The perfect label for this beer
This is a seasonal American Brown Ale from New Holland Brewing Company that I decided to give another try to over Thanksgiving. I figured I was in Michigan for the holiday so I had to maintain a fair percentage of Michigan brews.
First, this is a great looking beer in the glass. It pours smooth and has a nice dark hue.
It has a nice roasted aroma. You pick up on a mixture of nut, caramel and an almost burnt sugar smell. It isn’t unpleasant but the aroma is definitely part of the experience drinking this beer.
The taste of this beer builds on you. The first few sips are very mild and almost too light for this beer. But it builds on you. It has a sharp aftertaste that at first I could swear was soy sauce, but it seems to settle down as you work through the glass.
In the end, no surprises, I feel like I am drinking a quality a quality drown ale with the appropriate amount of roast and just a hint of bitter aftertaste.
This is a great beer to drink slowly while reading a book and watching the snow fall. It isn’t a pounding beer. Poor choice for getting tanked.
I don’t recommend it with a meal (or most brown ales for that matter) simply because it can really overpower your food. Some cheeses go well with it but I really don’t like to drink it with meat.
I give it a C+ overall. I am not the biggest fan of brown ales though so to be fair, I would bump it to a B amongst other brown ales.
