around the glass.

Smell: Toast, chocolate, dark fruits make for a very complex initial scent that's all pulled together with a noticeable amount of citrus hops.

Taste: The label on the brew hits the nail on the head, it starts with a very nice citrus and pine hop flavor, and finishes with a fantastic bouquet of taste featuring florals, and like the scent toast and chocolate.

MF: This brew is balanced and consistent, the feel was the same from the fist sip to the last. Surprisingly light, yet complex.

OA: I enjoyed this one a lot, and can't wait to try more Clown Shoes Brews.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 17:23:38 | More by mdr4669

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - Wow, just wow. This brown ale has a MASSIVE head. I'm talking an easy 3 fingers. Slow to receed and when it does there is nice heavy lacing. Nice roasty brown colour pour.

S - Mild nutty malts with just a bit of chocolate. Not that pronounced though.

T - Initially some citrus/pine hops but then SLAM. Nutty roasty malts, with some nice chocolate tastes on the end. A bit of a stretch for a brown ale but this is quite tasty.

M - Smooth and creamy with just enough carbonation.

D - Really, really solid. Goes great with my steak. Very very drinkable. Easy to drink this whole bomber!

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 04:33:46 | More by rudzud

Durge

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From the bomber into the pint glass this is an opaque dark brown colored ale with a giant mound of root beer float tan head and plenty of lace remnants. The aroma is a very tasteful chocolate malt and fruit nougat with a minty, herbal accent. Add a touch of pine skunk and you have a classy nose hit. The flavor follows with a neat marriage of sweet chocolate malt and funky cabbage-pine hop bite. Really interesting and tasty with a creamy feel, medium bodied with subtle carbonation. The hops are very classy here, not smashmouth at all, sort of swampy-veggie, but a definite key to this wonderful flavor. Smooth, flavorful and different. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 16:06:54 | More by Durge

Wasatch

Utah

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to portia99 for this brew.

22oz. Bomber
Bottled: March 2011

Pours a very nice dark brown color, very nice carbonation, HUGE thick foamy/creamy three-finger plus light tan head, with tons of sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with a nice little hop note going on, with some nice chocolate/toffee/caramel notes. The taste is sweet, malty, little hop note, nice chocolate/toffee notes. Medium Body, nice little dry finish. This is one very tasty Brown Ale. Thanks Bill!

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 23:27:00 | More by Wasatch

tdm168

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - dark brown with a reddish hue; soft, dense, off white-brownish head that has great retention

S - caramel, nutty, faintly roasty

T - nutty, caramel, toffee, coffee, roasty, faintly citrusy

M - medium bodied, smooth, crisp, well carbonated

This is a really solid brown ale. It has great flavor and great drinkability. The malt character is spot on with just enough hop character for balance. I wish this came in six packs, I would buy them for sure.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 01:37:53 | More by tdm168

Patrick

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours the color of black coffee. Slight ruby/amber color around the edges and a thin khaki colored head. Nice thin layers of lace stick to the sides of the glass.

S: Big coffee, chocolate, and freshly baked brown bread greet my nose when I take a whiff of this beer. On the more subtle note there are notes of grapefruit and pine in the background.

T: Nice fruity grapefruit and pine notes upfront that quickly mix with some dark chocolate and black coffee flavors up front. The middle has some breadiness that starts to mix with the chocolate and coffee flavors. Hints of roastiness and more grapefruit finish the flavor out. Delicious.

M: Dry finish, well carbonated, medium bodied, aftertaste like I just at a chocolate bar.

D: This beer is great, very glad I got to try some. This is a very exciting new brewing project in MA. Local beer is always welcome in my fridge. Can't wait to see what the future holds!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 00:47:58 | More by Patrick

bhalter8

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes taken on 5/8/2010: Thanks again to Reagan1984 for another bottle from this new brewery. Pours a medium brown color with a thin light tan head that quickly dissipates leaving little lacing. A nice mix in the aroma; coffee, roasted malt, and citrus hops are all present. Definitely a solid hop presence, making for a very inviting American Brown. Aroma lends itself nicely the flavor, with a sweet malt backbone supporting the delicious citrus flavors from the hops. Rather light mouthfeel, and seems pretty highly attenuated. I really enjoyed this beer, as I am really warming to American Browns in general. Once again, looking forward to more from this new brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 13:14:04 | More by bhalter8

ambluhm

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appearance of this beer is dark brown with a thick 3 finger head. It lasts for quite a while and leaves a beautiful lace.

The nose of this beer shows citrus fruit and piney hops. There is a nice caramel malty sweetness to the nose as well. A hint of chocolate and coffee is also present.

The mouthfeel is very nice with a perfect balance between malty sweetness and the bitterness of the hops. A truly thirst quenching brew with nice carbonation and a definite sweetness on the tongue.

Overall, this is an awesome brown ale when your looking for something with a good amount of body and still a good amount of hops. The label is pretty cool to boot. I'll definitely pick this one up again, especially when the weather starts getting a bit cooler. Perfect for a cool night!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 01:55:06 | More by ambluhm

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up one of these based on a recommendation from a friend.

A: Poured an ever-so-slightly-cloudy, brownish-red, with an awesome crystal-like quality to the brew in general. The massive, 1-2 finger peppery brown head left a froth bath on the glass.

S: Strong smell of toffee, brown sugar, and other dark malty goodness. It almost smells like a chocolate malted-milk balls (eg. "Whoppers").

T: Almost like the center of a "3 Musketeers" candy bar. Candy-coated alcohol: brown sugar, toffee, and a bit of a bitter, smokey bite on the finish. Excellent taste!

M: Thick and creamy, without being overly sweet. The lacing left on the glass was ridiculous! I've heard there were carbonation issues in the past... none detected from my vantage point.

O: One of the best (if not the best) brown ale I've had in a while. Very memorable!

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 22:26:09 | More by Chaney

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep but translucent brown into my pint glass. What first appears as a bit of a 'soda head' recedes after a short while into a thin but frothy band. Some lacing.

The aroma is very curious but good. I say curious because this so called 'brown ale' has hints of a smoked beer, a stout, coffee bean and molasses.

The flavor is what I expected from the nose, except with a smacking of hops. This is quite interesting indeed. It truly is multi-layered in that my initial impression on the lips is that it is a stout, but the middle of the tasting experience so to speak is that of a refreshing ale, followed promptly by a hop bomb finish (its okay I love my hops)

Overall this is a complex and heavy beer, but as a fan of Belgian Quadruples, it is certainly something I can handle. Not for beer neophytes of course. I applaud the brewery for originality.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 04:09:42 | More by Neorebel

vickersspitfire

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a very dark brown beer with hints a red hues toward the bottom of the glass, the head is fairly thin (roughly one and a half fingers thick) and wanes considerably into a layer of bubbles and lacing. Medium carbonation and a slight haze fill the inner body of this beer. Coffee, dark chocolate, roasted coffee bean, fig and raisins all fill your nostrils as you breathe in the sweet aromas emanating from the nectar of the gods. The mouth feel is rather light and dull, but the carbonation is very present. The flavor is mild overall, sweet, bitter when it hits the sides of your mouth and it fills your tongue with roasted coffee bean (mildly) roasted malts, very mild hops. The aftertaste lingers long after you swallow, it’s a bit harsh and slightly bitter and is dominated by roasted malts, brown sugar and mild hops. I think I just found my new favorite brown ale!

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 04:13:14 | More by vickersspitfire

match1112

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours the darkest of browns with a full two fingers of a thick frothy khaki colored head. five minutes after the pour the head is down to a cap on the beer all the while leaving big lumps of lacing as it recedes. the nose and taste go hand in hand. both are big on roasted malts and cocoa. mouthfeel is full bodied with a smooth flow to it, meaning it's not chewy or thin, it's just right. overall this is a really good brown that tastes more like a stout, swear i tasted coffee in this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 23:26:53 | More by match1112