Brekle's (Anchor)

I don't remember seeing this brown before. The only time I might have was a very long delay and visit to the Anchor bar in SFO. Looking at the notes on the Anchor site, it looks like a new one. With no memory of it, I got this one as my first NYE-Eve pour at Sheffield's in Chicago. I'm a huge fan of Old Foghorn, their porter, and Anchor Steam. It was their brewery of the month too! This did not disappoint.

General Thoughts
Look and Smell: It was a brown with a creamy off-white head. I could smell the maltiness over the smoked meats and people around me.

Taste: It was malty and very smooth. I got the earthy grain with bitter spikes as a drank it. Very tasty. It's a good every day beer for me. It has substance to it.

From the Anchor site:
A balance of malt and hops. A blend of past and present.

Inspired by the all-malt brown ales in Anchor’s brewing archives, Brekle’s™ Brown has a coppery brown color and unusual depth of flavor with hints of citrus which makes for richness and complexity without heaviness. The classic, all-malt, single-hop brown ale.

Brewmaster Mark Carpenter's unique recipe—a tip of the hat to our first brewmaster—looks to both the past and the future. It starts with a special blend of roasted malts.

For brewing and dry hopping, a single and distinctive new American hop variety called Citra creates nuanced flavors and aromas complementing Brekle’s™ Brown’s unique maltiness.

FIRST BREW: 2010
FIRST BOTTLING: 2011
AVAILABILITY: YEAR-ROUND
MALT: BLEND OF 2-ROW PALE, MUNICH & CARAMEL
HOPS: CITRA