From the Brewery: 

“Forget about the car companies, this is the original hybrid. A cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale and an American Brown, Indian Brown Ale is well-hopped and malty at the same time (It’s magical!).

“The beer has characteristics of each style that inspired it: the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regimen of an India Pale Ale. We dry-hop the Indian Brown Ale in a similar fashion to our 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA. This beer is brewed with Aromatic barley and organic brown sugar.” 7.2% ABV

Purchased from Das Bierhaus in Fresno.

The Pour: 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into an IPA glass. The color is a dark reddish brown, nearly black with little light getting through. A large foamy head is poured, which retains well and leaves heavy lacing. Some carbonation is visible crawling up the glass.

The Nose: 

Medium bodied; very soft and easy going down, finishing with faint bitterness. The first flavor I get is of the sweet, roasted caramel (probably malts and the caramelized sugars). The aftertaste begins with a bit of a grainy coffee ground flavor, followed by a bit of hops mixed with lingering chocolate/caramel combination.

Final Thoughts: 

Coming from a brewery that specializes in huge hopped IPAs of many different varieties, I expected this hybrid brew to have more of a hop profile than a brown ale one. However, the reverse is true. It has just enough earthy hops to balance out the sweet caramel malts/sugar. It has a very soft, drinkable mouthfeel that make each sip go down easy. The flavor hybrid is down well, and most beer palates will appreciate this brew. 8/10.

Dogfish Head Brewery – Milton, Delaware