Town Hall Chocolate Kumquat Bruin

Town Hall Chocolate Kumquat Bruin. 9.2 % ABV. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

Guys, I have a mystery on my hands here. The label of this growler, i.e. what's written on this cap, says "Chocolate Kumquat Brown." And yet, I can't find a listing anywhere online. I mean, anywhere. On Untappd, I see a Belgian Kumquat Bruin, with a mere 12 check-ins. And BeerAdvocate has no "kumquat" of any kind. But, I know what I had, and I know what I brought home, even though the C in chocolate doesn't even look like a C.

And I've been sitting on this growler for way too long, so let's open it up and see what we find.

Dark brown color, nearly opaque, short-lived brownish head.

In the nose: malty, chocolate-y, slightly sweet.

In the mouth: cocoa on the palate, rich and malty, maybe there's fruit in the middle? Doesn't reveal itself, just yet. Quite rich and delicious. Mild bitterness, big, meaty malt, mixed with chocolate and those kumquats that I just don't get. Better go get me a kumquat and try it out. For now, I can feel certain fruity flavor, mingled well with chocolate, meshed with a mess of dark malts. And the booze is riding high, sending me into a pleasant state.

This was the base beer for Project 3106, before it was aged in bourbon barrels. I've long been a big fan of the Belgian strong dark ale style. There aren't enough of them brewed locally, and this one was beautiful.