Boulder Beer Company's Flashback Anniversary Ale

I'm not going to go back and look, but I think I remember being miffed at this "India-style" brown ale bullshit.

Pours more coppery than a brown should. Good light tan head and decent carbonation.

The head throws off an alcohol bite as well as a hoppy bitterness, both of which settle into a more malty pale smell as it warms.

It's obvious why they chose the India-style crap, but it's way too bitter for a brown. Honestly, it reminds me of a weaker Bigfoot--an IPA strength version of it. And that's good enough to make this a decent beer, but the misnomer really pisses me off.

Decent beer, but I'm not really impressed by this brewery.

Boulder Beer Company's Flashback Anniversary Ale (30th)

This brewery has been OK for me in the past, but this "India-Style Brown Ale" bullshit is ridiculous.

It's an amber.

Pours a deep coppery amber with a small-celled off whit head that slowly fades and with good carbonation. Looks like an amber.

Good grassy hops smell, with plenty of sweet malt backbone. Smells like an amber.

For the first time, one single characteristic of a brown emerges. It has a slight nutty taste. But it almost seems like it's a product of the hops, not from any singularly distinct nut flavor or addition. It is also solidly hoppy with more malt backbone, again, it's more of an amber than anything. Maybe a mild IPA, but brown is the least of its characteristics.

I can see what they meant, but I despise the false style categories. Decent beer, not a brown.