Peter Brown Tribute Ale - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Parrotshake

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky very dark brown with a finger or so of whitish
head. Not especially assertive on the nose. Brown sugar & molasses is about all I get.

Chocolaty note is followed by brown sugar, caramel, light toast and a hint of cashew. Vegetal note from the hops. Chocolate in the finish, hop bitterness comes on late. Thin in the mouth and a bit under-carbed.

Not quite what I'm looking for from an American Brown Ale, but definitely drinkable. By the end of the bomber I think it'll have grown on me a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 08:57:26 | More by Parrotshake

MrKennedy

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bomber from the International Beer Shop, thanks to bluebetty. Poured into a Mikkeller tulip.

Pours a murky, almost black colour with a little bit of red around the edges when held up to the light. Yellowy-beige foam sits atop but doesn't lace as it falls.

Smell is sweet nut, along with a little but of melted brown sugar and caramel. No real hop impact like is expect to see in a US brown ale.

Tastes plenty nutty with a solid sweetness there backing it up. Some sugary sweet flavours come in to make it seem more English than US.

Mouthfeel is solid and relatively big, some hop presence breaks up the sweetness and adds a bit of variety to this. Just a touch of heat.

Average US Brown Ale which dips its lid to the English. Plenty of nut which works, the booze or alcohol heat doesn't help, but still a decent brown ale that is PB the sweeter side.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 10:16:53 | More by MrKennedy

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours copper with a small head.
Nose is restrained but shows nutty malt, soft chocolate and sweet golden syrup. Pretty tempting.
Very nice flavours, with sweet golden syrup, nutty malt, very faint un-roasted coffee. Underneath is faint earthy hops.
Body feels slightly watery, could use more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 05:50:54 | More by CrazyDavros

warnerry

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep reddish brown with one finger of splotchy light brown head. Taste is lightly earthy malt, some brown sugar, and some subtle hops. Also a bit of molasses and coffee. Medium, creamy mouthfeel with a dry earthy finish. Overall a good brown ale, but nothing that really sticks out for me. A bit to earthy.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 02:03:42 | More by warnerry

ADZA

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I love my American Brown ales so hopefully this lives up to it and it pours a dark cherry hue with a two finger head and sporadic clingy lacing,the smell is molasses,brown sugar,golden syrup and dark cherries,the mouthfeel is just medium bodied and the tastes are pretty similar to the smell with hints of golden syrup,brown sugar,dark fruits,molasses,treacle,caramelized figs and the finish is mostly sweet with a touch of bitterness to make it real and overall very drinkable but not the best American brown around cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 09:35:34 | More by ADZA

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Snagged a bottle from Halftime for $5.99

A - Dark brown almost porter like with a 1/4 inch of tan colored head. Lacing is excellent.

S - I could smell the brown malts 1 foot away! Along side is a nice chocolate malt, pecans, and other nuts.

T - Smooth. Damn smooth. Wow I have never had chocolate so integrated in a a brown ale before. Along side of the chocolate I do get some walnuts and pecans. Damn it's good!

M - Creamy and medium bodied for sure.

Overall after so many hoppy beers tonight I finally got a solid malt forward beer with great nutty flavors, chocolates, and a slight hop finish. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 01:48:03 | More by DrDemento456

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pete's Brown (Tribute Ale)
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Appearance: Pours a deep brown with a chill haze. Off white head and good retention. A fine display of lace decorates the glass.

Smell: Chocolate, roasted malt, nutty. caramel. A really nice nose that highlights everything malt.

Taste: Robust malt character, nice nutty notes, bakers chocolate, brown sugar, espresso even. Mild hops, faint fruityness, with an even bitterness to achieve a perfect balance. Make no mistake, this is a malt driven brown ale, and has a delicious flavor.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, full flavored ale. Smooth, with a medium carbonation.

Overall: Simply put, one hell of a brown ale. A worthy tribute ale, and I wish my fridge was full of this all year round.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 01:59:18 | More by Stinkypuss

Murrhey

Montana

3.3/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Haven Gastropub. Reviewed from notes.

A- Little white head. Dark brown color.

S- Light malts and nutty smells.

T- Light malts again, bitter hops.

M- Light bodied with little carbonation. Bitter wet finish.

O- Alright. Well executed but nothing crazy good.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2012 02:57:27 | More by Murrhey

hosehead83

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a "bomber" bottle into a standard pint glass.
Dark brown in color, with a nice two-inch head of tan foam.
Aroma-Toasted malt, coffee note
Taste-Toasted malt, brown sugar, toffee, coffee with cream. Very well-balanced. Creamy, roasty, semi-dry finish. Many subtle flavors add up to great character. Softly sweet but not overly so. An excellent Brown. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 18:49:57 | More by hosehead83

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wow, really good brown ale. Served a bit too cold for my personal taste, with a medium sized light tan head that soon settled to a light cover and loads of lace. Color is a clear, deep mahoganey. Aroma is malt, toffee, cocoa, slight roast and mocha. Flavor is very similar to taste with a little carbonic tang and extremely well balanced, very true to style. Body & carbonation are faultless. Finish is short to average in length. Deceivingly drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2012 01:51:28 | More by drpimento

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Pretty good beer overall. You get the sweetness in the nose from the maple. I also picked up a little bit of nuttiness.

I like the way this looks. It is a very dark brown with two fingers of foam from the pour. The tan foam dissipates into a light scum on the top of the beer.

I like the balance of sweet and the rest of the flavors of the beer. It works well for savoring. I enjoyed this beer. I really appreciate the effort put into making it.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 00:33:25 | More by ummswimmin

superspak

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle, no bottle date. Pours slightly cloudy reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with excellent retention that reduces to a nice cap. Fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, toasted malt, cola, spicy hops, nuttiness, and light chocolate. Decent aromas here with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toasted malt, nuttiness, molasses, cola, and spicy hops. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, nuttiness, light chocolate, and spice. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Nice flavor balance. Overall this is an excellent and robust brown ale with a great flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 04:32:32 | More by superspak

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep dark brown (no kidding?) with a dark red tint in the light. Head is not remarkable and disappears to a bubbly skim/scum right quick. No real lace to speak of.

Bear Republic can throw one heck of an aroma into a beer, can't they? This one is no exception. Big nutty character wrapped in molasses, with a touch of hops to brighten it all up. Pretty simple actually, but it's such a quintessential American brown aroma, and one of the best in my memory, that I can't award it anything but the highest mark in this category.

The taste isn't quite the phenomenon that the smell is, but it's still good. Nut, molasses and hops, as in the aroma, make a bold appearance. There's also a bit of a mineral vibe, a cola-esque flavor, and a soapy tartness in the finish, none of which I'm super into. Would rather the nutty and brown sugar-sweet elements would have a chance to breathe more. Slick, slippery and light in body, yet not weak at all and amply carbonated.

More malt and less hops would have made this even better. Like many fine coffees, the taste cannot beat the smell, but it still tastes damn good.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 23:01:52 | More by Metalmonk

comfortablynumb1

California

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Like the label on this one. Always enjoy a tribute ale. Glad to cheers to Pete Brown. Even though I have never met the man, it's evident that he meant alot to the brewery. Here's to you Pete!

Poured from a bomber into a FW pint glass...

A - Pours a deep brown with a one finger tan head that dissiaptes at a fairly quick pace.

S - A good nutty smell with some brown sugar and a little roast...

T - Roasted malts, molasses, brown sugar, and a good amount of nuttiness up front. Also pick up a decent amount of earthy hops. Ends with a bit of hop bitterness...

M - Pretty thin, but I wouldn't expect much else from a brown. On the lighter side of being medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation...

O - Interesting take on the style. The hop presense make this for an interesting drink. Some might call this unbalanced, but i'm going to go with unique...

Cheers...

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 03:06:05 | More by comfortablynumb1

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I eyeball this one at my local Whole Foods all the time, and now I'm finally taking the plunge. Let's git er' done!

A: Dark brown with a reddish tinge. I think if this sucker were a shade later lighter, I might be able to see through it. However, that's not the case. The finger or so beige froth died down into sawdust quickly.

S: Almost like Nutella. Not a brown sugar bomb in the least, and with a malty, caramel, hazelnut quality that dessert-like, and quite potent.

T: Okay, this was one of the more hoppy browns I've ever tasted and I just KNOW there's an IPA in there somewhere! Kidding aside, this one suffered from an identity crisis. The trouble I had with it is that the yummy nuttiness was juxtaposed with a rather bright, almost citrus-like fruit profile that didn't quite work IMO.

M: Pretty thick, which was cool, but I got a good bit of sour lingering that was rather funky, but not entirely bad. Nice tempered sweetness. Moderate, splotchy lacing.

O: I liked this, but couldn't have it all the time. I think Bear Republic really knew what they were doing here, however, I think I prefer a straight ahead brown ale. Different strokes I guess....

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 01:51:01 | More by Chaney

brewskifan55

Mississippi

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

OK, I did a little cooking and drinking with this one.

Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass (and my red beans and rice sauce)

Appearance: Cola brown, 1 finger head that quickly dissipates; good lacing.

Smell: Nutty, malty. Mmmm...ready to sip.

Taste: Malt/nut combo with brown sugar and a clean, molasses finish. Hints of coffee round it out. Excellent!

Mouthfeel: heavy, thick on the tongue; great carbonation.

Overall: One of the best brown ales I've tried. Cooks well with red beans and rice and tastes great on the side.I'll definitely be trying more of this one. Just right for fall.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 18:53:25 | More by brewskifan55

avaldivia

California

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery.

A: Murky dark brown. Not much head or lacing.

S: Roasted malts. Good amount of a caramel character.

T: Same as the smell. Rather light.

M: Medium light bodied. Good carbonation.

O: Very well done brown ale, but not my favorite. Decent flavors, but kind of light.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2011 06:16:09 | More by avaldivia

CaptDavyJones

New York

4.3/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a really rich, dark brown color from a 22 oz bomber, with ABV on the label. Some light penetration along the sides, looks almost opaque.
Luxurious two finger head from a slightly aggressive pour that dissipates slowly and leaves some beautiful lacing.
Aroma is predominantly malty with hints of nuttiness, bread, some sweetness.
The taste upfront is nutty with hints of roasted malt bitterness intertwined with hints of sweetness. Hints of caramel could be felt. This is one delicious brew, with all it's flavor complexity and smoothness. Almost feels like a full bodied ale.
Mouthfeel is very good and the deliciousness makes this a very drinkable beer. In my opinion this is one of the finest brown ales around. Bear Republic has brewed a winner here.
Definitely worth a try and comes highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 01:20:46 | More by CaptDavyJones

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark brown in color with a wonderful tan head on top. Very nice robust look to it, almost a cedar hue to it. The aroma was a big suprise. Rich cocoa and hints of roasted malts. Touches of caramel as well as a light tobacco touch to it. Really huge brown ale here. Smooth, mellow carbonation, rich, creamy profile with each sip having to be savored time, and time again. Lots of rich caramel malts wash across the tongue with the very first sip, and so it begins as the smooth, mellow cocoa notes start to come together and mixed with a light, earthy bitter hoppines

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 01:03:42 | More by mikesgroove

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from turfy, so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malts, maple, nuts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with bready flavors of nuts and a hearty roasted malt character. Then some sweet flavors of caramel and maple come in. The hops presence is mild but complementary but strong enough to bring a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style but darker than most, this is a solid beer to drink for a long time if you’re in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 03:14:30 | More by TheManiacalOne

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky dark brown with a 1 inch puffy tan head that fades to a small cap. Tight patterns of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate bars. Taste is of roasted malt, brow sugar/molasses, and a bitter hop finish. There is also a slight nutty flavor I am getting. The bitterness sits on the tongue after each sip. There is a pretty good level of carbonation with a somewhat crisp and slightly sticky mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good brown ale but nothing too special on this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 07:26:24 | More by UCLABrewN84

SDtastentune

California

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown, small head and not much lacing.. poured slow. Has some sediments floating in the abyss.

S - Sweeter malts mixed in with some lager'ish alcohol. Brown sugar and thin molasses, not too strong though.

T - Great malty brown suger kind of thing, not too sweet but balance between darker malts and brown sugar. Kinda has a watery thin taste. Little toasty.

M - Good carbonation, lower to medium not over fizzy or prickly. Good after taste and not over the top. Little watery.

O - Good brown ale, not over the top but definitely crafty brew. Might need a little more alcohol kick or bitter hops to bring it to an imperial/double status but a great drinker for a brown ale fan. Personally I would like it a little more sweeter on the brown sugar side of things.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 21:09:17 | More by SDtastentune

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber

Appearance - The beer pours a brown colour with a large frothy and fizzy light brown coloured head. I can't see much carbonation due the darkness of the beer and there is some great lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Chocolate, malts, brown sugar, hops

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation and I can taste lots of chocolate mixed with malts and brown sugar. There is also a nice amount of hops going on. The beer ends with a chocolatey sweet aftertaste with a nice contrasting hop bitterness.

Overall – The beer has a fantastic balance, and although it is sweet is highly drinkable. It's definitely one of the better brown ale's that I've ever had and I'd buy it again for sure. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 19:24:48 | More by spinrsx

sendsilk

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle received in a recent trade.

A- Good, nice and dark and, well, brown. slight lacing.

S- Typical brown ale smell, a little light on the old proboscis with scents.

T- A decent, not great , but decent brown ale. Not my favorite style so I don't know all of the descriptors for them. It tastes brown with some brown ale highlights and brown finish.

M- Right in line with the style.

O- Solid,decent and good.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 03:00:31 | More by sendsilk

metter98

New York

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear and very dark amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that quickly died down but never completely faded away.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of nutty malts and some hints of roasted malts.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has a light amount of sweetness with some added notes of brown sugar in the flavors and hints of licorice.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate and is very smooth with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and goes down easily; I could definitely drink a few of these in one sitting and would consider it to be sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 23:33:33 | More by metter98