Abe's Ale - Rolling Meadows Brewery

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Abe's Ale was a decent beer albeit a bit sweet for my taste. The color was a good brownish amber with white head that only left a spotty lace. The smell included brown sugar and hazelnut...not overpowering....faint. The taste was very sweet and malty. Brown sugare with hints of vanilla extract were present. The mouthfeel was medium body with good carbonation. Overall it was ok....the abv made it tough to even think about sessioning.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 02:04:53 | More by WoodBrew

acurtis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

05-04-2013 01:51:43 | More by acurtis

mnphish

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22oz bottle served into a Snifter. Thanks to match1112 for this one!
Appearance is very dark brown with a vanilla colored two finger head.
The nose is inviting. Scents of caramel, malts, brown sugar, maple syrup, alcohol, and maybe some vanilla. It starts with a caramel malt taste followed by sweet sugar, maple, and a nice nutty flavor. Mouthfeel has a light to medium body and average carbonation. This is a quality brown ale from a brewery I had never heard of. I like the addition of maple syrup. Nice and sweet but not overdone.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 04:12:48 | More by mnphish

scootercrabb

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

02-28-2013 02:02:30 | More by scootercrabb

richeddi

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

01-29-2013 17:53:51 | More by richeddi

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to match1112 for another interesting BIF beer. A maple syrup brown ale? I'm intrigued. Tasted 4 January 2013, reviewed from notes.

Pour is pretty top-notch for a brown ale. Deep coffee brown; light behind it reveals it to be clear.

Smell is fantastic. Woody, with the maple syrup and sugar providing an amazing complement. The syrupy sweetness comes in high in the nose, while the woody nutty aromas come in below. Exactly what I think a brown ale should be - full of malts, sweet but not overly so, and with layers of malty sugary complexity. Dang.

Taste is quite good, though not on the level of the smell. Comes through sweet and fruity-nutty, before a shade of bitterness reminds me that I'm not drinking dessert. Oh, tasty sugary nuts. Yummy. Finish is a blend of the bitter and the sweet; and without either, the other wouldn't be quite as good.

Medium-bodied, with a frothy carbonation that fluffs it up throughout my mouth. Kinda like drinking cotton candy in reverse.

This is, quite simply, one of the best brown ales I've ever had. Excellent balance of sweetness (which is high, for sure), woody/nutty flavors, and a gentle bitterness. Yum.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 05:12:29 | More by zeledonia

JDizzle

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

12-25-2012 17:10:50 | More by JDizzle

AaronBurr

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

12-03-2012 04:21:51 | More by AaronBurr

ehammond1

California

3.65/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, match112!

Just barely clear dark chestnut in color with a moderately-sized light brown head that lasts for the duration, leaving messy, irregular, webs and bubbles of stick down the glass. Very pretty brown ale.

Aroma of brown bread and mild maple sweetness, along with some toasted biscuit. Very straightforward, though there is just a hint of alcohol as well.

A big brown ale, with flavors of brown bread, caramel sweetness (I probably wouldn't have said maple without prompting), a bit of an alcohol presence, and mild nut.

Fuller than typical body for a brown ale, which I actually find a welcome departure. Slightly creamy. Very nice.

A tasty imperial brown ale. I wish there was more of a maple presence. Perhaps I sat on this one just a touch too long.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 02:56:34 | More by ehammond1

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another bottle from Rolling Meadows thanks to match 1112. Thanks, Matt!

It pours a dark brown with another fine 2 finger head of foam. RM sure makes their beers not lacking in the foam department.

There's oodles of brown sugar and maple syrup in the smell. Sweet but not overly sweet. I also get a wee bit of the powerful abv this weighs in at.

The taste brings no great surprises from what I got in the smell. Brown sugar, maple syrup, maybe some dark chocolate that cuts any possible overly sweet tones; in fact, I find it quite bitterish in the finish. A great job in hiding the abv, I must say. Hardly noticeable in the taste and not THAT warming after the swallow. That's puzzling in a good way.

Pretty light bodied for a big beer, I find the carbonation spot on for what this is and it's more drinkable than it has a right to being. An unusual take on the style that I firmly give a thumbs up to. Oh and..the foam just never quits.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 16:10:35 | More by Bitterbill

duceswild

Maryland

4/5  rDev +2%

08-19-2012 21:49:29 | More by duceswild

jrcmlc

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%

07-05-2012 20:59:17 | More by jrcmlc

emerge077

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First visit to the brewery for growlers was a success. Cheers to Chris and Seth for hosting and showing us around.

Into a large mug it pours a reddish murky brownish shade, with a thin layer of wispy foam on the surface. Some spotty lace all around as its sipped.

Light earthy roast and minor oatmeal raisin sweetness, woody maple, some fruity yeast esters emerge after a swirl.

Full bodied and very flavorful, lots of roast and lingering maple flavors, molasses, chicory. Bittersweet chocolate and oatmeal raisin cookie, with an earthy hoppiness lending complimentary bitterness in the finish. Creamy lactose, smooth, and moreish. Hard to believe this is 9.5%, as the abv is expertly hidden. Drinkability is high considering the abv/can't put it down ratio...

This is my favorite beer from RMB so far, and really shows their potential. Can't wait to see what they turn out in their experimental series in the future.

Serving type: growler

05-30-2012 23:24:41 | More by emerge077

Moby

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

05-18-2012 23:14:59 | More by Moby

sgoro

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

04-28-2012 01:55:35 | More by sgoro

match1112

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a: an aggressive pour into a pint glass results in a light brown body with copper/amber highlights. atop the body sits a finger and half of tan head that quickly recedes to a foam cap with little lacing.

s: the nose is greeted with maple syrup, malts, some alochol from the 9.5% and some light nutty fragrance.

t: maple at first with a nice malt presence, but dominated by the high abv.

m: kinda thin for a maple syrup beer. i was expecting some stickieness with a fuller body. also has a warming finish.

o: pretty good beer from a start up brewery. wish it had a fuller body and maybe a little vanilla to compliment the flavors, but that's just me. will definatly purchase again. drink local!

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 03:48:58 | More by match1112