Schlafly American Brown Ale - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

bnes09

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled this one fresh from the source in St. Louis, MO.

Deep, hazy orange color with a thick, creamy, off-white head that maintains itself well and leaves a thick coat of lacing.

Smells rather sweet with hints of citrusy hops.

Taste follows the smell. Very citrusy with orange and apricot. Not at all what I would have expected from a brown ale. The hops aren't too strong and are balanced nicely with the smooth malt flavor.

Medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Smooth mouthfeel and finishes sweet.

Not a bad brew yet could use some work to get the taste closer to style. Well balanced with an interesting flavor. Not the greatest yet still glad I tried it.

Serving type: cask

01-10-2010 01:30:48 | More by bnes09

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.09/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Poured from can into a pint glass

Appearance-Pours a very light brown/ deep amber color with a big and billowy two finger just off white head. The head fades quite slowly over time to leave a decent level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is mainly of a caramel sweetness mixed with a bit of a toasted malt aroma. Along with these smells are some light pine and earthy hop aromas producing a bit more of a hoppy smell then would have been expected for an American brown of its strength.

Taste – The taste starts out with a lightly toasted malt flavor with a little bit of caramel sweetness. The sweetness fades more toward the middle of the taste giving a rather dry profile to the brew. The toasted malt flavor is next met with some hop flavors of a slightly earthy and grassy nature more toward the middle of the taste. Toward the end a very light amount of a brown sugar flavor comes to the tongue. While the brown sugar arrives, the taste is still rather dry and, in the end, with a bit more hop flavors coming to the tongue, a dry, lightly roasted, and relatively thin and crisp hop flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather average. The average carbonation level helps with keeping it crisp and refreshing, although the thinner body was not too great for the roasted malt flavors of the brew.

Overall- It is on the more refreshing side and does fit into the session style that it is going for, but really a brown ale is not the best to be looking for a session with as I think it is tough to support any real toasted flavors with such a weak body. Not a go to for me.

Serving type: can

06-15-2013 00:18:59 | More by Darkmagus82

barczar

Kentucky

3.46/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brilliant medium brown with a frothy one inch cream head that slowly dissipates, leaving sticky lacing.

Aroma is comprised of toasted malt, nuts, and lightly floral hops.

Flavor reveals more nutty malt backbone, with a minerally, almost metallic finish. There's a slightly roasted taste at the finish, which leaves the palate with a bitter feeling.

Body and carbonation are moderate.

Fairly roasty and bitter, considering the style. Nothing extraordinary, but a flavorful brew. The metallic flavor is a bit offputting.

Serving type: can

06-08-2013 06:06:20 | More by barczar

russpowell

Oklahoma

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Canned Apr 15 ,pours orange no where near brown with 2 fingers of rocky cream colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Faint toastyness, some sulphur

T: Pears, leafy & grassy hops, some sulphur up front, seems more like a bitter or ESB to me. Leafy hops, a touch of oxidation & a little toastyness finally showing up as this warms. Finishes with leafy hops & astringency

MF: Medium bodied, slight carbonation turns creamier as this warms

This doesn't seem like a brown to me. I will not buy this again, reminds me more of an average ESB

Serving type: can

06-04-2013 02:54:33 | More by russpowell

secondtooth

Indiana

3.69/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a caramel-amber from can. Huge, oversized head of foam, and some thick, ornate, and detailed lace.

Nose is caramel and nuts. Very malty, and pretty well spot-on for a brown ale.

Taste is toasty and malty, with a hint of roasted nuts. I get a snappy hops presence at the finish. Overall, solid, but not world class.

Serving type: can

05-31-2013 23:19:11 | More by secondtooth

Jayhawk

Missouri

2.65/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Another entry into my crafted can tour, I found a six pack of cans at the liquor store. The box (nice touch to box it instead of using those bird killing plastic rings) claims it is based on an English brown with American hops and trial tested at their taproom. I'm not sure what those wacky St. Louis folks across the state think, but this so called American Brown Ale is much, much closer to an Irish red ale than ANY sort of brown. Therefore, I rated some areas lower because it so clearly does not represent any form of brown ale I've ever had.

A: Nice color for an Irish red or even many APAs...just not dark enough for a brown ale. Appears to lack sufficient malts.

S: Fruity, with almost no malt smell. Very nice smelling for an Irish red.

T: Weird. Initial impression is fruity, ale-ish goodness...but leaves a lingering taste of lawn in your mouth - not hoppy grass taste but kentucky blue taste. Where's the malt? Did they forget it in this can?

M: Thin, watery...not what you expect from a brown ale be it American or English.

Overall: Well, it's not so bad that I'll toss it, and I'll re-write my entire review if the next can is great. Really, either this is bad or Budweiser snuck over and brewed this for Schlafly. I normally really like Schlafly's beer, but this is one truly weird, yet unremarkable, beer that also is not representative of it's style at all...or any style really.

Serving type: can

05-28-2013 23:36:11 | More by Jayhawk

powerss13

Kansas

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

ST: In can, poured into glass

A: Darker brown look with little head

S: Roast aroma, some nuttiness to it. Get more of a malty aroma than hops

T: Roasted malt flavor with little hops. Taste light for a brown giving it a decent beer to have in hot weather without having to get too heavy of a beer.

MF: Smooth and has a good dry finish to it, making you want to take another swig.

O: Good beer to have. For a brown ale, at least comparing it to other browns that I have had, this is a lighter body making it more versatile (ie going out on a hot day).

Serving type: can

05-20-2013 22:39:47 | More by powerss13

Eaglefan344

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +3%

05-20-2013 03:13:09 | More by Eaglefan344

bigred89

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-19-2013 14:23:38 | More by bigred89

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +3%

05-18-2013 18:22:33 | More by spycow

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-18-2013 15:01:57 | More by Whiskeydeez

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.76/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce can, canned on April 4, 2013. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a clear reddish/brown color with about an inch and a half frothy off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like toasted malt, chocolate, nuts, and some grassy and herbal hops. The taste is the same as the aroma, I don't pick up any additional flavors. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit coating, and it also smooth and goes down easy. It's a solid overall brew, nice and sessionable. $7.99 a 6-pack, I'd buy this again at that price.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:34:30 | More by bluejacket74

jacewg

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +3%

05-13-2013 01:49:07 | More by jacewg

Schlafly33

Missouri

3/5  rDev -17.6%

05-10-2013 12:13:48 | More by Schlafly33

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-07-2013 20:25:39 | More by dalepryor

dt_gbpackersfan

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

04-29-2013 19:33:27 | More by dt_gbpackersfan

zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +3%

04-10-2013 02:01:09 | More by zeff80

Jamison85

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

03-27-2013 16:10:18 | More by Jamison85

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Moderate throughout, Schlafly's new American-style Brown Ale hits home with all the classic flavors found in English Brown Ales, except with a pleasantly heightened hop character to better balance the beer. And with higher attenuation, the beer's drier mouthfeel allows for greater ease of drinkability. Less fruity and an overall simplified palate gives this beer a lot to celebrate.

The beer pours with the stallwart brown color and with nearly perfect clarity, showing off garnet highlights. An off-white head of creamy stature caps the beer with great persistance and moderate lace. A solid but expected appearance for American Browns.

Medium aromas of chocolate, toast, nuts, and a grassy citrus note emits from the glass. The balanced nose never allows dominance from one aspect of the beer, but carry the scent in a melded and focused sense.

Flavors become a very direct carryover from the scent. Initial toffee sweetness from malt develops into an overall 'malty' taste that's accompanied by coco-rich chocolates, medium toast, walnuts, and somewhat rich taste of malted milk at mid palate. The hop flavor of citrus and freshly cut grasses also develop at the mid point and continutes a transition to clean grassy/citrusy bitterness to finish the beer. Where I would have preferred more attention from the hops, this beer stands just beyond what English versions perscribe.

Medium mouthfeel to start allows for the creamy carbonation to carry the beer into the mid palate. but the fleeting carbonation and quickly drying finish leaves an empty feel just before the finish. Though drinkability is high, I wish that the malty-rich body extended further and that the citrusy hop flavor and bitterness had greater showing to help round out the beer and a higher sense of dryness in the end.

Overall, Schlafly's American Brown Ale is a very easy drinking Brown Ale that's likely to complement a wide range of food pairings. Clean, crisp, and casual the beer is effortless in drinkability but yet somewhat forgetable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 17:37:35 | More by BEERchitect

jdtinthelbc

California

1/5  rDev -72.5%

01-28-2012 03:57:38 | More by jdtinthelbc

SAbeerME

Missouri

4/5  rDev +9.9%

01-16-2012 20:28:56 | More by SAbeerME

captainbearcat

Illinois

5/5  rDev +37.4%

11-20-2011 02:51:39 | More by captainbearcat

seth72104

Missouri

4/5  rDev +9.9%

11-14-2011 20:41:51 | More by seth72104

smakawhat

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured on tap at Churchkey into a tumbler.

No head given with a red chestnut to dark brown body. Orange hues accents with no lacing present.

Nose has a mild nut and light cream but a sense of wetness.

Taste has a slight cream and nut but very prickly jarring noticeable carbonation. Texture seems a little flat but palate gives slight tannic nut with a watery sense.

Overall seems like all good components are here, but all dumbed down and watery. Too bad this is one of my favorite under the radar breweries but they didn't do so great here.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 21:58:19 | More by smakawhat

DCon

Missouri

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Enjoyed on-tap @ Llywelyn's Pub in Soulard (St. Louis), MO for $5.25. Tapped from the Gold Crested Tap Handle w/ a Dragon on it into a Traditional 16oz Guinness Nonic Glass.

Beer is branded Llywelyn's Brown Dragon Ale (Brewed exclusively for Llywelyn's by Schlafly).

Aroma- Very sweet and malty from the beginning. Has a nutty backgound and very clean.

Appearance- Received with a .5 finger, off-white head that has weak retention. Has a dark brown color body that has good clarity. Barely any suds at all, forget lacing.

Flavor- Has a high malty flavor from the beginning and very sweet. Starts as if its going to be super strong but only hits the tongue like this for a second. Has a medium bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, Medium Carbonation, Smooth, but only has sweet malts on the finish.

Overall Impression- Not sure I would call this one a dragon ale! Very light bodied for the style and was hoping more hops were in here but not at all! Good and refreshing but lacks strength and character. Have had twice now from Llywelyn's.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2011 06:11:36 | More by DCon