Central 28 Miss Mary Brown

**Aroma:** “Spicy hops aroma is very herbal and almost medicinal, with some dark cherry esters. Nice sweet caramel and toffee malt aroma. Hops aroma is subdued, floral and earthy.” **Flavor:** “The hops character in this beer is earthy, woody, a bit spicy, and floral, with mild bitterness—more than the nose would suggest. Notes of caramel and toffee come through well with a light body. Some tart notes in mid-palate. Hops flavors clash with the fruity yeast esters, though as it warms these work better together. Bitterness is a little low for the style, allowing the malt to linger a little too long.” **Overall:** “Nice example of the style. A decent English pale ale, but hops choices don’t quite harmonize with the malt complexity and yeast esters. A smooth round malt backbone anchors the flavor profile. Plenty of hops to keep things interesting—perhaps more than would usually be found in England—this is an American take on a British style.”

Aroma: “Smooth blend of light roast and chocolate with a touch of vanilla and coffee spiciness. Toasty. There’s burnt-toast character as well.” Flavor: “Pretty high on the dark roast character for a porter, and that masks the caramel sweetness a bit. Light-bodied, but not thin overall. The finish is dry and roasty with a slight grassy hops character.” Overall: “Interesting malt character, but still has some fruity sweetness to keep that from being the defining quality of the beer. Good balance throughout; the finish is lingering dark chocolate with hints of coffee.”

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.”