Grrrrrrr, baby, very grrrrrr

A wonderful beer-friend, Nate, gifted the Husband and I a growler full of Free State Brewery beer last weekend. I didn't crack it open, and was kind of afraid to without being able to finish it, knowing it would go flat before I get through a whole half-gallon. But I opened it this weekend and was super excited to learn that it contained John Brown Ale. Yummy yummy. I love me some browns. It is the mildest dark beer possible, heavy on malts, sweet, and highly drinkable.

Because I left my growler unattended for too long, I didn't realize that it was going flat anyway. John Brown Ale usually generates a creamy head, but my growler didn't quite deliver. The smell is sweet, like malted chocolate. A loverly scent for a freezing winter evening! The taste is a bit more coffee/toffee than chocolate, with a medium bodied mouthfeel, and a slightly dry finish. It just brings to mind roasted, toasted, sweet winter warmth, and I am in love all over again.