So does it live up to the hype?

Sure, its tasty. A nice nuttiness to it. A highly drinkable brown.

But at $2.19/bottle? Not really worth it. Nothing too remarkable going on here.

5/10

Good Humans is billed as a Dry Hopped Double Brown Ale.  Generally, I’m not much of a fan of brown ales.  I find them bland, and unimpressive in every respect.  On Ian’s recommendation, however, I bought a 6-er of this.  I also warned him that if I wasn’t into it, I’d punchisize him.  In a fierce way.

So, what was I expecting from this?  Well, I was expecting lots of malt.  Lots of really bland malt.  Maybe a teensy bit of hop in the nose, and a decent amount of alcohol; it is a double after all.

What was I given?  Well, in the nose, it’s major league hops.  Floral hops, citrus hops, grassy hops, dirty hops.  It’s hops though.  There’s a strange sweetness to it though, almost like strawberry preserves.

As far as mouthfeel, it’s light and fluffy, with some carbonation.  It doesn’t stick to the tongue, it just flows over smoothly and lightly.

The taste was the true kicker though.  It broke all of my expectations.  All of them.  It was not like anything I expected.  It is really hoppy.  Not like an IIPA, but very hop flavored.  It’s got a weird sweetness that I wasn’t necessarily prepared for.  Very fruity.  Very strange.  Very delicious.  Nothing at all like a brown ale.  Very delicious.  The genius responsible for this beer is certainly a Good Human of the highest caliber.

8.5/10

brian!

“Mahogany in color, entering with hints of maple, followed by a roasted hazelnut body, balancing a clean malty finish.”

This is probably the first beer I’ve ever had that had a description on its label that wasn’t just hype, and wasn’t stroking their egos – and is actually pretty accurate a description of the beer inside.

The picture is a pretty good representation of the color, which is kind of surprising – its really that dark. The nose is malty sweetness.

The first sip DOES have a little maple to it, but it doesn’t last. As you drink through the glass, its mostly just a sweet maltiness, and a definite hazelnut presence.

I would have to say that the predominant flavor is the somewhat roasty nut flavor, both in the mouth and in the aftertaste. It has a somewhat thicker mouthfeel that I’m not quite sure I’m in love with. A little less of the malt sweetness might back that off a bit too and do some really nice things for this beer.

My brother in law gave me a bottle when I was in Cincinnati (thanks Gordon!), as he is a big fan. I’m not sure I can say the same about this particular beer, but I can say that I would eagerly try anything else that the boys at Mt Carmel have to offer. I think this young brewery (est. 2005) has a lot of potential, and will keep doing good things. Keep it up guys, and people will keep drinking it. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more of your beer in the future.

6/10

Among other things, I picked up another Founder’s Devil Dancer. Brian’s shock at how little I enjoyed it last time has prompted me to try it again. Its in the fridge, and I will give it another shot, now that I’m not feeling quite as sick as I was last time. But that’s for another day.

Tonight I opened up a bottle of New Holland Cabin Fever. Its a brown ale, which I don’t always like, but I am a fan of Newcastle, so every so often I pick up one.

I was not disappointed. As a point of reference, its definitely darker than Newcastle, and pours with little head. It has a nice malty aroma, fairly sweet. The flavor has a nice hint of nuttiness to it, and a nice roastyness, that isn’t exactly coffee. The aftertaste is slightly sweet, but not too malty on your tongue. You also get a bit of bitterness in the back.

6/10

I’m really impressed by this beer. I will buy it again. Or maybe I will brew a brown ale. Hmm… I sense a new project soon.

Ian!