Avery - Ellie's Brown Ale

There were a couple of Avery – Ellie’s Brown Ales remaining from the previous evening’s beer tasting and I enjoyed one with a dinner of roasted chicken, roasted asparagus and a baked potato with the works.  I thought the pairing worked well and this is a very nice brown ale.  I enjoyed the other one after dinner.  Ellie’s Brown Ale comes in at ABV of 5.5% with a low IBU of 17.  This beer pours dark, with a nice thick head and has just a great flavor from the excellent malt selection.  The note on the package says – “This beautiful, deep russet brew has the sweet and somewhat nutty character of Adam Avery's late (1992-2002) Chocolate Lab, for which it is named. Crystal and chocolate malts give this beer a brown sugar maltiness with hints of vanilla and nuts, while subtle hopping gives it an overall drinkability that's second to none, just like Ellie!”  Avery is right on the money with this description and I highly recommend this brown ale.  I think this would be a good beer for a person who wants to try craft beers or wants to try dark beers because of how drinkable this beer is.  By no means is this beer simple, as there are some great flavors of vanilla, nuts, and brown sugar.  From the previous evening, when I poured it, all gave the “ought oh” of a big, knock-you-upside-the-head, dark beer.  Everyone then said that they were pleasantly surprised by the taste of the beer and it was a prime example of not letting your eyes deceive you.  Avery – job well done and this beer is available all year.