Beer of the Week: Catawba Brown Bear

Here I am enjoying a Catawba Brown Bear on tap
at a Burger Bach where there's not only
awesome brews, but awesome burgers.

Beer score: 9.2

Company: Catawba Brewing Company

ABV: 5.2
IBU: 30

English brown ales don't seem all that easy to find here in the U.S., or at least they aren't for me, and that's a shame as brown ales are pretty tasty in my opinion. This Catawba Brown Bear from western North Carolina is not only a brown ale, but it's a damn good brown ale.

It pours dark into a glass, looking like a rich porter, almost a stout. The head is thick and tan in color and full of carbonation. The scent is heavy and rich, like a dark chocolate mixed with plenty of dark coffee. When this stuff hits the tongue, it releases flavors of toffee, caramel, chocolate, coffee, and more, all dark and all rich.

All in all, this is a fairly strong beer with lots of rich flavoring. It won't be for everyone, but I have to say I approve. In fact, while this beer is different enough to be used for special occasions, despite its heaviness I could still see it as somebody's regular drinking beer. In other words, it's heavy but not too heavy. If that makes sense. It does to me.

Enjoy!