So a month or so I got a box of beer from FedEx. Well, FedEx delivered it anyway, it was really from beer legend Tom the Beer Whisperer in a trade that we did. I got some really, really cool brews, all from Missouri, and none that I had ever tried before. You can see Tom's thoughts on this beer by clicking on his image below.
One of the coolest, I think, was Springfield Brewing Company Bombay Brown Ale. Not to be confused with Bobby Brown, Bombay Brown is, I assume, a brown ale/IPA hybrid (aka American Brown Ale). I have to assume though because Springfield’s website is very bare-bones, so bare-bones in fact that there isn’t any spec or ingredient information on the beer there.
Indeed, the only thing more bare-bones about the Springfield website is the label on this beer, which tells me it’s part of the Brewmasters Special series, but not what style the beer is. So then, this beer was rather a mystery beer, and to paraphrase Forrest Gump, “Springfield Brewmaster’s Special is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”
They do say this about the Brewmaster’s series on the label, though:
Our Brewmaster’s Special is an ever changing, limited production batch made for the true connoisseur. These unique recipes keep our creative juices flowing and your taste buds happy! Exclusively available at SBC.
So it seems that you can only get these beers directly at the brewery in Springfield, and I guess that’s why the label is so generic. In a way, that lends a quaint charm to the brew. And to be fair, good old Tom did tell me this was their Bombay Brown, but I promptly forgot. In a way, that was fun because when I went to try the beer it was like a blind tasting.
Springfield Brewing Company Bombay Brown Ale pours to a cloudy brown color with a thick rocky head and a slightly nutty nose laced with a hint of smoke. The palate has a soft cookie like chocolate maltiness with hints of toasted nuts and a lightly minty, surprisingly bitter hop finish. All the components here are on the mild side, and the beer is nicely balanced, making it overall a very tasty American brown ale. I love the wait it’s so fresh malty up front and then becomes resiny in aroma, especially in the finish.
Overall, I think this could still use more hops to be a spicy
American Brown ala
Brooklyn Brown. But it’s a tasty beer in its own right, and certainly one
that I enjoyed.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft