Pullman Brown Ale - Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks Jon for bringing this one back. A malty brown, not too sweet, with some chocolate and cocunt. Nice foamy head. Above average mouthfeel, somewhat complex. Hits the style, toasty nutty, the mollasses, and appropriate carbonation. Fresh enough, but very little sense of the hops.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 21:09:04 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Chocolate Labrador brown with highlights of cherry and orange. Only with klieg light bright backlighting does the beer fall (barely) short of opacity. The pale cinnamon colored crown is smallish, but looks fine and dandy. As does a generous amount of lace in finely speckled sheets.

The nose is American brown ale all the way. English brown would work too. Cocoa and an ale yeast fruitiness are well out in front. Unfortunately, blackstrap molosses doesn't make as much of an olfactory splash as it could have. Still, this is a solid sniffer.

It's also a solid drinker. I wholeheartedly applaud the use of molasses, as it seems to have added a boldness and a depth of flavor that beer of this style frequently lacks. More malt richness would have earned Pullman Brown a 4.5 for flavor with no trouble at all.

Bitter and sweet are balanced on a razor's edge. It tastes and feels like quite a few hops were added in order to counteract the sweetness of the molasses. In particular, the back end is hoptastic and tight. Warming helps coax out even more complexity. Specifics include brown bread, cocoa, a shot of coffee, toasted nuts, tea leaves and floral hops.

The mouthfeel seemed too light initially. Although it improves a little as the ounces pass, it doesn't quite keep pace with the rest of the beer's attributes. Proper carbonation tries to add a little silkly creaminess... and comes close to doing so.

With more malt, Pullman Brown Ale would be one of the best American brown ales to have ever entered my glass. As is, it's pretty damn delicious and just does earn the higher flavor score. I do believe that this is my favorite Flossmoor Station beer to date. Great job Bryan.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2009 14:30:06 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another Flossmoor treat for me this evening. I decided to open this one up with dinner and give it a try. It had been a long day and I new I was going to be d early to begin with, so this just made sense to go forward with. Served chilled and poured into a pint glass, it was consumed on 09/16/2009.
 
Nice pour here, looked much bigger then I would have expected from a brown ale I have to admit. Rich chocolate in color with only small touches of light peaking through giving it an almost hazelnut hue. Nice one inch head of tan foam on the top never really did fade away, instead it seemed to hang on the entire session, coating the inside of the glass thoroughly. Smooth and very sweet aroma comes up and over it almost immediately. Rich chocolate notes, lots of brown sugar and molasses and a very earthy feel to it. As I took the first sip though it is really where it started to come together quite well for me. Rich molasses And brown sugar notes coated over caramel malts and a nice chocolate base. Really quite nicely done I have to say. Great feel to it, thicker then I would have expected with carbonation that just would not quit. This was very well done I have to say. Reasonable ABV factored in and a long, smooth, silky fade of flavor that left quite a bit of a sugary note on the tongue led me to believe this was one of the most solid brown ales I have ever come across.
 
Overall this was damn good. I was actually more then impressed here, dare I say nearly blown away by how solid this one was. I would have no issue at all with grabbing for this one again, in fact I am looking forward to it.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 14:01:48 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderately-deep brown with a light tan head. Mild lacing and pretty good retention. The nose brings some light cocoa and molasses plus a bit of brown sugar and toasted bread. The taste is some roast and bread plus a bit of chocolate. Fairly plain, but backed up by a nice body. A good brown that I'd have another of.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2010 22:58:51 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a fudge brown color with a big tan head; nice stickage and plenty of lace; looks more like a porter than a brown ale

Smell: Chocolate dominates the aroma, with undertones of caramel and oats

Taste: Opens with a wallop of chocolate that adds some caramel by mid-palate; after the swallow, the chocolate continues to dominate, though there is a subtle addition of some fruity hop elements

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; the oats definitely add some creaminess to the mouthfeel

Drinkability: Not sure where this beer should be classified, but it is a first rate beer whatever style you want to call it

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 23:20:01 | More by brentk56

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.23/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Everyone has their take on what it means to be American brown ale. But Flossmoor pulls it off with a strikingly keen attention to balance and flavor. Careful not to flirt with porter territory and definitely rooted in the darker arenas- the beer proves to be an error-free example with much to celebrate. Let's get started...

Pouring with a dark "bark" brown hue the beer is nearly opaque, yet it seems clear because of its onyx-like sheen. The beer builds an ivory foam stance that tops the beer with dense whipped topping. Firm retention and defined lacy rings celebrates the beer's high character. ...and we haven't even taken our first sip!

Appetizing aromas of chocolate and citrus meet the nose with balance and grace. Complementary malt notes of toast, deep toffee, earthy buckwheat, coffee and chicory kicks things off at first whiff. But then the hop character builds with oranges, grapefruit peels, sassafras, and fresh-cut grass. This straight-forward dialogue is conducted with clean yeast character, void of yeast-derived fruit or spice.

Beautifully balanced, it seems that just as the malty sweet taste of brown sugar, molasses, and maple greet the front of the tongue, and quick accompaniment of hops arrive. Their contributions of juicy grapefruit and orange juice balances the malt taste and take on its sweetness in finish with elements of woody, grassy, and medium resin bitterness. In between, the taste of walnut, buttered toast, and damp sod becomes the bridge between malt and hops.

Medium bodied, the beer seems remarkably light even when the taste wants to celebrate its robust taste. The pep of carbonation dissolves into the malt sweetness and dextrin-rich body very well for its creamy-dry texture from beginning until finish. Warm on the back end, the beer also finishes toasty and lightly resinous because of hop dry-stickiness.

Though not as hop-forward as Dogfish Head's India Brown Ale (IBA) but not as English-y as Avery Ellie's Brown Ale, the beer is crying out for a pairing of savory meat loaf with red-eye gravy. Do yourself a favor....

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 06:31:55 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a nonic pint glass at the brewpub.

My first beer of the day, first ever from the Station, and the beginning of my Kapowski Day adventure in Flossmoor. Slick burnt sienna roars into the glass, a finger of ecru foam recalling the steam at trainstops of yore. The air abounds with light maple syrup, cedar, brown sugar, and a soft breeze of roasted malts. Maybe it's this air, maybe it's the beer running into my mouth (it's hard to tell sometimes), but I can distinctly taste brown sugar, roasted malts, light maple syrup, light molasses, and a brief fling with oak. Okay, I figured it out: It was the beer, which went down nicely thanks to a medium body and a light moderate carbonation. While I watched the Fighting Sioux get taken down by the Gophers on ice, I didn't want to put this one down. Things are boding well for this day at the brewpub.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 19:38:33 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Just found this in the back of beer fridge and realized it was a top 10 American Brown ale...yes please. Beer is nearly still, completely uncarbonated, dark brown, bordering on black. No lacing and nearly no head. Not off to a great start are we?

Aroma is nice though, good level of roast and sweetness / molasses in the nose. Smells good.

Beer is a little thin, surprisingly, and has this kind of late lingering bitterness from the roast. It is not unpleasant. The lead off here is the sweetness, giving way to a vacant midpalate and some nice bitterness / coffee / roast at the end of palate. it tastes good but I think a lot more could have been done ot connect the palate throughout.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2011 01:12:15 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a clear, copper/brown color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left soapy patches of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled nutty and roasty with caramel notes.

T - It tasted fairly nutty with toffee, caramel and roasted maltiness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry, snappy finish.

O - This was a pretty nice brown ale. Really a great sessionable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2011 03:19:52 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With all the love the rotating Flossmoor IPAs get I figured I should also give one of their regular offerings a chance. Served in a Pisgah pint glass.

A - Huge dark tan head with big bubbles that slowly dissipates but doesn't leave much in the way of lacing. Eventually settles to thick cap over a near-black body with a hint of lighter brown at the bottom of the glass.

S - Huge baker's chocolate, multi-grain bread, and nut smell, with hints of anise, spice, molasses, and coffee. There's a little bit of soapiness (perhaps from Cascade hops) in there too, but it isn't overly distracting.

T - The taste is heavy in roasted malts, with more of the multi-grain character coming through. Definitely not as sweet as I was expecting from the smell - maybe only a hint of molasses and caramel. Bitter burnt coffee finish that is a bit out of proportion to the rest of the flavor.

M - Yikes - too much carbonation - it burns! I suppose that's preferable to lack of carbonation, as at least I can stir this for a bit to calm it down. However, the out of the bottle feel is gritty (even chalky), and leaves a sticky residue that accompanies the bitter aftertaste.

D - The low ABV makes this pretty easy going, but the fierce bitter roastiness and high carbonation are turning me off. Perhaps this bottle is too old (still has Matt Van Wyck on the label,although that doesn't mean a ton as god knows how many bottles were pre-made before he left), but there's a huge disconnect between the smell and the taste/feel. I'll still finish this bomber, but I may have to try this on-tap to make sure that this is what Flossmoor intended.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 20:15:11 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with a ruby mahogany glint at the edges. A finger or so of creamy tan foam. Retention is ok, not the best.

Aroma is robust and roasty, approaches a porter, but dials it in, focusing on malty nuances and tobacco notes. Slightly sweet, more of a dry woodiness with a hint at coffee. One of the biggest, most appealing Brown Ales in recent memory.

Sweetish at first, mild bitterness, segueing into dry roast in the finish. Bittersweet bakers chocolate. Mild woody roast malt flavors that linger long into the finish. Medium bodied and sessionable. This is a seasonal favorite that I go back to again and again.

They probably sit on shelves at some places, accounting for the bad bottles some have reviewed. Fresh is best...

Get down like Buck Rodgers!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 02:41:05 | More by emerge077

Wasatch

Utah

4.38/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to stonequarrywest for this brew.

22oz. Bomber

Pours a very nice clean/clear deep brown color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tan head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some chocolate, toffee, roast. The taste is very nice, malty, sweet, with very nice notes of chocolate, toffee, with some roastyness. Medium body. Very drinkable, one of the best American Brown Ale's I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 20:57:23 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in an American pint glass)

A-Nice big creamy tan head. The body was thick and black with no visible carbonation.

S- Very clean smell but it had hints of floral hops and a bit of chocolate or roasted malt. The end had a bit of a spicy note aswell.

T- It started with a sweet but roasted barley flavor and a slight hint of chocolate. The spicy resinous hops were a balance to the malt and there was some prune or black strap molasses in the background. It finished with a slight alcoholic warmth.

M- The mouthfeel felt slippery but still creamy and there was a slight alcohol warmth at the end.

D- I feel like this beer is more of an American Brown Ale or a Porter. It has nice big hops that would make me think that it is a ABA but the awards on the wall are for best Porter. It is a nice beer but I'm not sure why it had an alcohol warmth to it. Maybe it was served to young and needed time to age?

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2005 00:09:35 | More by rhoadsrage

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 01/21/11 notes. Brought to a small tasting by jslot38; thanks Justin.

a - Pours a mahogany brown color with one inch of off white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of nuts, roasted malts, caramel malts, and toasted malts,

t - Tastes of caramel malts, nuts, roasted malts, chocolate, and toasted malts.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, very smooth.

d - I thought this was a very good brown ale; one of the better ones I've had. Would love to have again.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 00:57:54 | More by mdfb79

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber into a pint glass. Picked this one up at the brewery a week prior to consuming it.

Pours a pretty dense dark brown, with the tiniest bit of ruby highlights coming out along the bottom, and a nice frothy finger of tan, mocha colored head. Retains with a rich and creamy look that leaves some good looking patchy lace back. The aroma has a overall pleasant smelling burnt roastiness to it that surrounds additional notes of chocolate, caramel, and light coffee. A solid backing of floral hops pull up the back of the bouquet.

Much like the aroma, the taste is very dark, with a pervasive layer of chocolate roasted malts and coffee that mixes in some addtional toffee-like sweetness and a moderately bitter hop profile in the back. The mouthfeel is lighter-medium bodied with REALLY easy feeling carbonation but also possesses some chalkiness in the body that distracts a bit.

Wow, another staple Flossmoor beer that took me a little by surprise. I love the roasted nature of this, as it gave the profile a level of flavor that I'm not used to in Brown Ales, being almost Porterish at times. Full flavored and hugely drinkable, bottles of this would probably be a staple in my fridge if I could get it locally.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 12:20:14 | More by Kegatron

Gusler

Arizona

3.55/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark garnet to almost brown color with a light chocolate semi-creamy head that is modest in size, the residual lace a fine sheet to coat the glass. Roasted grains and light hop aromas dominate the nose. Start is slightly sweet, top is middling in mouth feel, the finish pleasantly hopped, pleasingly acidic, malt dry long lasting aftertaste. My bottle says that it was bottled and brewed by "Riverside Brewery" at least this is a drinkable beer, the previous Riverside beers I’ve sampled were totally without merit, and don’t really need mentioning.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2002 12:44:13 | More by Gusler

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A surprise treat from Ditmier from over the Memorial Day weekend... Thanks Eric!!

Pours with a thin white head... very clear deep walnut brew.

Nose smells "BROWN"... wow... deep nutty.. Herculean English Brown ... toffee and caramel without too much sweetness... lite cocoa..

Flavor mirrors the nose with some lite blackstrap and hints of something that I can only describe as smoke on the finish... the nuttiness and caramel essence all jive very well... I could not believe that Floosmoor packed this much flavor into a 6% brew.. My only real beef could be that some decisive hoppiness could help cut down on perceived sweetness... but overall, this is an excellent brown ale.. just not "American" ... Thanks a ton Eric.

3.5/4/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 07:05:00 | More by JohnGalt1

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased at the Flossmoor Station Brewery and served in a goblet. Consumed Dec 31, 2009.

Pours a dark brown (what are the chances), with small head which leaves little lace. Wow, this beer smells good: molasses, brown sugar, and lots of other deliciousness. A nice balance of sweetness, and very enjoyable. I wish this beer was a little thicker in the mouthfeel. More malt perhaps? A nice beer to enjoy as we wind down the past decade and one I look forward to having again. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 02:05:25 | More by Huhzubendah

gford217

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle courtesy of wkcyr4 poured into a pint glass.

This one pours very dark brown, darker than I was expecting with a small tan head that recedes pretty quickly and leaves only a trace of lacing.

The aroma really blew me away, probably the best brown I've ever smelled. Tons of dark roasted malts balance with the sweetness of the molasses - a perfectly balanced combination with a hint of coffee and smoke in the nose as well.

The taste picked up where the nose left off, with tons of caramel malts and some roasted coffee forming a solid backbone. The molasses really balances that roasted character before the finish provides a bit of chocolate sweetness and a hint of hops.

The mouthfeel is pretty full and the molasses consistency can really be felt as it gets almost syrupy...but not quite.

Well, this is one of the best brown ales I've ever tasted. Flossmoor continues to impress and this is no exception. Fantastic brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 23:36:41 | More by gford217

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a very rich molasses brown with a tan head hat is fleeting at best. The aroma is a bronwnie sweet cream with som bitter burnt malts and a touch of rye like hops. The taste has sweet and bitter malts. The molasses mingles very well ith such a deep roasted to burnt malt bill with good hop balancing. Makes me thnk of sweet mocha brownies with adash of grapefruit rinds jumping aroun. Adding a spicey note to the mix. A dark sweet mix with lots of chocolates and coffee flavors moving around your palate. Taste like its almost a sipping beer, but lower in abv.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2008 04:58:05 | More by scruffwhor

jrallen34

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap the brewpub.

Dark brown with a light tan head that has really good retention, decent lacing...Aroma of sweet caramel and lots of nut, coffee standouts as well as the backbone...Taste also shows off lots of coffee, a little nuts and a fresh grass hop finish.

A really nice brown ale with lots of coffee.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2010 21:02:04 | More by jrallen34

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, picked up at binny's in the south loop about a month ago...consumed during bears-vikings

appearance: poured into an imperial pint glass, very dark mahogany/black body and a creamy chocolate head and moderate retention

smell: very dry and roasty...cocoa powder and coffee grounds, strong whiffs of molasses come through as indicated on the bottle

taste: This is a pretty tasty american brown, which is a style i dont play around with that often...Strong molasses and dry cocoa/coffee pound the palate making this a dry roasty brown ale. Its a nice version of the style but i prefer the flossmoor IPA line

mouthfeel: dry and roasty

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2008 17:53:41 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got this in a trade with joe1510. Thanks Joe!

It pours a very dark brown with a small head of tan foam.

The smell is both bitterish and sweet; some notes of coffee and chocolate and some grain.

The taste is as nice as the nose. I'm getting the bitter/sweet thing with good tasting coffee notes and good chocolate, which I think is adding both sweetness and bitternes. A nice medium mouthfeel here which also describes the carbonation. It finishes with a nice bitterish kick that leaves a good long lasting aftertaste. I like.

Bottom line: Here's a nice American style Brown Ale that's plenty tasty, has a good mouthfeel, is easy drinking, and looks good in the glass. A solid example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2008 22:58:34 | More by Bitterbill

Tone

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a black color. 1/5 inch head of a tan color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of alcohol, hops, roasted malt, sweet malt, slight oatmeal, and slight yeast. Fits the style of an American Brown Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of roasted malt, hint of coffee, alcohol, hint of sweet malt, and slight wood. Overall, good aroma, body, and blend.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 15:15:10 | More by Tone

tpd975

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to fishingnet for this one.

A: Pours a nice nutty brown hue. Tall tan head, good retention and some lace.

S: Nice aromas of toasted malt, brown sugar, and nuts.

T: The roast is in the flavor as well. Nutty toffee at first with notes of darkened brown sugar. Nice doses of chocolate and coffee push through.

M: Medium in body, smooth, slick mouthfeel.

D: Damn good. A real fine brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 21:34:09 | More by tpd975