Red Brick Brown Ale - Red Brick Brewing Company

StJamesGate

New York

3.78/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Cloudy chestnut with lumpy whipped cream tan head.
Flinty grain nose with peanut and chocolate.
Nutty granary loaf with some definite malt tartness, slight earth, and orange bark hops.
Do-si-dos finish and lean linger.
Light to medium, slight cling, smooth.

Chocolate-covered peanuts! An easy brown that never thinks of being an IBA. Silky body is the best feature here, if a touch lightweight for the strength.

A bit plain, but can't find any flaws.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 11:04:20 | More by StJamesGate

LXIXME

New Mexico

2.65/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bit above the glass gave this beer a big light brown head above a clear reddish amber colored beer.

Very dark roasted caramel malts with hints of dark fruits like apricots and maybe prunes aroma on this brown.

Dark fruits and heavily roasted caramel malts taste, very dark and heavy tasting almost borders on a dark roasted to burnt wine taste.

A heavy dark fruit aftertaste that is quite dry on this medium to full bodied beer.

Not sure about this beer, it's totally different and not in a good way, just a way I'm not used to.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 22:14:40 | More by LXIXME

jjkindalli

Tennessee

1.5/5  rDev -57.4%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Poured into a pint glass, I could tell something was wrong when it immediately threatened to foam over the top. I had two inches of beer with six inches of head; what I could see was colored a nice dark amber, though. I added a little more every 45 seconds or so 'til I was tired of waiting, then tried to drink the last couple swallows from the bottle, only to have it foam out of my mouth onto the counter. Wrong.

Smell is equally wrong, "earthy" in a decaying mildew kind of way. Reminded me of a dirty mop head.

Taste is surprisingly a little better, but when combined with the smell, whatever redemptive quality the taste lent was overpowered.

Mouthfeel was fizzy, as you might have expected, annoyingly so.

Overall, very disappointing offering from this small brewery, but reading some of the other reviews, this has to be a mistake. This was the second bottle to exhibit this type of behavior, so this one wasn't an aberration; maybe I parted out a bad six. I ended up pouring the last half down the sink, which may seem like sacrilege, but with a fridge full of other beers, it's hard to rationalize finishing this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 01:17:32 | More by jjkindalli

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: single finger head with little retention on a clear amber body.

S: sweet caramel malt, toffee and hints of dark fruit.

T: woody, toffee, nutty and caramel malts.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: as far as browns go this one is full of flavor and relatively complex.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 23:12:07 | More by kylehay2004

sommersb

Tennessee

3.33/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tasted On: 04-27-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle
Glassware: Schooner
Purchased: 6-pack from Midtown, Nashville

A: Brown and cloudy, showing a frothy head of a finger and a half. A nice amount of lace clings to the glass.

S: Caramel malts and nuttiness in the aroma, in addition to earthy hops.

T: Similar to the aromas, the taste features a slight malt sweetness with toffee and caramel notes. A fair amount of bitterness is present. Seems to also have some off-flavor I can't quite place - maybe a vegetable character.

M: Creamy in body with an average level of carbonation. Finish is dry and bitter, with some nutty flavors.

O: All in all, an OK brown, but not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 02:27:23 | More by sommersb

zeff80

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a hazy, pale brown color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled earthy and malty. It had mild pine notes.

T - It tasted earthy with some pine. It had a burnt toast maltiness with some very sweet caramel.

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

O - This is a nice brown ale. Easy drinking and sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 01:57:52 | More by zeff80

mscudder

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Dark amber brown with minimal head and lacing

S - Light spices, some malts and a nutty scent

T - Very strong on the malts and quite sweet. This is very sessionable an easy drinker.

M - Again very light and the malts just barely keep it away from what I would call watery.

O - I find this beer to be average. For a brown it may replace the Newcastle on occasions but deserves no accolades. To be concise, this is a smooth sweet brew that does not have very much complexity, but certainly may be enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 04:09:00 | More by mscudder

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

deep hazelnut brown with a small, maybe one inch tan head, Faded quickly and did not leave much behind.

Roasted nuts and caramel, pretty straightforward but down very very nicely. A touch of roasted coffee as well. Maybe a hint of chocolate. Nice nuttiness and mix of caramel. Some light hop in the back. Good all around flavor, nothing really dominating
A little slick, but nothing drastic. Decent feel though. Needed a bit more carbonation I think.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 05:38:40 | More by mikesgroove

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.65/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear dark copper with a big airy sticky white head.

Aroma is very sweet and malty with bread and cinnamon.

Starts out very bready and malty and that strange cinnamon spiciness comes through in the end. Almost taste more like a winter spiced ale than a brown ale.

Mouthfeel and carb are good although a touch on the light side.

This one doesn't do it for me. I've liked some of Red Brick's other offerings, but not this one. Just very strange for something classified as brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 18:34:47 | More by jmarsh123

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark reddish brown color with lots of tan head on it.

Smell is full of malt with maybe a hint of spice as well.

Taste is taste is extremely malty with notes of nuts, cocoa and toffee.

Mouthfeel is medium-full.

Overall a pretty decent beer despite the fact that brown ales aren't my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 23:34:10 | More by richkrull

TroubleMaker

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark amber, brown, beige head, finger of head

S: Nut, caramel, malty, hops

T: Sweet, spices, caramel, very easy to drink

M:light/ medium body, lots of carbonation

O: tastes great, very east to drink, good for all occasions, would be happy to drink again

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 02:44:11 | More by TroubleMaker

Transatlantic

Tennessee

4.45/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass

A - Beautiful dark hazy copper/brown color with an off creamy head that seems to stick around for hours! Bubbles floating up to the top with lacing starting to appear as the head finally dissipates a little.

S - Wow! Very tame malty smell of light chocolate and nuttiness. Smells exactly how the appearance would assume. Reminds me of Samuel Smiths NBA.

T - Excellent! This beer drinks very easily and is not too bitter on the palate. It's malt malt malt on the tongue. Tastes of light chocolate, light roastiness, nuttyness, and cracker like bread aftertaste. A very tame beer to drink on all occasions.

M - On the dividing line of light body and medium body. The beer coats the mouth and leaves a bit of taste behind.

O - To have year-round as an all occasion beer, this is a new favorite brown ale of mine! It's a great value beer with great taste to follow with it.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 21:03:45 | More by Transatlantic

SouthFLBeerLover

Florida

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark amber with a beige color head, decent retention and lacing.

S: Slightly on the sweet side. Some spice ovetones.

T: Sweet, with caramel, brown sugar and a hint of nutmeg. Overall, a very nice (not erxceptional though) tasting Brown Ale.

M: Good mouthfeel, not a lot of carbonation. Medium-bodied, with a malty aftertaste.

O: A good solid American Brown Ale with all the right characteristics that one would expect from this style of beer. I would definately buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 22:04:12 | More by SouthFLBeerLover

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, the beer is a dark ruby-brown coloring with a frothy, light, off-white head that starts around three inches and recedes into a one inch. Leaves a great lacing along the glass as it settles. Slightly sour and almost over sweet aromas of malt and hazelnut, with some cardboard characteristics. The beer has a light feel in mouth, remaining crisp despite the overly sweet flavors. Taste is toffee sweet, with some caramel highlights, as well. Aftertaste has a slight Nutella taste to it, and the finish is supersweet and light. This is a decent beer, but the oversweet characteristics make it a limited sipper for me personally.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 00:26:37 | More by GarthDanielson

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle at 45 degrees into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint.

A: It pours a clear light brown color with a finger of light brown head that doesn't hold or lace very well.

S: Hazelnut, caramel, cocoa, and a little hoppiness.

T: Lots of dessert-like nut flavors, chocolate, and a little of bread malt.

M: It has medium body thickness with slightly below-average carbonation and long-lasting flavors.

O: This is a tasty brown ale and light enough to drink two or three.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 05:03:30 | More by bucklemyshoe

SuperSpy

Georgia

1.68/5  rDev -52.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

The beer is a very hazy brown. Not a dark brown, but a light brown. The head is off-white and absolutely huge. It's fluffy and cloud-like. There is so much head that I actually can't pour all of the beer into the glass and it lasts so long that's it's getting to the point of annoying. It leaves some incredible lace though.

The aroma is a bit astringent. There are some traces of malt, but overall it smells rather sour.

A nice medium body but the flavor is way too sour. There is some malt flavor in there and a trace of cocoa, but it's overtaken by the terribly sour flavor. It's not even a good sour like Geuze.

*EDIT*
I thought the sour flavor was just this bottle but I've gone through four and each one is just as sour as the other. *EDIT*

Maybe this came off a bad batch, but if you're willing to sell a bad batch of beer then you deserve a terrible rating. It tastes like there may be some good flavors underneath the nastiness but I don't have the fortitude to search for it.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 21:17:33 | More by SuperSpy

JayS2629

Alabama

4.03/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Suprised. Hated the laughing skull and their oatmeal stout. The head on this opaque mahogany beer was huge off white creamy foam with great retention and beautiful thick rings of lace. The smell is of roasted malts, caramel, hints of faint cocoa and chicory. Nutty notes and earthy hops. The mouth feel is creamy, slightly chalky, thick and medium bodied. Very well done and easy to drink..

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 01:44:12 | More by JayS2629

KajII

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

[Best served in a Dimpled mug]

The pour was a hazy brown in color with a small creamy off white head that had great retention and produced some excellent lacing that stuck to the glass throughout.

The aroma had a moderate scent of roasted chocolate malts, a light flowery hop and a nice sweet leathery yeast with notes of caramel, coffee and milk chocolate.

It tasted exquisite, with all the flavors blending around the tongue in just the right way. At first it was sweet yet ever so slightly bitter with a note of coffee, and just a hint of sweet yeast. It finished with a nice bitter-sweet flavor that had a ever so light hint of chocolate at the end with the flavor lasting a nice long while on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was thick and creamy in texture and medium in body with a nice mild carbonation.

Overall an exceptional brew for its style, one that has the flavors working perfectly together giving you a fantastic drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 18:27:41 | More by KajII

JMforman

Tennessee

2.95/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got this at Tremont Tavern after the Wednesday night free pint.

A- A little too amber for a brown, but nice and clear with a good head and good retention.

S- Apple juice, ground barley (pretty potent), sweet bready malt.

T- Apples, barley, and alcohol with a bitter finish.

M- Medium

D- yeah...

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 03:10:03 | More by JMforman

jadpsu

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy amber with a fair tan head that has average staying power, better than average glass lacing.
Aroma: I get bready malts, earthy tones and some distant spicy hops, raisen and or plums.
Taste; follows aroma, the mouthfeel is creamy,malty, but also has a dry bite that I like.
Live in Atlanta area. Have had it once or twice but this review is coming from a purchase in Mississippi.
I need to buy some of this.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 01:24:31 | More by jadpsu

Avagadro

New Jersey

2.28/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A: RBB is mahagony and crystal clear, with a white head that holds up, but is rather thin.

S: bouquet is faint, yet somehow screams excess; excessive sweetness. Caramel and pecans are over-done.

T: A cloying combination of caramel, pecans, and brown sugar, topped off with a metallic twang. This is the epitome of under-attenuation.

M: sticky, flat, gross...

D: definitely not a fan of this overly sweet brew. Avoid, unless you like beer that hides its beer flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 23:16:49 | More by Avagadro

Apellonious

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a deep brownish red, with a virtually no head at all.

S- The aroma is of chocolate, vanilla, and fruit.

T-The taste is the same, with a hint of plum and some mild spice (nutmeg?). To quote the great Austin Powers, "its a bit nutty". Having a hard time placing it, to be honest. Sweet. Malty. Slightly bitter. One of the better browns I have in quite a while. Remember the old Pete's Wicked ale? Before he sold out to another company, a company which replaced his recipe with something nowhere nears as good??? The best brown ale ever. This beer could stand up to the original, though since I haven't had it in about 10-15 years it's hard to say if it truly measures up.

M-The mouthfeel is excellent, slightly slippery. The carbonation is on the low side, (see no head comment above).

D- I have had a couple of sixes of this, and finally got around to reviewing it, and I must say I am impressed.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 02:33:32 | More by Apellonious

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #40 (May 2010):

Lacing beautifully tops the reddish brown beer, inviting you as it displays its clarity. Toasted bread hints toward a mild roasted aroma in the nose, even mild chocolate, perhaps? Flavors jump from caramel to chicory, to toasted grain. Hops dig in a little bit with a citric twang and a mellow spicy bitterness that seems to grow with every sip. A hint of fruit and a kiss of alcohol rest in the middle of the palate. Toasty flavors leave a long trail of flavor in the semidry after taste.

A big Brown Ale that keeps to the lighter toasted and slightly roasted malt spectrum. Very pleased to run into this beer, as there are not enough Brown Ales to be had nor great versions like this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:29:55 | More by BeerAdvocate

tvault

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Really enjoy this beer. I live in Atlanta so I get it fresh. A personal favorite! I think it is one of the best tasting local beers in Atlanta. I am not as impressed with Sweatwater but I have not made a trip down to the brewery to sample their beer fresh

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 16:19:14 | More by tvault

Snamnoum

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - an interesting clear reddish brown hue like oxidized iron ore. Very little head to speak of. Not a very attractive looking beer.

Smell - strong wood smoke smell like its been aged in bourbon or cherry barrels. That or smoked with hickory. Toasted malt and a touch of toffee.

Taste - definitely a wood aged flavor, sweet malt, a touch of bitterness. Pretty well balance but a little dull and the finish seems to fade off into nothing.

Mouthfeel - medium bodied with moderate carbonation. The over all feel begins creamy and thins out as you swallow.

Drinability - an easy brew to drink. I wouldn't recommend this beer. Not that it is particularly bad it just lacks complexity and depth. I actually enjoyed the toasted grain and woody notes but the rest of the beer is boring.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 08:15:34 | More by Snamnoum