Hooray for beer! And hooray for Coastal Empire Brewing of Savannah, Georgia, yet another in a stream of new brewers here. Truth be told, Coastal Empire is not that new, and according to their website they started life as a craft brewer back in August of 2011 when they shipped their first beer, and the one I’m drinking tonight, Coastal Empire Savannah Brown Ale.

Coastal Empire has been contract brewing in Alabama, and my can of Savannah Brown Ale is marked as brewed by Straight to Ale in Huntsville. Contract brewing has never been a bugaboo for me, though it has always had its detractors. I think it’s a great way to build your brand while you build your brewery. And that’s exactly what Coastal Empire has done, since they recently opened a brick and mortar brewery in Savannah.

They describe their Savannah Brown as follows:

Savannah Brown Ale is an American brown ale crafted with a rich malt flavor, balanced by a crisp hop finish. It has aromas of roasted nuts, chocolate, and citrus.  The flavors start with a blend of chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts and follow with a balance of resinous and citrusy hops.

Coastal Empire Savannah Brown Ale has an alcohol content of 6.2% by volume with 55 IBUs. It runs $9.99 a six-pack here in Atlanta, a bit above average actually.

Coastal Empire Savannah Brown Ale pours to a beautiful translucent mahogany color with a thick rocky head formation and a luscious soft cookie malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer has truly delicious chocolate and molasses notes up front just like a Russell Stover's molasses chew candy. Some herbal hops permeate as the beer progresses, gently tea like then citric and slightly resiny and finishing with a solid bitterness in the finish.

This is really and truly a delicious American Brown ale that is oh so drinkable. While it is wonderfully hoppy as the style demands, the dark delicious malt flavors are what really had me coming back sip after sip. This is definitely a beer that I will be buying again, my friends.

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