Samuel Adams Brown Ale
12 oz bottle, given to me by my girlfriend (random act of beer kindness), poured into a Sweetwater IPA glass. Appearance is deep red brown, hazy, with mild bubbles, a pale, thin, creamy head that fades quickly. Lacing is minimal as well - overall, a rather thin looking beer. Smell is sweet, caramel malts with a nutty backbone preside over an assortment of traditional British hops. Taste is delicate, sweet caramel malts again taking center stage, maybe a little too prominently, with slight hop bitterness around the edges and in the aftertaste. However, while everything is balanced, the taste is - overall - rather bland and thin. Nothing offensive, but nothing too noteworthy either. Mouthfeel is nice, perhaps slightly overcarbonated, but it's not too distracting. The sweet malts come through again in the texture, leaving a bit of a distracting aftertaste on the tongue, but, again, not too distracting. Full and pleasant, but again, nothing to write home about. Drinkability is decent, and I would take this over any macrolager any day. Not one of SA's finest beers, though - the thinness and sweetness begin to get to you after a while - but a decently low alcohol content and a good-faith attempt at a classic style is enough to get a decent review in my book.