Brau Brothers - Ring Neck Braun Ale Vertical tasting...

So, I was at the Brau Brothers Brewery / Farm this last weekend and I was raving to the Brau's about how I feel that their Braun Ale is my favorite locally made Brown Ale.   If you haven't had it, it's extremely flavorful and very intense on the malt specifically raisin, and rum flavors.   As a brewer I associate these flavors with Belgian Dubbels typically and either Begian Special B or Crystal 120 to impart this type of malt characteristic in a beer.   While I was talking to Dustin about the beers of his that I really like, I remembered that I have an 09 Braun Ale, and an 10 Braun Ale in my cellar.   See in 09 they had a really simple label, and when they came out with their new labels I bought up a 6 pack of the new version and my 2 remaining with the old label.   Not sure why I cellared them...I guess because it's a big robust flavorful brown ale that I thought would age well and mellow.   Here we go... I'm gonna drink em and see what happens to an aged Brau Brothers Ring Neck Braun Ale.

2009 Braun Ale vs. 2010 Braun Ale

Appearance-
A beautiful brown color with ruby highlights.  The 09 looks a little darker.  The head is really low on the 09 and falls away quickly, and the 2010 is a little bigger and sticks around a little longer.

Aroma -
Both of them are of boozy raisins.  The 09 is a little more melow and woodsy, and musty smelling.

Flavor -
2010 -The flavor is mostly really sweet malt, raisins, but the underlying flavor is chocolate raspberry.  Like you are biting into a piece of chocolate with a raspberry filling.
2009 - The flavor has mellowed, but still sweet malt of raisin.  The raspberry flavor has subsided now and the plum, raisin dark fruit is shining through more.   More sessionable since it's mellowed.

Mouthfeel-
Both of them have a medium bodied mouthfeel but maybe a little thin.  Helps make it more drinkable though.  Carbonation is a bit lower on the 09 version.

Overall-
This is a really smooth Brown ale that is nutty, fruity, like rum raisins, and with a very unique taste of raspberries.   Really not much changed in the appearance, and aroma from aging this one, but the flavor definitely mellowed, and the raspberry flavor almost completely subsides with a year or more in the cellar.  This is a fantastic Brown Ale,  and I can't wait to finish these two pints!