photo courtesy of thedisgruntled.blogspot.com
To kick off the NCAA tournament, a couple of us headed out to find lunch, beverages, and the games on TV. Fortunately, we found Anthony’s Coal Oven Pizza not far from the office. While specializing in the “well done” pizza, Anthony’s has a good lunch menu and, more importantly, games on TV, and a full bar. To go with my Paul & Young Ron pizza (meatball, sausage, hot peppers and ricotta cheese), I opted for a Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale.
Here is what Brooklyn Brewery has to say about their Brown Ale:
This is the award-winning original American brown ale, first brewed as a holiday specialty, and now one of our most popular beers year-round. Northern English brown ales tend to be strong and dry, while southern English brown ales are milder and sweeter. Brooklyn Brown Ale combines the best of those classic styles and then adds an American accent in the form of a firm hop character and roasty palate. A blend of six malts, some of them roasted, give this beer its deep russet-brown color and complex malt flavor, fruity, smooth and rich, with a caramel, chocolate and coffee background. Generous late hopping brings forward a nice hop aroma to complete the picture. Brooklyn Brown Ale is full-flavored but retains a smoothness and easy drinkability that has made it one of the most popular dark beers in the Northeast.
I found the Brown Ale to have the following characteristics…
- Appearance: Dark brown with a light, white foam and good lacing.
- Aroma: Sweet malt with hints of nuts, dried fruit and hops.
- Taste: Sweet, malty with a hint of hops followed by a smooth, somewhat short, finish.
- ABV: 5.6%
The Brooklyn Brown Ale was a good complement to my pizza. It was so good, in fact, that I had a second one. But, while it was thirst quenching, it was a little on the thin side. I am a big fan of brown ales and measure them against the Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale. As such, I had expected a bigger, fuller flavor, but the flavor was a little muted, if not, watery.
