on THE TAPHANDLE

Buzzsaw Brown Seasonal Ale by Deschutes Brewery

Buzzsaw Brown is a summer seasonal that was accidentally hidden away for awhile in my basement.

The quote on the bottle reads:
Buzzsaw Brown Seasonal Ale is lightly hopped with a biscuity character and a smooth finish. Milder than a porter, brown ales are especially rewarding after a hard day's work.

Well, there is not much to argue with in that brief explanation. It is lightly hopped, with a more malty, earthy flavor. The "biscuity character" is a good description of both the taste and the texture of this ale. The taste is somewhat like a biscuit (I like to describe good beer as bread in a bottle) and the texture is thicker than some other beers. It does have a smooth finish and is milder than a porter or stout. And, this beer is especially rewarding after a hard day's work of further "frying" my eyes at a computer terminal.

The wife made chicken piccata and this is the ale I chose to accompany it. It wouldn't seem a natural choice to some, but the earthiness of Buzzsaw Brown helped to ground some of the tang and pizzazz of the lemon and capers of the piccata. It was a good pairing, as far as I am concerned.