Hazel Grove Brewing Cascadian Tuxedo

Aroma: “Toasty malt with a hint of roast and chocolate and a touch of cherry and raspberry followed by piney and citrus hops. Nice toasted nut flavors. Bright chocolate, biscuit, and caramel malts followed by balanced hops and yeast esters.” Flavor: “Light malt sweetness followed by firm bitterness that sticks around well past the finish. A touch of rye or pumpernickel spice adds intriguing complexity. The hops come through more in the flavor with pine, grassy, slightly earthy, and grapefruit pith character.” Overall: “The lightly roasted interpretation of the style is endearing—it lacks the sharp edges typical of so many browns. This is what I want to drink on a crisp autumn afternoon—it’s so crushable and balanced, you could take down two of these while looking for pumpkins and still have enough of your wits about you to PR a corn maze.”

**Aroma:** “Malty, toasty malt character. Citrus and grassy hops character, though overall relatively subdued for a pale ale. Some malt complexity can be parsed out in the aroma—fresh bread crust, slight caramel. Hops are a bit subdued but still present, coming through as citrus.” **Flavor:** “Malt sweetness balances well with the hops. The hops come through more in the end with some bright citrus notes and a little grass-like character as well. Finishes slightly bitter but still clean. Hops flavor are much brighter than the aroma suggested—more juicy, tropical fruit flavors than in the aroma.” **Overall:** “Enjoyable and a more malt-forward pale ale that can still showcase some nice citrus hops character. A delicious beer that has a wonderful flavor with a mild aroma. A bit too malty and sweet for an APA—dial back on the caramel malt and up the late hops to give a bit more current APA qualities.”

Aroma: “Chocolate and biscuity malts, dark fruits, citrusy hops, light esters. The grassy character from the hops and the grainy character from the malt play off each other nicely. Toast-forward with some medium dark caramel and classic West Coast hops. Earthy, piney hops notes up front, with a touch of toast and malt sweetness.” Flavor: “Toasty malt with a bit of coffee roast. Toast and caramel with a touch of chocolate and classic West Coast hops. Grassy hops with a bit of herbal and pine. Moderate sweetness into moderate bitterness that all finishes clean and dry. Very well-balanced. A fairly hops-forward brown.” Overall: “An excellent brown ale. Malt is still up front, but the hops are there and support nicely. Malt sweetness is cut with hops bitterness perfectly, and it all finishes clean and dry. Very nice! A more aggressive hops-forward version of an American Brown than many consumers may be accustomed to.”