New Holland Cabin Fever Brown Ale - New Holland Brewing Company

SerialHiker

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +32.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark brown…awesome, finger thick khaki colored head formed and stayed…nice legs all over the glass…super, duper inviting…(5/5)

Smell: Caramel malts! Sweet, creamy, deep malt aroma…dark fruits, brown sugar, vanilla…I’m expecting a rich, creamy flavor…this thing smells awesome! (4.5/5)

Taste: Creamy, vanilla, toasted malt…there’s some earthy hops balancing the malts finely, creating a fantastic flavor…some coffee, chocolate, bready/sweet malts, vanilla, caramel and sugar adding tones that round out this fine brew…no alcohol heat to speak of…as it warms, the deeper chocolate notes begin to flourish…fantastic! (5/5)

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation…fluff does form creating chocolate shake taste, making my mouth salivate…ends crisply, some creamy chocolate, malt after taste…my mouth is watering for more…(4.5/5)

Overall: This is a fantastic brown ale, one of the best beers I’ve tried in a while…the creamy, malt flavor isn’t exotic by any means, but works so well here…it’s not overly hoppy or bitter, just balanced superbly…the phrase, “drinkable” doesn’t do this ale justice, I could easily drink 3 or 4 of these in a sitting and be very happy…there is no sign of the 6.8% ABV in the flavor, I’m expecting this to sneak up on me…absolutely nothing missing from this brew, I couldn’t recommend it more…go get a six pack and you’ll thank me later…(5/5)

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 04:32:46 | More by SerialHiker

centurian62

Michigan

4.78/5  rDev +30.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

One of my favorite Brown Ales. Cabin Fever is the quintessential winter brown. I am fortunate enough to get it at the brewery, however, in a bottle is pretty close to the tap. It has a fantastic malty flavor and aroma and finishes cleanly with a great malt aftertaste. If you are forced to drink one brown ale the rest of your life, this would be a fantastic choice!

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2012 16:12:52 | More by centurian62

Cryptic

Michigan

4.71/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

This by far is my favorite, has a smooth taste and easy to drink. I tried this in Holland MI and have been buying this one ever since. My only complaint is I get to full on them to fast. If you want a great beer buy this one. Really enjoy this beer and keep returning to it.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 01:58:04 | More by Cryptic

PorterLambic

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, dark brown with a creamy tan head. Clear but with only a little light getting through (and giving it a reddish hue). Head drops to chunky thick film eventually but the retention is quite good. Only knock is there is very little lace.
Smell is roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate all well balanced with a hint of hop.
Taste is coffee, toast, malt, baking chocolate, faint hops. Balance is very good.
Smooth, slightly drying with a mild warming from the alcohol bloom. Medium plus body with light, gentle effervescence. This is better than Newcastle for certain and I like some Newk.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 19:01:24 | More by PorterLambic

Catherine8189

Michigan

4.46/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap in a 16oz beer glass. Great brown ale very tasty. Aroma in wonderful with deep, rich dark chocolate and coffee notes. Dark brown color with dark tan frothy head. Caramel malts come shining through on the first taste. Creamy, full mouthfeel that coats the tongue. The beer has a lasting sweet, balanced flavor that is very pleasant. The brown le is great enjoyed with red meats and heavier foods.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2013 00:32:22 | More by Catherine8189

adamette

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Live review. Poured from the 12 oz. single that I bought at Save-On Tobacco & Beverage for $1.83 a few weeks ago into my Dark Horse pint glass.

A Nice creamy very light brown head over a brown body that appears dark but when held in front of direct light there is a nice mahogany glow there. There is also a curtain like lacing on the inside of the pint glass. Nice look indeed. 4.5

S Very nice nutty medium roast malt smell with little to no hops. 4.0

T My nose did not fool me...this is a nice, nutty brown ale that reminds me of (but does not surpass mind you) Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. If you are reading this review and have not tried Sam Smith Nut Brown, please do yourself a favor and find that beer. Back to the current beer, this is a very good craft beer and a nice example of the style. There is even a finish of a bit of sweetness in the back too. 4.5

M Nice smoothness that is not as common as it should be in the style but can be found in the better Brown Ales. 4.0

D Very good indeed. I found the bottom of the Dark Horse pint within 10 minutes and enjoyed every sip. 4.5

Notes: Really thoroughly impressed with this beer from New Holland and they show again a great understanding of yet another beer style. Bravo!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2009 05:18:47 | More by adamette

MABZ

Nebraska

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This growler was brought back from the brewery by my roommate. It held up wonderfully. The beer pours to a dark red color with a nice thick off-white head. Nice carbonation and lacing.

The smell is good. Mild biscuity malt flavors with some nice fruity esters. Reminds me of Fat Tire, but less biscuity and more fruity. The taste is just the same, but with a touch of the hops as well.

Nice medium body with a great bitterness. Seems to stimulate every small bit of my palate. The growler will probably go down quick.

Serving type: growler

07-27-2006 02:05:44 | More by MABZ

MtnBikingandBeer

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at a pizza joint on-tap and I was quite happy to see it back after several years. Very rich amber color tending more towards brown then red. Not much of a head, surprisingly full nose of malty coffee. Wonderful malty chocolaty coffee taste, although malty, not overly sweet, making it extremely drinkable. It was served at a great temperature and the carbonation level was perfect. I had it out of a bottle several nights later not knowing what to expect, but it was pretty close to the on-tap version. I will definitely be keeping a six pack of these around during the next month or two.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2007 22:01:57 | More by MtnBikingandBeer

robbyc1

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark brown ale with ruby notes, good head.

Great malt nose with butterscotch notes, slightly sweet.

The flavor carries through the smell, very malty, roasty, some interesting backbones but no hops as there shouldn't be, but nicely balanced.

Good heavy mouthfeel, lowish but good carbonation.

Impressive effort for a brown ale, almost a session beer but it would be hard to only have one. Nice going!

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 15:51:27 | More by robbyc1

neenerzig

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ending my Christmas night with this beer. Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into my pint glass. This beer pours a clear brown color with deep amber highlights around the edges when held to the light. Off-white head is about an inch thick when poured before eventually settling to a decent surface coating with nice lacing. Aromas of roasted nuts and some malt along with raisins. The raisin flavor hit my palate right upfront as well. Also flavors of roasted nut and some caramel malt. Rounded out with a touch of hops. Never had a brown ale with this much raisin flavor in it before. Something about the taste does remind me of some red wines I have had. Not a bad thing, but unique. The taste of alcohol is there a bit as well. Has a nice, fairly crisp and smooth, light to medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. easy to drink. Certainly worth a try IMO.

Eric

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 05:46:32 | More by neenerzig

Jayli

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received this one from Csmiley via Review This! BIF so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!

A: This beer pours a relatively thin looking chocolate brown that has ruby mahogany hues around the edges. Not much of a head forms and leaves spotty lacing.

S: Nose is of chocolate, roasted malts, toasted malts, coffee, and a bit of nuttiness.

T: Taste is all coffee up front nice bitter coffee. Middle is filled with roasted malts and hints of burnt malts. Finish is sweet, sweet, sweet tasty chocolate and toffee with just a touch of nuttiness.

M: Light body, moderate carbonation, thing on the tongue but slightly creamy in the coating.

D: Tasty beer, not filling, very smooth and goes down dangerously easy. This is one of the best brown ales that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2009 01:14:07 | More by Jayli

RedSpecial1

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a rich dark brown, with a very small amount of off white head. The smell is quite good consisting of lightly roasted malt primarily with a nice breadiness as well. The taste is also of roasted malts and light bread flavors, but with a very faint citrus aftertaste. The mouthfeel is smooth, but not too light for the style. This quite a drinkable beverage, especially in the winter season. Overall, I find this quite an enjoyable drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 21:59:26 | More by RedSpecial1

Tee76

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A very dark roasted brown almost black.. nice creamy head with some decent lacing that hangs around.

S: Smoke, coffee, caramel and raisin..nice combo going on here as far as smell goes.

T: Lots of caramel. and raisin along with light smoke taste and some maple syrup flavor.

M: Creamy!! and very smooth. Medium Carbonation...sits nicely on the palate.

D: Excellent Winter beer , very smooth and HIGHLY drinkable. This is the perfect beer for a cold winters night. Well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 23:14:12 | More by Tee76

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, very dark amber body with a finger-high head comprised of light tan froth.

Smell: Moderately roasty, nutty aroma, smelling of Breakfast Blend coffee, a firm shard of milk chocolate, walnuts, with a little touch of date fruitiness.

Taste: A roasty start, but not overly so, with tastes of sweetened coffee, fire-roasted nuts, light chocolate, even a little caramel in there. Small portion of dark fruitiness. Earthy, faintly leafy hops with sufficing bitterness to cut the initial malt sweetness. Roasty, toasty on the finish and into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.

Overall: A solid, soundly malty brown ale for the colder months.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 20:26:59 | More by ChainGangGuy

sharlie

Michigan

4.26/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Great brown ale that is very tasty. Aroma has dark chocolate and coffee notes that are something less common in the beers i tend to drink. The caramel malts are very noticeable on the first few tastes of beer. The creamy mouthfeel will coat your tongue. very long after taste that is balanced and pleasant. The brown ale is best served with heavier foods.s

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2013 12:26:35 | More by sharlie

dorianmarley

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is almost-black with chestnut brown hints. Great, creamy/frothy head with very nice lacing.

Nose is roasted coffee beans, but less sweet than a coffee stout. Raisins are strong, and so is chicory.

Taste is plenty of raisins and caramel. Dark, roasted hops, and a light smoke are throughout. Great, light maple syrup flavor. Light hops at the end.

Mouthfeel is very smooth. The bold flavors suggest that a bite should come, but it never does. Carbonation is light, and the frothy head gives it a nice creaminess. It could use a bit more carbonation.

Overall, a smooth, decadent beer that is perfect for a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:43:38 | More by dorianmarley

czfreeman

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Had to follow up Sand Creek's Lija's brown with something else, as it was pretty unpleasant.
Rich brown nutty tone. Nice creamy head, descends down leaving nice lacing,
Smells of toffee,carapils, chocolate malt, nice backing of biscuit. Hints of smoke, toffee, coffee, nuts, and chocolate intermingle to create what I love about brown ales.
Rich, smooth, satisfying, yet light enough to keep flavors in balance. Toffee, bitter cocoa, hazelnuts, biscuit, dark bread, pepper, nice finish of pepper/smoke/nuts/ toffee.
Mouthfeel is medium, rich enough to keep it interesting, and light enough to keep it highly drinkable.
Do I have Cabin Fever on this wintery Chicago night? Yes.
Does this fit it's name perfectly? Yes, well done NH.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 02:26:39 | More by czfreeman

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into pint glass.

Poured with a nice 2F head, and deep, deep brown color. Pretty nice lacing, too.

Smelled of charred wood, roasted almonds, cigar smoke, and a wee note o' chocolate.

Found the flavor to have a nice balance of tart cherry acidity, with a touch of bittersweet chocolate maltiness.

Pretty rich on the palate for a brown ale. Some lingering smokey aftertaste.

Brown ales have been my least favorite of all styles - but this could be the first one I actually can say that I enjoyed enough to get a six of... aw heck, maybe a case.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2009 02:04:29 | More by BeerImmediately

Vancer

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cabin Fever may be listed as an American Brown, but everything about this thick and creamy brew screams Winter Warmer (except maybe the abv).

On tap at ITAP, came out dark and opaque in the standard shaker pint. Not much tan head on the first pint, but the second pint had a good inch on top.

Big aromas of dark fruit like plum, spice and herb. Quaff added a nice toasty nut, with hints of coffee and toffee mixed among the strong malt backbone. A nice raspy hop finish inspired me for that second pint.

Rich, malty, and tasty with no alcohol bite to be found. Man, was this a good brew on tap. I look forward to another pull of this bad boy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2009 19:47:14 | More by Vancer

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark mahogoney with a fairly slight head. Smells rich and chocolatey with some nice raisiny notes and malt, without being overly sweet. Tastes even a bit better- deeply satisfying with notes of bitter chocolate, toasty malt, and a nice bitter- almost tannic- finish. Fairly full in the mouth, but both creamy and snappy. I wasn't expecting all that much- a delicious surprise.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 21:01:41 | More by Georgiabeer

GRPunk

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a imperial pint glass.

A- It was a nice deep brown, but never really developed a head. There was a light tan lace that made for decent sticking. It had a light-medium carbonation.

S- Roasted chocolate malt, coffee, and nuts.

T- Rich roasted chocolate flavor with nutty tones. It sounds odd, but I almost picked up some sort of peanut flavor.

M- Nice light carbonation and a solid feel.

D- Very drinkable.

Overall- Very flavorful brown ale. Good cold weather, lower ABV option.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2007 02:20:24 | More by GRPunk

treehugger02010

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 5

I found this bottle in the New Holland variety case I purchased at Bryn Mawr Beverage located in Rosemont, PA. I poured it into a pint glass.
Appearance: The body is a cloudy dark brown color. The head is small, nice dark egg shell color, stellar retention with nice thin lacing and small bubbles.
Smell: The aromas are roasted coffee, caramel and maybe some chocolate.
Taste: The flavors are tart, nutty and strawberry.
Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is too thin, but smooth anyways.
Drinkability: This is a great beer, but I think it's infected.
Don't drink and review.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2009 02:24:10 | More by treehugger02010

alexgash

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Mahogany root beer brown with a solid cm of whipped, khaki head. Nose of molasses, cocoa, chocolate Twizzlers, faint vanilla, and caramel. Nice. Toasted malt and nuts. Roasted chocolate flavor fills in. Light peat and earthy licorice. Hints of vanilla and sasparilla. Moderate herbal hop bitterness gently glides in and brings a little balance. Some residual brown sugar sweetness. Medium-bodied, with a smooth, mouth-coating feel. A very nice beer from New Holland and a welcome addition to Michigan's winter seasonals.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2008 02:01:24 | More by alexgash

weizenbob

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was an early Christmas gift from my Mother-on-law. 12 ounce bottle poured to a pint glass. I'm sampling this at the higher end of the suggested serving temperature for brown ale. An aggressive pour yields a two finger head of creamy bubbles that retains pretty well. The brew is deep amber in color. Sticky lacing is thick on the glass.

The aroma is a little bready. The caramelized malt is giving off a nutty fragrance. Some bitterness is detectable on the nose. Wooden earthy scents emerge from a deeper whiff as well as alcohol, which lightly tickles my nose hairs.

I've had a couple of these at colder temperatures and I must say that this beer is much improved in taste and mouthfeel up around 50 degrees. The taste immediately yields all of that caramelized malt. It's very sweet and flavorful. The flavor of baker's chocolate is perceivable. The earthy tones in the scent are somewhat mild in the flavor, but still noticeable. Also noticeable is the alcohol, which comes dangerously close to appearing boozy without crossing the line.

The mouthfeel is indeed pleasant. The beer is medium bodied and pretty sticky, but not syrupy. The carbonation provides a mild soda-like bite while the alcohol warms mildly.

On the drinkability scale, Cabin Fever is closer to desert beer than refreshment beer. It is nearly a sipper but it's flexible enough to remain appropriate in diverse situations. ABV is 6.0% (according to the label) so a lightweight like me isn't going to drink these all night. But there is a lot of flavor here, not only for the style, but also for the price. I enjoy this winter seasonal and I will most certainly be revisiting Cabin Fever next year.

---

The Two Schlitz Scale™: (see my profile for an explanation)
When I'm in the mood for a brown ale, I definitely give two Schlitz about Cabin Fever.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 19:49:25 | More by weizenbob

granger10

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First stop of the West Mich BA Gathering took place at New Holland and this beer accompanied my pizza.

Pour was a hazy copper color with an airy light yellow head that fades. Aroma is of a husky grainy sweetness with rye, floral hops are there, and there's a bit of light fruits in the background. Flavor gives me more sweet malts upfront with caramela and toffee. Rye is definitely the base of this beer and provides ample backbone. Hops are abundant but not overpowering. They begin fruity like red delicious apples then turn more floral then spicy and finally finish bitter. Body is decent, not real big but really makes this beer drinkable. Went great with the pizza. This is definitely a beer I think they should bottle. I liken it to a slightly fruitier, slightly less intense Founder's Red Rye. Almost ESBish. I'd like this on cask.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2005 13:25:40 | More by granger10