Old Town Brown - Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful."

--Nathanael Greene

Pecan brown with orange highlights... that becomes dark scarlet when sunlight is permitted to filter through the glass. The golden khaki colored crown looks very nice and indicates a well-brewed ale. An abundance of lace is further evidence.

The nose has more 'oomph' than beer of this style normally evinces. In particular, it's more dark malty, with an impressive amount of Hershey Bar chocolatiness. Who am I to question the use of 8 different malts when the result is this wonderful?

Old Town Brown delivers on the palate as well. I love the expert use of malt and hops, the interplay between bitter and sweet. This beer is what happens when a brewer uses quality ingredients, uses enough of them, and uses them in well thought out proportions.

Like the nose, the flavor profile is dominanted by bittersweet chocolate. It also contains baked nuts and a herbal-spicy English hoppiness (U.K. Progress) that is more aggressive than expected. The hoppiness is great, but a touch more malt sweetness would improve things even more.

Given the sheer amount of flavor, I'm surprised that the body/mouthfeel isn't a bit bigger. Hopes that it would firm up with warming haven't being realized. Even a subtle creaminess would have boosted this score in line with the others.

It's easy to see why Old Town Brown won a silver medal in the English Brown Ale category at the 2006 GABF. It's a quality brown that doesn't do anything new and different, it just does the expected things very well.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 13:59:15 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had the chance to try pretty much the entire lineup from Natty Green's and I just do not pass up the opportunity to try these things.

Nice pour here and about what I would expect. Light brown in color with a small off white head on top that faded out quickly and left only light lacing on the glass. Nice aroma of molasses and brown sugar on top of some decent malts. Warming brought out some nice sweet notes as well. Smooth even flavor here. Clean with hints of brown sugar and molasses as well as an herbal bitterness toward the back of the palate. Little light on the body for me but it was still very drinkable.

Overall a nice little sessionable brown ale, little light on the body but pretty big on the flavor. Would not mind going after this one again one day, but dont know if I would seek it out.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2009 22:50:29 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Reviewed from notes. On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a chestnut color with a light tan head and a small amount of lacing. The nose brings some light toasted malt, caramel, and a bit of a nutty characteristic. The taste is pretty tame, with some bread, caramel, toffee, and nuts. Feel is good with adequate carbonation. Nice and smooth. Drinks well enough, but nothing special. Fairly sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2010 01:00:00 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Best When Served By: BLANK. I'm sure it's fine, though. I'm sure of it!

Appearance: Pours out a clear, dark brown body with a bubbly, light beige-hued head.

Smell: A malt, chiefly nutty nose, though there's plenty of chocolate, caramel, and light roast to be found as well. Meager dehydrated dark fruits beneath the maltiness. Again: nuts.

Taste: Where I found the aroma to be largely nutty, the taste was mainly of chocolate powder. Supported by additional malty influences of sweet dark caramel, toasted nuts, and a splash of mellow coffee. Light raisin-like fruitiness. Subtle earthy hop character with a light hint of clean bitterness. Finishes smooth, sweetish, and with more of those fine malt tastes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A pleasant, tasty, low-alcohol, malt-forward brown ale. Were I to have regular access to this, I'd keep it in steady refrigerator rotation.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 17:35:04 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a meium brown but with a few lighter notes near the bottem of the pint glass with pretty thin head,aroma is lightly sweet of chocolat a touch of nuttiness.Taste is very smooth lightly sweet but not overdone I picked up even a little caramel, no earthiness or nutty tones seemed to be more a northern England style brown then a nut brown.Very quaffable for the the style in my opinion a solid brown in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2004 13:03:07 | More by oberon

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent caramel/chestnut color with a pinky of mocha colored head. Not much head retention or lacing

S: Toastyness to the nth power, some toffee

T: Much toastyness, a kisss of brown sugar & nuttyness, plus some herbal hops up front. Dryness, mineral hoppyness & toastyness blend together as this warms. Finishes dry with toffee sweetness & toastyness & just a whisper of astringency

MF: Light/medium bodied, fairly low carbonation

Pretty sessionable, nice example of a well put together English brown. Was slightly better on draft IMO

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:31:30 | More by russpowell

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz received as a bitchin extra from Onenote81.. Thanks Jon!! This is a new to me brewery... Poured into my shaped SA glass.

1" lite tan head dies back fairly quickly with a good cap and a brew that is deep brown and then just brownish red when held to a light..

Aroma is a little toffee and just a bit of a nutty maltiness... as expected for the style.. just enough going on to keep it interesting..

Flavor again has a good amount of nutty maltiness with a shotgun of lite caramel... a fairly large toasty element mid palate... as it warms a bit of chocolate emerges.. and possibly some diacetyl too... just a tad buttery.. but that's all good.. so far.. this is a nice English brown that is sorta surprising me.. even is sorta minerally too.. I like it.

the body is lite/medium with a good carbonation..

It's not often that I get a chance to try a good American Stance on such an established style.. but I am pretty impressed.. I would love to check out more Natty Greene beers... Now I just have to remember to look for them!! No kidding.. You want my Deschutes or Grand Teton locals.. let's do business :-)

Thanks again Jon on the super trade!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2009 08:33:19 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Dogfish Head Signature glass. Pours a massively dark brown with a red hue when held up to the light with a one finger off-white head that subsides to a minimal amount fairly quickly. Maintains decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma is comprised of roasted malt, chocolate, and subtle coffee beans. The flavor is of roasted malt, cream, bitter chocolate, and subtle coffee. It has a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this is a pretty nice brew. The aroma and flavor on this one are nothing at all like I expected, but this is in a good way. Well balanced flavor and aroma. Will definitely be having this one on tap next time I'm at the brewpub. I suggest you either do the same or find a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 22:18:41 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a barely translucent warm chocolaty brown with a fairly thick and rather persistend light tan head. Malty aroma has an overtone of molasses and hints of miso and caramel. Satisfying malty flavor has caramel and molasses notes and a woody hop undertone with just a bit of bitterness. Texture has average fizziness and average body. Though nothing special, it still merits at least a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 03:31:33 | More by Cyberkedi

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a nonic.
4.7% ABV, no date.

Thanks to Onenote81 for the N.C. gift pack :)

A - A moderately aggressive pour fills the pint with an effervescent dark ruby mahogany-colored beer and a quickly fleeting inch of khaki foam. Lace is absent from the pint and only a thin ring of bubbles remains.

S - The beer's aromatic, yeasty quality disappears with the head, leaving it tough-to-smell, but a swirl brings back some scents of booze-soaked wood and plum which is interesting considering it's low ABV. Slight cardboard undertones poke out around roasted malt, which imparts bittersweet chocolate and cocoa nuances though the majority of the malt is a pale base with caramel hints. Very earthy in nature.

T - Malty and straightforward, Old Town Brown has a simple base with a nice addition of roasted malt for a pinch of dark chocolate and coffee nuance to it. Subtle woody earth notes combine with dark fruit yeast esters well on the finish.

M - Highly effervescent, abundant carbonation is a bit distracting from the rest of the beer. The mouthfeel is otherwise smooth and medium bodied with a light dry and mildly acrid bitter finish.

O - Kind of all over the board, Natty Greene's Old Town Brown manages to keep a couple things consistent; detrimental high carbonation and moderate earthiness. The roasted malt works well though this beer, adding nice nuances, but the rest of it could use a little work.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 21:58:16 | More by BeerFMAndy

tdm168

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Natty Greene's in Raleigh

Pours a deep, dark brown with a thin lacing of head. The nose has notes of sweet caramel and faint toast. The taste is caramelly, sugary sweetness, faint toast, faint yeast, and there's faint earthy hop bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and lightly carbonated.

This ones a little sweet at times which for me detracts from its drinkability, but overall it's decent brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 12:49:58 | More by tdm168

Durge

Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This one has a heavy dark brown, mahogany, nearly opaque appearance. It shows a thin tan head and some lacing. I note subtle whiskey oak and raisin scents. It is fairly aqueous with tingly carbonation and a pleasant charcoal raisin flavor. Some winelike qualities. Nutty and fairly drinkable. A bit like some stouts, more so than the popular brown ales.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2008 03:04:27 | More by Durge

atsprings

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep brown almost black with a thin head that diminishes to a ring. The aroma was of dark malts with a hint of chocolate, a tad weak. The taste was very good for a brown ale, chocolate, nuts, and a hint of caramel. The beer was light and refreshing and quite enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2007 04:22:51 | More by atsprings

wedge

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark chestnut brown under a nice, creamy tan head. Creamy, nutty aroma...more toasty than roasty with a solid dose of toffee, brown sugar, and chocolate. Smooth caramel and bittersweet chocolate malt flavor. Nuts, dark bread, and a light raisin sweetness. Just a whiff of hops. Smooth, lightly drying medium body. Nice local brown ale! Not sure why I overlook this so often, but it hits the spot when wanting something malty and sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 03:33:07 | More by wedge

Onenote81

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the First Street Draught House in town. I've had this in bottle form, but this is a first on tap. Came out a dark brown with ruby edges and a good 1-inch tan head on top. Retention was fair, but there was tons of sticky lacing on the glass edge. Smells like molasses, brown sugar, toasted bread, and roasted nuts.

The mouth was creamy and smooth with a touch of carbonation on the tongue. The brown sugar that I found in the scent is also in the flavor. This is a pleasantly sweet, roasty Brown Ale. Bitterness is low. Plenty of malty goodness in this beer. I much preferred this beer on tap. Recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 17:20:26 | More by Onenote81

daliandragon

North Carolina

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

Autumn is coming and with it the return of dark beer to my beer fridge...yay. This understated brown ale pours a dark cola color with a head that withers to nothing almost instantly. The nose is more impressive with chocolate and vanilla and plenty of deep roasted malt. Smells creamy and tempting.

The flavor is robust malts throughout with some very late bittering. Mouthfeel is thin and could stand less carbonation. A little more body would give this greater character. The flavor is there but texture and carbonation put this back a notch back from where it should be.

Drinkable brown but not quite living up to it's potential.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 02:08:18 | More by daliandragon

Dope

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice dark brown with a big fluffy light brown head. Fades somewhat fast, leaving decent lacework behind.

S: Toasty crackers and a little bit of nuts. A hint of brown sugar.

T: More toasted cracker and lots of it. Mild nuttiness and just a hint of toffee and cocoa in the finish. Pretty simple but smooth and almost creamy brown ale.

M: Borderline watery, it is only 4.5% ABV after all. Not bad for the low ABV to be honest.

O: A simple and very light brown ale. Tasty enough, especially for only 4.5%. Very drinkable, balanced and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 03:19:32 | More by Dope

farrago

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Simple head of cream white, gets to about half a finger, loose and swift to dissolve, Cherry wood colored liquid, reddish hues link brown to orange zinc, clear but not exactly transparent. The nose is light in terms of weight but super-loaded with caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate pudding, cherry and black grape fruit, not much else although you get a swipe of scones and then a quick herbaceous blast. Medium-bodied, bottom heavy enough to gain traction across the palate, particularly as the carbonation is slight. More sweetness, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, milk chocolate, doesn't reach an oppressive state. The nuttiness sweet as well, not candied though. Apricot and yellow apple join the cherry, grape fruit, mixed complexion. The hops like field straw or hay, not green nor bitter. Faint metallic accent lingers at the end. Easy enough to drink, little pisses you off or, conversely, holds your attention.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 03:37:10 | More by farrago

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz.

Pours a dark opaque brown, minimal light passes through and only around the edges. Medium thick tan head, dissipates to a film and retains there.

Smells of rich caramel, coffee, roasted nuts and toasty breadiness.

Taste is of toasted buttered bread, nutty bitterness, and mild tart acidity.

Body is medium, carbonation is pretty subtle and light, mostly on the tip of the tongue and in the back of the mouth.

Overall a pretty decent brown ale, nothing to turn your nose up at, but I've had better in the style. Still, glad that I had the opportunity to get some of this and will enjoy it, and I would have it again. The taste is a bit on the bland side.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 17:31:38 | More by Cylinsier

PatrickJR

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on-tap at a Ruby Tuesday in High Point, served in a pint glass.

A - Deep brown, with some light shining through on the edges. Half inch or so of foam never really goes away, with some moderate lacing.

S - Not much to smell. Faint caramel and buttery aromas.

T - Quick chocolately burst leads into a deep caramel flavor that dries out somewhat mid palate. A creamy, buttery flavor kicks in late palate along with just a touch of earthy, slightly floral hops. Finishes fairly clean with minimal bitterness.

M - Very smooth and medium bodied, moderate carbonation.

D - A great beer with food, though not too sure I'd session this for a night. A little more off balance than other offerings from Natty Greenes.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2008 05:56:19 | More by PatrickJR

mikeg67

New Jersey

2.83/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at The Liberty in Charlotte. Pours dark brown with an off-white head and some lacing. Aroma is of toasted, nutty malt, prunes and plums. Light, smooth, quite thin body. Taste is of some toasted malt and some dark fruit. I’m not impressed with this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2012 16:54:19 | More by mikeg67

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours very deep brown, clear and slightly red at the edges, with about 1/2 finger of medium tan head. Head fades fast, but leaves some nice gobs of lacing.

Smell is pleasantly sweet. Brown sugar is the dominant aroma. Unfortunately, I don't get much beyond that. Rather simple. A touch of dark fruit on the edges, but that's about it. The smell also fades really quickly. After the first sip or two, I can't pick it up.

Taste has a little more variety, but lacks that one strong character. A mishmash of malty flavors, with nothing really standing out. A bit nutty (hazelnut), a faint hit of grassy hops. Finishes rather dry.

Mouthfeel: medium-bodied, good lightly tingling carbonation. And that dry finish again. I like it.

A well-rounded, straightforward brown ale. There's nothing really remarkable about it, but somehow it's all working together quite well. Nice, easy-drinking, reasonably tasty, and sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 04:10:49 | More by zeledonia

bboven

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler brought to a party, left in the fridge for three days.

Dark brown, clear body. Big head but fades quick and leaves no lacing.

Aroma is caramel and biscuit, the basic profile for the style, but nothing extraordinary.

Flavor has a lot of breadiness and caramel. Pretty good, really. I've had better, but not many.

Carbonation held up like a champ after three days, it was right where an English brown should be.

Good example of a brown ale. Nothing spectacular or outstanding, but a great basis.

Serving type: growler

02-27-2008 04:16:32 | More by bboven

MSchae1017

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was tasted in pint glass from the growler. THANKS TO TIMTHEENCHANTA FOR SHARING!

This beer pours a translucent brown with a creamy tan head that holds nicely without much lacing. The smell is roasted grains and slightly nutty. The taste is exploding with tons of roasted grains and nutty flavor with some hints of chocolate and coffee flavors. The mouthfeel has a medium-full bodied with smooth carbonation. Overall, a very drinkable brown. One of the best out there. Its not terribly complex but its definitely tastey.

Serving type: growler

11-13-2006 02:26:49 | More by MSchae1017

Luigi

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a rich dark brown with some ruby highlights. Light tan one finger head that does retain throughout the life of the ale. There is was a bit of sticky lacing on the glass.

The aroma is rather light but still matches the profile of this style. Carmel malt, roasted malt, a bit of sweetness from the combination of the malt and alcohol.

The flavor has a rich caramel and brown sugar taste. Now this taste was not over powering, it was just enough to match the hops. Hop flavor is mild, but does have a bit a bitterness to balance out this ale.

Medium bodied and mildly carbonated

This brown ale sticks to the style and is a great session beer. I think Natty Green's pub has done great job at brewing a traditional English Brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 19:38:16 | More by Luigi