John: I tried something different with this review-drink and then think. Normally I think about the beer so long that I don’t get the “first impression” not this time. I set my review “hat” aside, opened the bottle and turned on March Madness.

This is not available in Minnesota so I experienced it courtesy my Beer of the Month Club. It started with a nice pour of amber, bronze with a 1/2 inch creamy but not lacy head that lasted through the first 5 minutes of the game. It’s “burst” and lasting aroma is it’s strong suit. I wanted to keep sniffing and sniffing. At first I thought it was orange but citrus is  a more accurate term. The taste was not as good as the smell. Not that it was bad at all just weak compared to the impressive aroma. It has the feel of carbonation and the crispness of that first burst of orange or apple bite. Creamy is the mouth feel. More than I expected based on the underachieving taste. A “dryness” sets in soon after the first sip and finished strong. Not unpleasant at all. There is a mouth sensation of metal after a minute or two. So, nice color, big fresh fragrance, underachieving flavor with a dry finish. That’ the way I’d sum up. If you are into a big taste pass on this one. If you are looking for a bright, refreshing, “I can drink two or three on a hot day” kind of beer this should be on your list. I did enjoy it with a blue cheese based dip and some crackers. They made a good pairing. Grade: B

Michael: The name conjures up such images. Rocking chairs nestled in the giant front porch of a southern plantation home. The beads of condensation sweating down an ice cold glass of sweet tea. A lazy Sunday afternoon with no sounds but the wind through the fields. I was in the mood for a thirst quenching beer and in any other mood, I may have not enjoyed this brew so much. But I was. And I did. The orangy-ice-tea colored brew beckoned me to swig, so I obliged, moustaching my upper lip with a thick coat of its light brown-sugar head. While the scent was similar to many other browns, perhaps a bit more citrusy, and I have previously been less than thrilled with the style, this one was intoxicating. It had a floral finish, dry enough to force me to wash down each gulp with a successor. The lace wandered its way lazily down the glass, following my sips and leaving its trail. There was a sweetness of honey mixed in with the rest, but it wasn’t an overly complicated brew. It felt like a good friend from the deep south, talking to me simply, directly and refreshingly so. Grade: B+

Tom: I was first introduced to Sweetwater brewery last year while visiting some relatives that live North of Atlanta.  At a local restaurant I tried their Blue which was very enjoyable.  Before heading back to Chicago I made my dad stop at a store so I could pick up a few six packs.  One of the beers I returned with from that trip was the Georgia Brown.  Recently my parents were down in GA visiting again and I had them make another stop.

The label reads “the easy drinkin’ back porch brown ale is as smooth as Bill Clinton’s apology.”  Not really sure what that means, but I’ll go with it.  Driving right into this beer I noticed that it has a nice toasted malt, brown sugar, slightly molasses aroma and taste.  The appearance is a medium shade of brown with light pale shining through.  The carbonation seemed a bit too much for a brown ale, but it does not detract from the drinkability.  Malty and semi-bold it produced a caramel/toffee start, with a syrupy/brown sugar middle, and ended with a crisp toasted grain finish.  There is a minor earthy hop note to it that presents itself in the aftertaste and compliments the malt.

Overall, it is a lighter brown ale that I would recommend drinking during the Fall months or if you are in ATL. Grade: B

ABV: 5.1%

Final Grade: B