Skagit River Steelie Brown

Skagit River Brewery is a new one to me. I was looking for something fun the other evening at New Seasons and I happened upon this one from our northern neighbors. Pouring it, my thoughts were: looks like a brown, smells like a brown. Tasting it, it certainly tastes like a brown as well. Good, now that that’s established, let’s rock. By brown, I’m talking about the somewhat fuller hoppier version popular out west here in the states (say Moose Drool or Downtown Brown). Steelie Brown fits the bill with their slightly amber-hued brown ale. It is tasty malty, with substantial but not overbearing body. I’m tasting a bit of sweetness like in an amber, but it’s mildly tempered with a light smoky flavor trailing in the aftertaste. Easing into this beer, it opens up into a nice, fairly easy drinking brown, a bit lighter and nuttier than other American browns, but still with that intriguing aftertaste. Overall, this is a pleasant ale, definitely worth checking out. It would be appropriate at any of your finer meat-laden events, such as an intimate BBQ or chicken roast (?). Or just whenever you feel like tossing one back, it’s up to you.