Friday Brew Review – Brown Angel
Hey, you there! Ssshh… Not so loud — you’ll get us caught. Want to know a secret? It’s quite devilish. And isn’t it always fun to know something that others don’t? Ok, here goes…
At the time of this writing, it’s only Thursday!
Yes, I have finally succumbed to the pressures of having a full-time job and a bunch of trifling part-time responsibilities. So while I normally enjoy ending my workweek by coming home and cracking open a couple of cold ones, my hand has been forced elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to sipping on a delicious brew during the week, but there are certain reservations that I’ll have to work hard to shake off.
Firstly, I have to make sure not to drink too much. Or too fast. If I end up getting plastered tonight, I’ll run the risk of trying to teach kids literature while avoiding a lesson about double standards. So I’ve got to make sure not to have too much fun with the buzz I may incidentally stumble into.
Secondly, the experiment of drinking during a work night runs the risk of being too enjoyable. Although I hate any sort of slippery slope argument, I can’t help but worry that a Thursday beer will turn into a Monday thru Thursday beer. Or that it will become a Monday thru Sunday set of beers. Or, like many of my family members, decades of beers. Therefore, I am going to be hyper-vigilant and limit myself to one delicious pint.
Lastly, this post is called the Friday Brew Review. One of the primary themes behind my weekly beer-drankin’ session is that I aspire to be a sort of weekend guide, a drinker of beers who can point work-addled, alcohol-craving brains in the right direction. If I were to ever start reviewing at the mid-week juncture (Hump Day, anyone?!) then the idea of holding off until the weekend might be compromised. And since I believe instant gratification to be one of the downfalls of modern society, I cannot in good conscience stop advocating on the behalf of delayed satisfaction.
Anyways, tonight I’m drinking Brown Angel from the Clown Shoes division of the Mercury Brewing Company. There is literally no information about Clown Shoes or Brown Angel at the brewery website. Fortunately, a cursory perusal of random-ass websites has given me the impression that the Clown Shoes label is reserved for the beer-maker’s more experimental concoctions.
The first thing anyone is bound to notice when handling a bottle of Brown Angel is the brown skin lady on the label. It’s only a drawing, but this angel-winged beauty’s posture highlights some of her assets more than others. Yes, I’m talking about the woman’s fat bottom. It’s some intriguing art, especially considering that most beers are blanketed in nothing more than bland wrappers with their names on it. Maybe I’m biased (as a twenty-three year old male whose well-versed in the hyperreal depictions of women in comics), but I think that Brown Angel should be praised for its packaging.
In addition to enthralling image, the label also includes a hearty description of the beverage.
Brown Angel comes at you with three levels. At the heart of the beer is layer upon layer of pure, delicious malt. Columbus and Amarillo hops add an intense hop presence while a final layer of East Kent Goldings delivers a delicate finish.
And in a more poetic turn,
This is NOT your old school brown, but rather a sexy American interpretation.
Sexy? American? Interpretation!? Three of my favorite things in the world!
To consume Brown Angel, I transferred the liquid into a glass before sending it to my gut. The ale poured quite dark, with a haziness to the body that prevented light from shining through. A rich layer of foam appeared at the top of the glass, appearing off-white and not overstaying its welcome. Visually, this beverage is good to go.
The aroma I picked up before tasting was dark and roasted, with a hoppiness punching its way through. This same quality would stick around for coffee and dessert, defining the beer as straight-up hoppy. With that being said, there are some fruity or floral notes dancing around, but I can’t put exactly put my finger on them.
By swirling around Brown Angel, I was able to appreciate the light texture as well as an enjoyable sensation coating my mouth. The back of my tongue was instigated into perceiving full flavors and my mouth began to heat up. Perhaps this warming can be attributed to the slightly elevated ABV of 7%, which is just enough to notice a difference from most beers. In any instance, the beer feels good in my gullet.
As I’ve griped from time to time, hoppy beers aren’t really my thing. But as I stood on my porch enjoying the Brown Angel, I couldn’t help but smile. The cool breeze of spring’s conclusion hit my face while my mouth was entertained by a dry potable. I try to romanticize the hell out of life and this beer can help me do just that.
Brown Angel is a solid beer and it gets a solid grade: B/B+