Hello, and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists,
On this blog I have previously bemoaned the lack of brown ales being brewed, it’s a traditional style that is becoming sadly hard to find. Yes, there is the ubiquitous Newcastle Brown, many drinkers only exposure to the style, but there should be scope for more and better examples. Perhaps it’s the trend for highly hopped IPAs or the image as a ‘brown beer’ of something old fashioned bland and boring. So any chance to try a brown is good for me and this one is local and American style into the bargain.
- Name : Light User Syndrome
- Brewery: North Brewing Co., Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Hops : ‘New World hops’
- Grain : Barley and Oats
- Aroma : Sweet toffee but with hints of citrus and aged whisky barrel or fortified wine
- Appearance : Dark brown/black with little light bleed and a brown head
- Body : Full bodied, medium carbonated but with poor head retention
- Taste : Strong roast, chocolate malty at the start. Then treacle toffee with hints of citrus and a degree of dry bitterness to finish. Strong lingering aftertaste
- Dietary restrictions : Allergens highlighted
A surprisingly complex beer that manages to be multi layered and interesting. Certainly, it’s a little different to British brown ales, lacking some of the fruity tang one might expect.
At 6% there is a decent alcohol kick, and this is towards the top end of ABV for standard brown ales (being over 1% stronger than the market leader) and not a beer to be taken lightly.
Peter’s overall rating: 3.7/ 5.0
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