Like the Lager and the Pale Ale, the Nova Scotia Brown from Alexander Keith’s was sent to me as part of the virtual tasting earlier in the month. Also like the others, this one weighs in at 5.4% alcohol by volume, and is brewed in New York (by Anheuser-Busch) even though the parent company hails from Canada.

Their description:

This classic full-bodied brown ale delivers hints of honey and caramel that is balanced with a fresh hop aroma provided by the addition of cascade hops. This brew has a deep, nut-brown color with an amber highlight. A masterfully balanced brew that will be sure to appeal to those seeking a beer that is authentic to the style of the region.

Appearance: Brown in color, mahogany hued; nice bit of light tan head.

Smell: Fairly neutral/non-descript nose; a bit of nutty roastiness from the malt, some steely-sweet notes.

Taste: Sweet and malty, a bit of chocolate, very well restrained; nice roast on the malts that isn’t astringent at all. At the same time it has a nice sweetness that’s almost dessert-like.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, pleasantly sweet stickiness coating the mouth.

Overall: Very nice brown, a pleasure to drink. I think this will have an easier time breaking into the market than their Pale Ale (which is a touch nice these days)—though even good Brown Ales can be a tough sell in a market full of extreme beers.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B. On RateBeer, it scores 2.76 out of 5 and is in their 29th percentile.