Brown Angel - Clown Shoes

diamondc

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 8/11

A: Chestnut colored hue, light mocha colored head. Some decent lacing & head retention, too.

S: Cocoa powder, nutty, caramel, almost like a Little Debbie nutty bar.

T: Really hop forward for a brown ale. The malt is heavy on the toasted, almost charred side. Ends on a slightly astringent bitter orange peel note.

M/O: More chocolate/coffee notes come out while warming up balancing the hops. Nothing mind-blowing though. Pretty good brown ale, here.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 09:11:34 | More by diamondc

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Woody aroma has hints of caramel and pear. It pours a dark chocolaty brown that lets daylight in only at the very edges. The sample I got fizzed like crazy, so be careful! Light tan head is quite thick, fine-bubbled, and persistent. Crisp flavor has caramel, malty and woody notes plus hints of fruit and yeast. Firm-bodied texture has a lively fizz that leaves a satisfying and tasty finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 05:37:37 | More by Cyberkedi

HBomb81

Georgia

2.8/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clown Shoes finally arrived in some southern markets. I was able to pick up a variety of styles to sample. The first one I tried was the brown.

It has a dark, almost mahogany brown color with a very impressive head. Its scent was mild.

The the mouthfeel was a bit thin, considering the appearance.

The taste was very much in line with other brown ales without distinction. It has some coffee undertones.

This is a safe bet for browns, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 12:29:56 | More by HBomb81

angusblackheart

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 9/2011

I am a big Clown Shoes Fan. Not so much a brown fan, but I gave this a shot.

The beer is dark brown and has a big tan head. Leaves great lace and looks very inviting!

The smells is odd but also enticing, with coffee matls and piney hops mxing together.

The taste was a little more thin and roasted than I expected, btu was still solid.

Pretty good!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 17:32:00 | More by angusblackheart

kemoarps

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a medium bodied chestnut, the minimal head lasts, however.
The nose surprised me, as it is dominated by the hops, with a roasty malt below.
The taste has much of the nose to it, as it was much hoppier than I expected. The toasty malts do come through in the middle, and a little bit of black coffee perhaps?
Has a chewier body to it than it looked like it would, and is well carbonated.
This, frankly, wasn't really what I was expecting. It's not a bad beer, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Even if it were available in my area (which it is not), I probably wouldn't get it again, but would certainly drink it if I happened to have it around. Check it out if you really want to, but no need to go out of your way.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 07:04:46 | More by kemoarps

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This beer is a murky brown color...translucent with a cloudy, hazy complexion. It's a very heady brew...towering and firm tan head. High carbonation, notable on inspection. The smell is hoppy, earthy, and malt-sugary, but a bit medicinal. Sweet taste...sugar, roasted malts, and moderate bitterness. Yeast...dark bread and dried fruit. Carbonation and sugary characteristics define the beer. Medium-to-full body, which is nicely contrasted with the carbonation. This is a middle-of-the-road brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 20:29:48 | More by Suds

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brown angel pours dark brown into the glass with a medium sized light tan head. The foam dissolves quickly leaving spots and lines of lace on the glass.

The aroma is sweet and malty with some nutty hazelnut notes, toasted malt and hints of citrus.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is smooth and oily with moderate carbonation. The flavor begins with sweet caramel malt, some chocolate and a touch of coffee. an Earthy nuttiness is also present. It finishes mildly bitter with a touch of citrus and grass. Once gone the caramel and nutty flavor lingers on the palate.

This is a tasty, easy drinking beer that hides it's 7% abv well. A good malty beer for a hearty stew or dinner.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 22:58:38 | More by WanderingFool

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a brown color with a 1" head that lasts. Some nice lacing develops.

Smell: malt sweetness is soft and a bit of earthiness is there too.

Taste: caramel, chocolate, toffee, some dark fruits like prunes, and a moderate earthy / nutty tone. Bitterness is mild.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth at the finish.

Overall: easy to drink this brown ale. Nice flavor profile, and the bottle can easily be consumed in a short session. Worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 23:28:42 | More by Gavage

BeersCriteria

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark sienna brown with little to no head.

S- Chocolate, Roasted Coffee with a floral scent of Hazelnut & Citrus

T- This is not your typical brown ale. Normally you would think a brown ale is all malts but this is roasty with a good hop bite followed by some chocolate and coffee notes. It's a good brown ale overall but it just caught me off guard with all the hops.

Food Pairing- Beef ribs that have been rubbed with salt, pepper, cayenne, and brown sugar glazed with a chipotle bbq sauce.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 04:03:18 | More by BeersCriteria

arizcards

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber from Total Wine October 1st for $5.99. Bottled on 6/21/11.

Beer poured a murky brown with an OK tan head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is chocolate malts with a nice compliment of citrus hops.

Taste was initially a big greeting of those chocolate malts. Later sips reveal a nice chocolate malt and citrus hop combo.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and not overly smooth. There is some livliness from the carbonation.

Overall a very drinkable beer, fits the american brown mode being a bit bigger and hoppier. Definitely try this if you like browns and a fair amount of hops.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 01:08:07 | More by arizcards

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber pours a dark chestnut color with a moderate cap of tan head. Very nice lacing! Bottled on date of 8/2011.

Nose is rich and malty, burnt toffee and chocolate pudding. Medium fruit...grapes and apples lend a sweetish fruitiness to the beer and nutty yeast and fair amount of earthy/herbal hops make this a pretty complex sniffer.

Yea, nutty and floral with a nicely smooth and rich mouthfeel. Malty up front with lots of bitterness on the finish. Maybe a little too much hops for me, I would like the nice cocoa/toffee malts to be more forward...they seem to compliment the yeast notes well. I like it well enough, why cant they make this shit in six-packs? Thats a shame, paying 6 bucks for a bomber of this makes it unlikely to buy this with any regularity.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:30:39 | More by twiggamortis420

oberon

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an imperial nonic a clear rich brown with a sticky,tight one finger khaki colored head atop,two broken rings of lace were left behind.Chocolate malts,roast,and fruity esters in the nose,as the beer warmed some sweet alcohol notes came into play.Medium smooth feel to the beer,roasty and earthy with lightly sweet chocolate flavors,a light shot of "green" hops lingered in the finish.Not as hop assertive as I thought it would be but its a very good brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 21:28:03 | More by oberon

Bung

North Carolina

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

22 oz. Very dark brown pour, nice looking head of off white foam.

Aroma- Malty, molasses, some roast. Herbal hops in there as well.

Taste- There is some malt and caramel, but the roast kind of overpowers it. Almost ashy dry roast. Light herbal and pine hop sneaks in. Some dark chocolate and cocoa and more roast in the finish.

Would have liked just a little less carbonation and a little more body. Otherwise lighter side of mid and fairly easy to drink though very dry and burnt for a brown.

Was hoping billshmeinke was crazy, he's not. Starts out pretty good but fades from there.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 03:11:52 | More by Bung

tvazteca

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty good brown ale. Sweet sweet malts riding on my tongue. The beer pours a serious dark beer. My girlfriend didn't want to taste it but thought it was a tasty after some prodding.
It looks nice, with an excellent lacing of hops and malts on the rim. It has a nice malty taste to it, so delicious. The overall taste is a nice beer to enjoy on a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 02:05:31 | More by tvazteca

billshmeinke

California

2.17/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Pours a murky brown. Poor head retention. The label is sexy looking...the beer is not.

Smells chalky and dry with bitter malt fragrance. Maybe a hint of chocolate. A touch of herbal leafiness. Smells pretty bad actually.

Tastes better than it smells, which is not saying much. Dry roasty maltiness. Some oats. Quite bitter. Kinda acrid and overly roasty.

Pretty awful. I had about 4oz. and I'm sure I don't want a single oz. more.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 21:29:11 | More by billshmeinke

TenHornsProud

Colorado

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

Pours a clear amber/brown/red with a big off white head that laces.

Smells of pine hops with bread/biscuit malt, roasted, chocolate character, some coffee, and hint of astringency.

Up front caramel, bread character that goes into a bready/bitter/numbing flavor and ends on a citrus almost bubblegum flavor with hints of toffee and roast...like a citrus caramel...truly odd, but not displeasing.

Medium body with medium carbonation work well for the beer. A hint of lingering alcohol.

A bready, piney, beer that ends on a biscuit, caramel, citrus combination. Pretty good flavor...worth a try anyway.

**Edit: the beer gets a bit more complex as it warms, but a noticeable metallic taste does as well.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 00:20:31 | More by TenHornsProud

scottfrie

California

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into 25oz snifter. Thanks for this one, wyllder.

A: Pours a clear dark brown color with a large, dense, light tan head that slowly faded into a thick and long lasting film leaving a dense sheet of lacing down the glass.
S: I get notes of mild spicy hops, sweet toasted malts, a bit of citrus and some roasted nuts.
T: Flavors of citrus and earthy hops, light spicy woody taste and toasted nuts with a touch of sweet caramel, light cocoa, and a splash of coffee. The aftertaste has a nice light bitterness and a touch of fruit to it. Clean and creamy overall.
M: Creamy carbonation, medium-full body with a slick and viscous mouthfeel.
O: Rich for a brown ale and really clean and flavorful. For I style that isn’t bad but definitely isn’t my favorite, I enjoyed the whole bottle. Thanks again Eric!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 03:05:27 | More by scottfrie

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bomber from Premiere. A sweet aroma. Enormous soapy head, lacey. Long bitter finish. In a word: nutty brown. Very drinkable Hops and malting is so balanced. Better than its rating in the sense that I would serve this regular to people if available down the street. Great for the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 21:55:47 | More by northyorksammy

srandycarter

California

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Cola brown with an opaque light brown hughe. Only a ring for head. Some spot lace.

S - Light malt and somewhat briny.

T - Good malt base, small amount of heat, ends smacking good.

M - Medium body, good carb and balance. Like the clean finish.

D - Browns aren't my favorite, but this one is pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 03:20:38 | More by srandycarter

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark brown color with golden orange edges and a 1.5 finger light beige head that slowly settles into a lasting ring.  Spots of lacing left behind.

Sweet malt aroma that's slight roasty with a prominent chocolate presence.  There's also some caramel, toffee, toast and hazelnut.  In addition there is a strong floral hop character.  Slightly earthy and resinous with pine, buds and grass.  Nice.
 
Medium bodied with a blast of dry earthy hops which are slightly dry and bitter but not overpowering.  The floral hop flavor lingers over the sweet notes into a subtle dry finish.  Underneath there is a prominent silky malt character with lots of chocolate flavor.  Slightly roasted with caramel, toffee, toast and nut.  Pretty complex and decently balanced.  The hops could be toned down a bit so that the malt character can shine but other than that it's pretty good.  

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 02:56:34 | More by corby112

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Brewed the first week of February, 2011 (I didn't see the date when I picked up the bottle)

A: Nice dark brownish red color with a sood white head.

S: Some roast, brown sugar, and hops. Really nice.

T: A nice mild roastiness up front without a lot of sweetness. Then comes an odd, unpleasant flavor I can't put my finger on--almost plastic--followed by bitter, earthy and piney hops. The hops and malt don't come together, and the hops take over at the end. The beer isn't unbalanced, though, it's just that the flavors don't come together enough for balance to be a relavant concept.

M: Thinner than I would have liked, especially given the abv.

O: I like a good hoppy brown ale more than most, but this one doesn't do it for me. And the flavor really doesn't justify the abv. Maybe I should try a fresher bottle, but at the bomber price I probably won't.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 00:26:48 | More by greybeardloon

socon67

New York

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Note: Reviewed from 5oz sample

A - Pours dark brown with a serious foam head of cream color that retains well and gives nice lacing.

S - Scents of cocoa powder, caramel, and brown sugar. Getting a sweet tooth smelling this one.

T - Tastes like a candy store; chocolate, toffee, caramel, and a roasted burnt malt that gives a tiny bit of smoke to this.

M - Smooth as silk. This is a hearty brown ale that is so easy to drink and is gentle on the taste buds. Can easily kick back this on a cool evening.

O - Impressive brown ale that has a chocolatey taste. I like the dominant sweetness that makes this feel like a dessert beer. This is one angel that you want at arms reach at all times.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2011 20:54:46 | More by socon67

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

As beautiful as can be, this is a very, very dark brown, deep and completely opaque. The head is incredibly fluffy and creamy, thick and stiff, dirty white, long lasting, and leaves gobs of lace on the sides of the glass. Beautiful in every way, as is the angel on the label (despite the clown shoes...but wait, that's damn funny, so, you know, keep 'em on, girl).

Darn. This has the overly-mineral (or metallic, if you like) kind of aroma found in some Belgian stouts, or big browns, and other kinds of beers here and there. I don't like it, but recognize it as something quite natural. Just not enough of the inherent sweetness of the malt coming through, and probably too much of the hops and whatever it is in the grains that makes this happen.

Ah, damn it now, the taste mimics the traits in the aroma. I do pick up a much nuttier framework, the tongue likes that, but geez, way too much mineral/metal happening here. Or something harsh, artificial, plastic-y. Even rubbery. And burnt, burnt, burnt. Husky nuttiness pushes through, trying to save the day, and that mineral element intersects with a more roasty/toasty flavor that helps keep things at least on a somewhat enjoyable level. Very much like heavily dark roasted coffee. Hops, citrus-y and bitter, come in as well but they probably could have been dialed down, as they add to the mineral character, rather than suppressing it. Hey, I love my metal, just not in my beer.

Feel is good, slick and buoyant of body, with just the right touch of carbonation where it tickles and feels soft at the same time.

With some warming, and with some effort, you can extract the nicer qualities of the malt (nutty, roasty) and live with the rest. But it's still pretty one-dimensional and not all that impressive. Sure looks good, though.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 22:37:00 | More by Metalmonk

grittybrews

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a rich brown with a finger of khaki head. Mild aroma with hints of coffee and caramel.

Ample carbonation and a full, creamy body. Nutty malt backbone with hints of brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and a nice hit of herbal hops on the finish.

Solid all-around brew. My first "double brown" -- I could get used to these.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 04:46:52 | More by grittybrews

TheDinger

South Carolina

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bomber poured into a pint glass-

A- Soild brown with a hint of deep red. Nice 1+ finger of off white head and pretty decent lacing throughout.

S- This is where it started going downhill. A very burnt smell that was not pleasant on the nose. Wood and carmel notes at the end.

T- The burnt smell carried over into the taste. A bit too hoppy on the back end for me. A hint of alcohol on the tongue. Was missing a smooth quality to it. Would have liked some carmel/nut notes to tame the smell.

M- Good carbonation and a bit of silk. Some alcohol.

O- Just not a great Brown in my opinion. Too much burnt wood/fig smell and taste. Not smooth with the 7%. Not very flavorful or full. A bit hoppy and alcohol tasting. Probably my last Brown Angel-

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 16:43:42 | More by TheDinger