Salty Turtle Beer Company “Best Coast Brown”

Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.8%

After a recent round of disc golf – which was exceptionally hot – we decided to reward ourselves with a beer or two at Tapped. We scored a lot of birdies (bogeys too) and worked up a sweat, so why not treat ourselves? After a round of lagers to quench our thirsts, we spotted a relatively new brown ale on tap, from Salty Turtle Beer Co. – a small brewery in Surf City, NC that regularly produces great IPAs. A brown ale from them was intriguing, and it turned out to be a surprise. Find out why in our individual tasting notes below!

Nick’s Take

My prior experiences with Salty Turtle’s beers seemed to all be in the style of IPAs, with an occasional lager or Kölsch sprinkled in. It was a pleasant surprise to see a brown ale on tap. Normally I wouldn’t crave a brown ale as a patio beer, but was very interested in trying this one. The color of “Best Coast Brown” was a rich brown with reddish hues that popped in the setting sunlight. The creamy, frothy head that came after the pour was persistent and added to the really appealing look of this beer.

To no one’s surprise, this brown ale had a strong malt character on the nose. There were hints of dark fruit and some nuttiness, and then something else I couldn’t place at first. With a few more concentrated smells, I detected some hop aroma! Not something I normally find in a brown ale, so admittedly, it took me a while to identify it. The grassy, vegetal hop aromas added depth to the malt character.

Moving in for the first sip, I found the mouthfeel to be quite smooth and refreshing. Subsequent sips reinforced the smoothness, though there was still enough carbonation to add some body. It encouraged being consumed rather quickly on a hot day.

The complexity between the standard malt bill and the surprising hop flavor was enjoyable. There was some roasty and nutty malt flavor, which found a good balance with the earthy and slightly bitter hops. Definitely not what I had expected from a brown ale, but “Best Coast Brown” was tasty and refreshing.

I think the addition of more hops makes for an appealing, sessionable brown ale in the summer. It was nice to switch up from the IPAs I usually am after when drinking beer from Salty Turtle, and I hope to find more like this one!

Joe’s Take

Brown ale, a style that is often overlooked for big hazy IPAs or fruit packed sours. This beer style is simple and states its purpose, to be brown flavorful beer. I found that “Best Coast Brown” did just that as I examined the glass that our friend Savannah over at Tapped (a favorite local taproom) poured for us. The can shaped glass served to us held a clear brown to dark amber colored liquid that resembled caramel or syrupy molasses. The beer sported a tan head that consisted of tiny soft bubbles and this foamy layer atop the beer did not dissipate throughout the tasting. I was impressed with the head retention of this beer.

The brown ale was not overly aromatic but did provide some smells that you would expect from the style. It featured a sweet malty note and a slight bitter to alcoholic note on a deep sniff. In addition to the malt aromas, there was quite a bit of earthy hop aroma and accompanying bitterness.

The body of the brew was a bit thinner than I had anticipated after looking at the beer. It was not watery by any means but not chock full of residual sugars that would coat the mouth. In fact, it seemed to be a bit drying on the finish, likely related to the moderate hop bitterness. Like the pillowy foam on the beer, the carbonation was soft and smooth and was balanced with the mouthfeel.

The flavor of the beer matched what the aroma hinted at with malt forward notes and a decent amount of hop bitterness. The hops provided an earthy flavor while bitterness seemed to intensify on the finish, contributing to a crisp sensation on drinking. For malt character, I leaned toward notes of bread crust or toasted cracker. This paired well with the hoppiness the dark beer provided. Overall, I think this is definitely a drinkable brew that gives a surprising bit more bitterness than one would expect. This flavor profile and the lighter body leads to an unsuspectingly refreshing beer. I say this is one you might want to give a try during this hot weather.