After being intrigued by the name of this brew by Dick’s Brewing Company, out of the Pacific Northwest in Washington, I purchased the bottle of Dick Danger Ale. This is the first time I’ve heard of Dick’s Brewing and also a first for tasting one of their brews. This English-style Brown Ale packs a pretty low 5.2% ABV.

The label is pretty bland and doesn’t really offer any description on the type of beer it is. You’re essentially just told it’s an “ale.” I thought the name was pretty awesome, so it became a bottle to try. This poured a really rich and dark cola-colored brown with some reddish-amber hues visible in the light. The head was tiny, which didn’t help the smell too much.

The smell was muted but there. The initial nose consisted of a nice complexion of dark fruits: grape, prune and plum extract were dominant. A nice roasted malty smell was also present towards the end but I can’t help but feel the fruits overpowered it.

The taste was surprisingly good. I never judge a beer by its color but dark beers draw suspicion from me. The beer was extremely smooth, not heavily carbonated and medium in body. The initial blast of flavor was of aged raisins and prune juice. This was finished with a toasted malt backbone and a crushed coffee bean flavor in the linger. This was really well balanced and the complexity of the flavors meshed so well with each other.

I really enjoy trying different Brown Ales, as it seems everyone has their own special take on it. Naturally, this can be said for every style of beer but I feel I’m always surprised by the flavors I get. At any rate, this is definitely not one to overlook. While it may not have the most flashy and descriptive label I’ve ever seen, there is a delicious and well-kept secret waiting inside.

Overall: 8/10