Saint Arnold Brown Ale - Saint Arnold Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Coppery orange with Sunkist colored edges. This is one of the lightest browns that I've seen in quite some time. Three fingers of buff colored foam doesn't appear to be losing altitude very quickly. A chubby ring of sea foam lace has appeared, with more surely to follow.

The aroma, although not very brown ale-like, is pretty good overall. It's modestly fruity and is minimally toasted nutty. There may be a whiff of cocoa, but it's probably just the power of suggestion. According to the website, chocolate malt makes up only 0.5% of the grain bill.

Brown Ale tastes midway between an amber ale and a brown ale. Interestingly, the first half of each mouthful tastes like the former and the last half tastes like the latter. Ripe fruit and subtle cocoa linger the longest.

Sweetness and bitterness are pretty well-matched, making SABA very easy to drink. With a decrease in the ABV of at least 1.0%, this would be a tremendous, year-round session ale. Other than brown bread, fruit and nuts, the flavor delivers a hint of citric hoppiness.

The mouthfeel does what it needs to do and no more. It's medium in heft for the style and the carbonation is middle-of-the-road.

Brown Ale, especially with respect to flavor, is on the light end of the style spectrum. A little more chocolate malt might have made it better, but it's hard to argue with the beer that Saint Arnold has created. Under the cap: 'Mashtronaut'.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2008 12:14:35 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

hazelnut brown. Almost completly opaque save for a few hints of light that were wondering around on the side of the glass, giving it some tiny little hints of a reddish hue,

nice rich milk chocolate sweetness was coming through and really sweetining it up. There was then some hints of caramel malts in the back coming up and really letting you know this was a sweet little brown ale. The next flavor rocking on the nose was some subtle coffee notes and tons of earthy grains. sugary caramel and some light chcocolate notes are predominant here, with a nice touch of earthy grains making up the backround very nicely. Somel ight hints of wood and vanilla come through as it warms up and really deepen the profile, while keeping it sufficiently light. The finsi hwas dry as could be at first, but no hint of hops at all, a very sweet dry finish

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 05:37:10 | More by mikesgroove

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Thanks to jl28r1 for this bottle!

Figured this would be a good brew to accompany the inaugural episode of the new season of Breaking Bad. Dunno why. It pours a clear garnet-russet topped by a finger or so of light cream-white foam. The nose is pretty weak, barely comprising light maple syrup and brown sugar. This is a bit of a disappointment. The taste amps up the aforementioned maple syrup and brown sugar and adds a light touch of cocoa, light molasses, green apple, toffee, and a hint of roasted malts. Things have definitely improved from the smell. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a pretty smooth feel. Overall, a very nice brown, something I wouldn't mind sipping on regularly if given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 02:13:22 | More by TMoney2591

Mora2000

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear light brown color with a white head which quickly dissipates. the aroma is toffee, caramel malt and a light nuttyness. The flavor is light caramel malts, light roasted malts, some nuttyness and a light hop character. The overall flavor is pretty sweet. Light mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 22:15:52 | More by Mora2000

Gueuzedude

Arizona

2.83/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours with a frothy tan head that sits atop a brown beer that shows a hazy ruby color when held up to the light. The aroma is a mix of fruity notes of cherry, toasted malt, a light astringent burnt grain note; really the fruity note dominates though. The taste is light and sweet up front with a finish of stale malt. There is quite a bit of fruitiness here, with notes of cherry dominant. The finish is lightly phenolic and astringent with a bit of bitterness as well. For some reason this does not jive with my taste-buds, oh well.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2005 04:39:16 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Acquired via trade from breity, so a big Thank You goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light brown color, with a very thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves very little lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramel, maple, nuts and fruit with a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste is malty with mildly sweet flavors of maple, caramel and fruit up front. There's a mild hops presence that provides a little balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sweet.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, it's not one of the better brown ales that I've had. There are definitely several others in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 05:55:11 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this from Finnman, cheers!

Pours Copper with 3 fingers of pillowy pearl-white head. Above average lacing & head retention

S: Nice toasty & biscuitty malt & some herbal hops

T: Toast malt, caramel & a slight flinty dryness up front. Biscuitty malt & slight citrus hops as this warms. Finishes with biscuitty malt, a touch of brown sugar dryness & just a bit of orange peel

MF: Medium bodied with low carbonation; great balance

Super drinkability, near perfect, a dang good brown!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2008 04:37:37 | More by russpowell

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to armock for this brew.

Pours a nice clean/clear golden brown color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger creamy tan head, with some nice sticky lacing to follow. The nose is malty, slight smoke, roast. The taste is sweet, malty, slight smoke/roast. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 03:20:06 | More by Wasatch

ppoitras

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle from assurbanipaul as part of Too Much Beer (2MB) BIF. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a minimal 1/4" tan head over the slightly cloudy orangey amber brew. Head is down to swirls and rimmed bubbles in moments, with some small-bubbled lacing. Aroma is hearty grains, with a bit of a fruity tinge. Taste is kind of damp cardboard with some malt notes, and a light fruitiness in the middle and close that try to make me forget the beginning. Mouthfeel is okay, could use a bit more carbonation, and drinkability is not so great for me. Would recommend most of their other brews over this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 22:38:23 | More by ppoitras

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper with 2 fingers of foamy off-white head. Thin looking retention skims the surface, leaving some decent looking patchy swathes of lace back. The aroma has a nice doughy sweetness to it, that mixes with some spicy and floral English hop character to impart an almost gingerbread like quality to this.

The taste is sweet with toasty malt character, with notes of spice and some moderate hop bitterness, which offers some quality balance. Finishes with lingering sweetness and a touch of dry bitterness on the lips. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a mellow and creamy feel to to it, that pretty much ensures a nice drinkibility to this.

This seemed just a tad more hopped up than your traditional English Brown but I didn't mind in the least, as it brought a nice spiciness and needed balance to a fairly malty profile. I enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2009 12:00:57 | More by Kegatron

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery into a pint glass.

Pours ½ finger of beige head. Color is a clear amber copper. Good head retention.

Aroma: Nuts and toasted malts up front. Some caramel and chocolate with some earthy hops.

Taste: Much hoppier than I was expecting. Tastes like a roasted imperial red. Caramel, toffee, nuts, and light chocolate mixed with grassy, earthy, floral hops.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky.

Overall, an interesting brown ale. Very hoppy. Kind of drinkable, but I was a bit surprised with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2010 02:40:13 | More by mothman

largadeer

California

3.1/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: This is the amberest brown ale I've ever seen. Is that a coherent sentence? Not too sure, I've had a couple of beers. In any case, this shit isn't brown; I've seen darker IPAs.

Smell: All malt and no hops, which is what I'd expect from a brown. Toffee and toasted grain, semi-sweet, slightly mineral.

Taste/mouthfeel: Lots of malty caramel sweetness but not much of the toasted flavors that I normally associate with brown ales. Mild malty sweetness is present throughout without a lot of change in the finish. This is a pretty simple brew, but it's not half bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2008 00:57:50 | More by largadeer

gford217

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber that has an bright orange tint when held up to the light - doesn't look much like a brown ale really. The head is small and short-lived and leaves a ring with no lacing. It doesn't smell much like a brown ale either with a dominant candy apple sweetness, very fruity with little dark malt or hop aroma at all. Super sweet taste as well with more caramel and toffee than the aroma suggests. There is a hint of hop bitterness in the finish as well, though not much. The mouthfeel is creamy and medium-bodied with good carbonation. This is a very unique take on a brown ale though it's probably not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2008 01:42:37 | More by gford217

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear light amber color with a creamy light beige head. Good retention and lacing, but this beer is way to light for a brown ale, it would even be light for an amber!

Smells biscuity and of sweet malts. 5 different malts in this one, eh? I would bet that some special b malt is in there with the high level of caramel in the aroma. Also some mild tones of nuts and chocolate.

Toasty and nutty this brown is, with a good balance of hop bitterness. The flavor profile on it is not really doing it for me though. I want my browns to be chuggably smooth, a bit on the sweet side and chocolaty. This beer is none of that. It feels a bit rough around the edges. It's not bad by any means and is a well crafted beer, but there are many better browns out there that are more to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 23:37:33 | More by twiggamortis420

champ103

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: A clear brownish/amber color. A 1.5 finger head forms and recedes fast. Leaves some lace.
S: Earthy, sweet, and sugary. Grainy malt and yeast.
T: Lots of sweet caramel malt. Not very complex, but enjoyable.
M/D: A lighter body and a little thin. Not hard to drink. I can session this pretty easy.

Pretty average overall. I use to really like this. I tried it again recently, and either my tastes have changed or the beer has. Worth a try, but not very exciting.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2008 05:47:58 | More by champ103

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - a nice light caramel color with a lightly tanned soapy head. Fizzles down quickly but holds at a solid cap.

Aroma - just a whiff of caramel and grain, plain but not bad.

Taste - tasty caramel malt and lightly toasted grain. Clean roasty finish, quite tasty.

Mouthfeel - moderate weight, solid carbonation, complements the flavor well.

Drinkability - good stuff from ST. Arnold's, belongs on the short list of St. A's brews to try if you visit the Houston area.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2005 15:38:19 | More by brewdlyhooked13

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in trade from TexIndy, thanks for the opportunity.

Pours a clear dark amber, almost brown with a thin white head that is stingy. Aroma is of chocolate malts, and some citrusy hops. Smell is really balanced between hops and malts. Taste shows more malt than hops with some cocoa and some caramel with a orangey, grapefruity hop bite towards the end. Mouthfeel is creamy/oily body is medium to thin. Decent session brew, looks a bit light for a brown ale, but drinks great.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 04:00:41 | More by johnnnniee

bditty187

Nebraska

3.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Translucent and shinny reddish-brown, the slightly off-white head was very quick to dissipate, no lace. Fair nose, too clean… light caramel malt and very faint chocolate. The bouquet is rather neutral. Slightly above-average palate, the hops are excellently controlled yet persuading; the caramel malt and chocolate notes are nicely done. Not as dry as I’d want in a Brown. Good finish… sweet yet faintly bitter. Minimal carbonation. Light-medium body. Very drinkable… pleasing.

Thank you Morris729!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2003 14:04:22 | More by bditty187

allengarvin

Texas

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1 and a half 12oz bottles, in an English pint glass.

Appearance: Reddish-copper appearance, like an old penny. Slight bit of haze.

Aroma: Toasty, caramel malt aroma.

Flavor/Body: A number of malt-related flavors present: a little chocolate, some toasty bread, slight caramel. Not much hop taste, but enough bitterness to dry out the finish. Fruitiness slightly evident at the end, as the malt fades. Medium body, slightly lowish carbonation.

Not an exceptional beer, but not unpleasant. One good thing about beeradvocate is it's making me go back and try beers I haven't tasted in years, like this one. Makes a decent food-accompanying beer, I think.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2004 02:29:19 | More by allengarvin

lackenhauser

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Coppery/amber in color. Fairly low carbonation. Not a lot of aroma. Fairly subdued actually. Nice mellow malt flavor. Low hop bitterness. Great finish of caramel like sweetness. Good body for style. Overall an enjoyable beer. Might be a tad sweet for a brown ale but I find it quite enjoyable. Thanks mushroomcloud!

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2005 21:50:34 | More by lackenhauser

armock

New York

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a brown color with a tan head that fades fast and leaves a touch of lacing

S - Is of sweet caramel malt

T - Is pretty much how it smells sweet caramel malt

M - This beer has a medium body with lighter carbonation

D - This is one of those beers that I could drink all night it has a good taste thats easy to drink worth having sometime

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2008 22:32:37 | More by armock

Redrover

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled during a visit to the Elephant Room in downtown Austin. The beer was served in a standard US pint shaker. It is dark brown with a dense beige head.

The nose is of brown bread, brown sugar and raisins.

The taste tracks very close to the smell. It is liquid brown bread with shades of dark fruit and brown sugar. Tasty with a hint of wood smoke late.

Smooth creamy mouth adds to the drinkabilty. I liked it!

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2008 21:52:03 | More by Redrover

Pegasus

Texas

3/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a dark mahogony brown with a full tan head that all too soon vanishes, well carbonated with decent lace. Strong aroma of roasted malt and hops, hints of bitter chocolate. The flavor begins with some maltiness, less than I expected, followed by coffee and bitter cocoa flavors and a strong hop finish. Also a bit watery. Not as good as some other brown ales that I have had, so I was a bit disappointed. This is not a bad beer, but there are better examples of the style to be had.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2002 19:05:34 | More by Pegasus

BeerSox

Virginia

2.93/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into mug.

Pours a cloudy reddish-brown with a thin light tan head that settles into a strong cap. Almost no lacing.

Walnut smells mixed with light dry fruit. Light molasses smell.

Nutty malt flavors. Papery taste in the middle with a bitter finish.

Light body with low carbonation. No lingering flavors.

This beer presents well, and smells good, but bland comes to mind with everything else. There are better brown ales out there. For the price, maybe a good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2006 04:32:48 | More by BeerSox

marc77

California

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Clear ruddy bronze in hue, topped by a fluffy, slowly settling off white head. Light caramel and mild chocolate malt upfront in aroma, with hints of earthy hops and pearish esters following. Trace biscuit. Pleasant, but pedestrian aromawise. Bready, grainy malt and biscuit initially in flavor is ceded by medium lovibond caramel malt sweetness and understated hints of semisweet chocolate. Mellow, earthy hop flavor emerges late simultaneously with subtle butterscotch diacetyl. Mild hop bitterness helps lend a persistent sweetness, both caramel malt and residual dextrin derived. Light in bodied, w/ a passable mouthfeel. Finishes clean and a touch watery, with a fading impression of peppered biscuit. Certainly not rich in character, but well balanced overall for good quaffability. A good session beer, but only a couple notches above the norm for the typically insipid brown. Thanks to TXhops for sending this brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2003 17:45:15 | More by marc77