Laughing Buddha Pandan Brown Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A dark brown appearance with a beige head. The aroma contains some caramel and nutmeg. A huge herbal presence, the pandan? Who knows. The flavor is also herbal and has a cola like flavor. A strong nutty presence with this one. Overall it was different for sure but pretty good.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 7

A vigorous pour produces an fat-two finger thick, lightly browned tan colored head in my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass. The beer is a very dark, burnt brown color, but shows a brilliantly clear, deep ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma is quite interesting, it has a really rich nuttiness to it, though that might not be the perfect adjective. Whatever it is (obviously the Pandan leaves, because palm sugar does not contribute this to beer), it is quite savory and gives the nose quite a savory character. It really accentuates the browned malt notes (toasted bread & cracker like aromas) and serves as a nice offset to a sweet, caramelized undertone that is just a bit fruity (raisin and a light berry note).

Fairly sweet, though complexly so, and it has a thick, chewy body for a beer of this strength. Soft and fruity tasting up front, it picks up some cola notes and a peanut-butter flavor as it moves towards the finish. The flavor is not as distinctly influenced by the Pandan Leaf; if I had been told this was a plain brown ale, I would not have guessed that it was spiced with anything, but given that I know it is here, the flavor has definitely been influenced by it. What does the Pandan Leaf contribute, well if I had to guess I would say that the nuttiness is quite distinct, with some supporting berry-like flavors and a bit of spiciness towards the finish that is reminiscent of cola. This is a very quaffable brew, and remains fairly light, despite having a viscousness and a chewiness to it.

The Pandan Leaf is definitely much more noticeable in the aroma than in the flavor, but it still contributes nicely to the overall experience of this brew. This is a really nice Brown Ale, one that I would be happy to have regular access too. I really do like that neither the palm sugar or Pandan was over-played here, the use is clearly supporting and not so much that you would say that something other than typical beer ingredients were used here, yet there is certainly a distinct, pleasing character to this beer that is a result of how all of the ingredients meld together. I really like this, but then again I am a sucker for a tasty brown ale.