Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Dogfish Head Indian Brown ale’s bottle bills it as “A clean, well-hopped brown ale with aromatic barley, caramelized brown sugar and whole-leaf Liberty & Goldings hops.” Beer Advocate goes on to say that it is;

A cross between a Scotch Ale, an I.P.A., and an American Brown, this beer is well-hopped and malty at the same time. It is brewed with Aromatic barley and caramelized brown sugar.

I found the Indian Brown Ale to be extremely approachable and drinkable, but with no shortage of personality. Like your buddy who is really down to earth except for some harmless conspiracy theories he believes in unquestioningly.

My first impression on pouring was that the beer was a lot darker than I’d imagined. It’s really deep red brown with a very attractive cream colored head of tiny little bubbles that dissipated fairly quickly and didn’t leave any lacing at all on the glass. The aroma was first a hit of alcoholic esters, fruity. Then some roasted notes. I found a little bit of herbal hops on the nose, but far less than I would imagine from a beer that says “well hopped” on the bottle.

The flavor is amazingly complex. The interplay between hop bitterness, alcoholic fruityness and warmth, roasted malt character, and a semisweet caramel backdrop makes this beer very interesting. While there is a lot happening in the flavor, it’s all subtle enough to keep your attention without being annoying or overbearing.

I know I’ve already mentioned it but halfway through the glass I was struck again by the wonderful smell. Caramel, liquor, malt, toasted roastedness. Really well balanced.

The mouthfeel is clean and dry, but big - bubbly and round. The beer fills the mouth and tickles the tongue. Hops stay on the pallate and the bitterness becomes very clear at the finish as the caramel dissipates. A wonderful roasted flavor as well, toasty.

I’d like more hops on the nose, maybe some dry hopping would benefit this beer. It’s a little higher alcohol content than the style calls for, which is okay by me but the hops don’t balance the bitterness as I would expect from a beer with “Indian” in the name. That said, this is a darned tasty beer and, in true Dogfish Head style it kept me interested throughout.

The last thing I want to do is something new. I’ve been toying with anthropomorphic reviews from the beginning with my “what shoes” question. This time, and probably continuing in the future, I’ve come up with a whole panel of anthropomorphic questions. If this beer were to come to life, what kind of person would it be?

It would drive a 1980s Mercedes Bio-diesel conversion with a very old ski rack on the roof.

For shoes it would wear those kind of light mens’ leather work shoes that slip on with bits of elastic. Like these.

It’s favorite album would be REM, Out of Time

For a pet it would keep an Old English Sheepdog

It’s ideal weather would be 45-50 degrees, light rain, some misty fog.