Ellie's Brown Ale - Avery Brewing Company

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very deep mahogany color. Rich nut brown hue with brilliant clarity. Big sticky, off white head. Rich roasted malts on the nose with underlying notes of nutty chocolate, leather, and plastic.

Big finish on this beer. Rich chocolate and caramel nuttiness throughout. The beer delivers a punch of well blended rich flavors in one quick sip. Big full body. Despite the heavy carbonation, the beer holds up. Lingering nutty and tannic finish with drying bitter cocoa flavors. Hop presence kicks in just in time to separate the start of the brew from the finish. Complex with a certain layered depth yet extremely concise at the same time. Big flavor for such a small brew.

Serving type: can

04-06-2012 04:01:22 | More by jtierney89

joecalderoni

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very silky, creamy dark bron color with a nice head. Right at the first smell you can smell lots of vanilla, roasted barley, almost a porter like aroma but more fruity. It has a nice medium body creamy body with touch of roastiness and molasses. A bit of chocolate in the after taste! Overall its a very nice brown ale. Definetly a most!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 18:26:07 | More by joecalderoni

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Review from 2/2011 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark, somewhat cloudy brown amber. Minimal head and no lacing. Toasted malt, some sweet malt and caramel aroma. Light toasty malt up front, a dry grass, nutty finish. Light bodied. A nice low ABV brown ale. Somewhat light flavored and not very complex.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:42:05 | More by LiquidAmber

bierguru

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A -
DEEP BROWN WITH RED HUES AROUND THE CORNERS.

S -
MALTY WITH A NUTTY BACKBONE

T -
MALTY SWEETNESS FOLLOWED BY A BOLD NUTTINESS, WITH A TOFFEE AND CHOCOLATE UNDERTONES

M -
REAL SMOOTH AND CLEAN

O -
REALLY TASTY. A REALLY GREAT SIMPLE BROWN

Serving type: can

03-29-2012 20:50:19 | More by bierguru

Murrhey

Montana

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Poured a huge four finger head, tan in color. Large bubbles but the head sticks around for a while. Nice lacing, nice retention. Dark amber color, wonderful clarity. Nice looking brew.

S- Medium bodied, toasty malts. Caramel and chocolate notes. Warm and sweet smell. A bit muted.

T- Roast malts and barley. Dark flavors with a little toasty bitterness at the end. Lovely flavors. Caramel and toffee present.

M- Heavy feeling with a little graininess. Finishes wet.

O- This is a damn good beer. Gonna buy some more for sure.

Serving type: can

03-15-2012 21:13:59 | More by Murrhey

tdm168

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a caramel, dark brown with a mountain of cascading brownish head that is dense and foamy and has fantastic retention. The nose is rich and full of caramel. The flavor has notes of burnt sugar and caramel with some underlying, very faint coffee and roasted malts. There is a faint, earthy hop character that adds balance. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, perfectly carbonated, and very smooth and easy to drink.

This is a very smooth, flavorful beer that has great balance and drinkability. I would definitely have this again.

Serving type: can

03-10-2012 21:54:02 | More by tdm168

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a conical pint glass.

The beer is a dark brown with a ruby tint that comes through in the light. A dark cream colored head is reduced to a film with big bubbles and tons of sticky lacing. It smells of roasted malts and bread. A little bit of biscuits and nuts faintly as well.

The taste is of roasted malts and toasted bread up front. Also a sweet biscuit/toffee taste is present, and a faint hint of bitter hops is in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice dry finish.

Overall, this is just a really well crafted brown ale. It goes down really smooth at 5.5% ABV and makes a good session beer. Great complexity in the taste profile.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 15:59:21 | More by JuicesFlowing

phishsihq

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ellie's Brown Ale brew pours a deep, dark brown with a minimal light tan head, that provides some decent lace throughout. Sweet malt aromas dominate, with hints of caramel and chocolate very noticeable. The sweet maltiness in the nose is also present in the flavor, with the pallet being able to pick up some brown sugar, light vanilla, and some nuttiness, in addition to stronger chocolate and caramel favors. Lighter amounts of carbonation help make this medium bodied ale smooth and creamy. A GREAT Colorado example of a classic.

Serving type: can

03-01-2012 01:24:13 | More by phishsihq

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap in a tumbler pint, the beer is a light, clear, chestnut highlighted brown coloring with a foamy, frothy, light tan head. Good head retention with a solid cling while you drink. Aromas are light coffee, cream, and nutty highlights with a toffee sweetness throughout. Flavors are smooth and super easy to drink, with a nutty, creamy backbone that is similar to peanut butter, with some fruity sweet highlights. Roasted characteristics bring the beer back down to a close, leading to a slightly sweet, nutty aftertaste. The finish is kept light and somewhat crisp by the carbonation levels, but still manages to give off a slight filmy linger on the roof of the mouth.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 17:31:23 | More by GarthDanielson

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Deep dark brown with some burgundy accents. A soft, foamy head that poked up through the can mouth when opened.

S - A great variety of sweet scents present like caramel candy, molasses, toffe. A slight spiced alcohol note, with mineral twang too. Sweet grains and some slight dried fruit skin.

T - Perfectly robust ale with a nice balance of sweet/bitter/nutty. The sweets are malted grains, molasses, with some fruit sweetness. A great bitter touch with grainy dry flavors and roasted nut presence. An overall image of oatmeal with syrup but moderately presented.

M - Great light-medium body with a very drinkable impression. Moderately carbonated and a tad dry throughout.

O - Seems to meet the standard for a great brown.

Serving type: can

02-22-2012 02:19:32 | More by BeerForMuscle

Mantooth

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Draft pour at Sammy's (Belmont, NC) into a Sweetwater pint.

A: Deep amber colored pour with minimal head and a bit of lazy lacing.

S: Roasted malt, pecans, earthy.

T: Right there with the nose.

M: A little thin, slightly effervescent opening act followed by a nutty malt headliner that barely kept my eyes open.

O: Pretty good brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2012 18:22:39 | More by Mantooth

schlimenhaumer

New York

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle with a standard pressure cap into a regular pint glass at low altitude.

A: Pours a nearly opaque dark ruby color with a one-finger slightly dark cream-colored head that dissipates rather quickly. Leaves a minimal amount of lacing on the glass.

S: Sweet burnt sugar, chocolate malts, slightly nutty. It's faint overall, but smells smooth.

T: Chocolate malts up front give way to some well-placed hop bitterness and a nutty finish with a hint of vanilla. Not incredibly complex, but surprisingly well-balanced, as the nose suggested it might be too sweet.

M: Medium-bodied with a wet mouthfeel and a little bit on the over-carbonated side.

D: While it's not excellent, this is a solid representation of the style. Because the flavors are smooth and relatively subtle, as the bottle suggests, this one is quaffable indeed.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 04:00:03 | More by schlimenhaumer

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz can received in a beer of the month six-pack from Vintage Cellar into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a dark brown, almost black, with a darker head of about 2 fingers. Dissipates slowly. Light malty smell. Roasted nutty taste, but not really strong. Nice chocolatey malt taste appears later as drinking it down. Carbonation is fine, and it goes down smooth, but has a little bit of an aftertaste, but it is not really unpleasant. Overall, an ok beer, a slightly above average brown ale.

Serving type: can

02-01-2012 02:58:24 | More by cyclonece09

TTAmod

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass.

A: Deep, deep brown that develops a thin white film. Head isn't too substantial, but the lacing is good and the head keeps what it has fairly well.

S: Smell is chocolatey with a bit of spice and a hint of vanilla.

T: Chocolate malt is dominant at beginning, but it turns into a slightly burnt brown sugar malt taste. Then the beer transitions to a slightly spicy and very, very lightly bitter. Ends with a burnt caramel taste and kiss of vanilla.

M: Mouthfeel is pretty good. Medium and not a lot overpowering carbonation, which lets the complex flavors through.

O: A miraculously complex brown ale that somehow keeps a low ABV. The flavors all work nicely together. I'd definitely pick this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 01:17:47 | More by TTAmod

budgood1

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours out of the can a deep and dark ruby colour with a dark tan half inch head. nice stickiness with a thin film of lace. chocolate malt in the nose with a hint of ripe fruit, a dash of yeastiness, and flowery hops. taste pretty much follows up what the nose already forshadowed...straightforward chocolate malt inspired profile. a tad nutty, a tiche fruity with a delicate mix of cocoa, caramel and nougat with subtle yeastiness, and just enough floral hoppiness to add another layer of flavour and provide a touch of bitterness. medium bodied. relative easy going mouthfeel. extremely drinkable.

overall this is a very nice brown ale that delivers all the goods. easy, simple and quite tasty. a perfect session ale on a cold january night.

Serving type: can

01-19-2012 23:14:09 | More by budgood1

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - very dark brownish red, poured out of a can with a nice fluffy head

S - you can definitely smell all sorts of sweet malt on this, some hints of chocolate

T - bitter sweet maltyness, tasting the chocolate that i smelled

M - very smooth and creamy ale, easy to go down and very easy on the palat as well, makin it hard to resist having more!

O - very nice for a brown ale, almost comparable to Fat Squirrel which is one of my favorites!

Serving type: can

01-18-2012 12:56:07 | More by facundoCNB

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

Review #2200. Been revisiting a few of my early-career brews, and I've looked forward to this one, remembering it as one of the better browns of those days. Let's see if it still holds such a rank: It pours a clear ruby-sienna topped by a finger of wan ecru foam. The nose is a blast of caramel, with maybe tiny corpuscles of mild cocoa and lightly toasted biscuit floating in the deep background. The taste brings in more of the same, though some roast does indeed make it through at times, even if only at Tebow-level consistency. There's some light buttered-biscuit and dark greens notes in there as well, but they also constitute tiny minorities. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel. Overall, a very nice brown, nothing overtly special, but something eminently drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 18:39:04 | More by TMoney2591

CBlack85

South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. can into a DFH shaped pint glass.

Pours a clear, deep mahogony with lots of ruby highlights when held up to the light. An aggressive pour yields a moderate sized frothy off white head that recedes fairly quickly leaving behind only a decent amount of lacing.

The aroma is big on caramel malts, and not much else. A light dusting of chocolate and just a hint of floral hops give the beer a bit of character, but there doesn't seem to be much else going on here

The flavor has a little bit more going for it than the nose. I definately get a bit more chocolate and bready malts than in the nose. As the beer warms it almost becomes a different beast altogether. I start to get some roasty and toasty notes, some biscuity notes start to poke through. I also start to see a little more hop character shine through. This is a totally different beer once it gets to around 55-60 degrees. What I initially thought was a boring, one dimensional beer, has really started to impress me. Medium/light bodied with a fair amount of carbonation.

Overall, this beer is quite nice. I suggest you serve this beer at or above cellar temp., as this is where the beer really starts to shine

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 23:48:25 | More by CBlack85

WoodBrew

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First uo tnight is Lab Tested Ellie's Brown Ale from Avery. The beer poured a deep clear brown amber with off-whtie head that lacing nicely. the smell carries carmal malt. The taste has a sweet malt start followed by roasty slight bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium body with average carbonation. Overall it is a very good brown ale.

Serving type: can

01-08-2012 03:15:43 | More by WoodBrew

LtCracker20

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a deep brown body with reddish hues. Almost no head that quickly falls to a spotty cap. Almost no lace.

S- Caramel malts, biscuit, grain, some "wet dog," and maybe some sweet milk chocolate.

T- Mostly caramel, filled in with more biscuit and graininess.

MF- Light to moderate body with flavors that don't last too long on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 01:20:50 | More by LtCracker20

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Who cares what the beer tastes like… I love the label. I don’t like dogs (except for Sophie) but I love this label for some reason. It’s cool that this is named after an actual dog. It’s Avery’s dog, from Avery Brewing Company. Anyway, let’s get to the beer.

In the Glass: It’s rather thick in the glass, and doesn’t have much head to speak of. It does have a good Belgian lace though. (See what I did there?) It’s dark, almost black in the glass, and looks like a flat soda pop after the subtle head settles.

Nose: At first it smells like any other brown should. But then you are hit with the cold caramel aroma that is hard to pull away from. The “cold” part is hard for me to explain, but when you stick your nose in the glass (not actually IN the glass) you will see what I mean. It leaves the nose with a hint of pine needles/nutty aromas.

Flavor: There is a ton of flavor all around the palate when you first take a drink. It then settles around the outside of your tongue and slides down the throat with a weak but subtle aftertaste. It’s not very carbonated, and is a lot easier to drink than say, a Newcastle. It’s only 5.5% ABV, but these could sneak up on you in a hurry.

Mouthfeel: It feels almost flat on the tongue. We drank this right out of the fridge, and I feel that a beer like this would get better as it reaches room temperature. But the mouthfeel is weak and leaves little to be desired. It’s the flavors I am after.

Aftertaste: There isn’t much of an aftertaste, but what is there is solid. It has the same nutty nuance that you got on the nose, and the burp also reminds me of pine needles. Not sure where the whole pine needles thing comes from, but this is a good winter beer.

I dig it. I like the logo, and while I am not a huge fan of a brown I would totally order this one again. Especially when it’s cold outside!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 04:18:06 | More by rickyleepotts

JWU

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into my trusty mug

A: dark brown, with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly. Nice lacing down the glass.

S: Brown sugar, chocolate, nuts, and just a hint of caramel.

T: Follows the smell pretty closely, and has a pretty consistant flavor across the sip.

M: Lighter than I would have thought, light side of medium. Carbonation is spot on, not over the top. Dries pretty perfectly at the finish.

O: One of the more outstanding Brown's I've had. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head that I would take over this would be Smutty Old Brown Dog and Abita Turbodog. What is it with all these dogs?

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 03:50:34 | More by JWU

zhanson88

Montana

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear brown color with ruby highlights. About 3/4" of tan head forms, which has pretty decent lacing and okay retention.

Smell: Smells nutty, with a bit of coffee and cocoa. Nice malty smell, without a lot of hop character. Appropriate for the style.

Taste: Very malty all around. Nutty, with lighter coffee and cocoa accents. Hop character is limited but still present.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Light-medium in body, with abundant, fine carbonation. Smooth drinking. Overall, it's a good brown ale that borders very good, but doesn't go the extra mile to differentiate itself.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 20:50:07 | More by zhanson88

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am enjoying this beer on draft at the Denver International Airport before heading back to Boston.

Appearance: a crimson brown color with a little bit of clarity. Thin layer of foam on top of the beer. Bubbles are visible on the top part of their beer.

Smell: Subtle sweet malts and bready malts. I get some other weird and funky smell, but can't distinguish it.

Taste: same as above. Simple flavors. A little biscuity and earthy too.

Mouthfeel: smooth, a little chewy, medium bodied, and medium carbonation.

Overall: a nice and simple brown ale. I have had this in a can plenty of times and happy to have it on draft.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2011 23:08:49 | More by Flounder57

GallowsThief

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out of a can into a pint glass.

A – Dark chocolate brown on pour with one solid finger of fluffy light brown head that stuck around and left a nice lacing.

S – Mocha, chocolate, brown sugar, caramel and vanilla. Very sweet smelling.

T – Lightly roasted malts, caramel, chocolate and vanilla all come right off the bat. Not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests but you can taste a fair amount. Solid pleasant hop flavor. Finishes with just touch of bitterness.

M – Creamy and smooth as can be. Medium bodied with just enough carbonation.

O – Very solid brown ale. Smell is ridiculously good. Balanced flavors and tasty. Cant go wrong with this brew. Well done.

Serving type: can

12-20-2011 00:08:08 | More by GallowsThief