Thursday Throwdown: Battle of the Labs

It all began with my dad's 60th birthday party. He stocked the cooler with some of his favorite beers, and I noticed he picked two beers with Labs as their mascot/namesake. This got me thinking of doing a Thunderdome-esque throwdown between different beers that have some sort of similarity, and continue on a weekly basis. Up first, with the Avery Meet the Brewer looming, is the Battle of the Labs. While these beers are two different stylistic beers, they have very similar labels and ingredients. Both have been around the block a time or two, and have racked up many awards! See how they stack up!



In Red corner, we have Avery Brewing's Ellie's Brown Ale, which according to the label is "Lab Tested"

Beer Style: American Brown Ale Hop Variety: Bullion, Sterling Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Chocolate, Munich, Honey malt, Caramel 120  OG: 1.056 ABV: 5.5% IBUs: 28 Color:Deep Russet

and in the Blue corner is the hometown hero: Bristol Brewing Company's Laughing Lab.

Beer Style: Scottish Ale Hop Variety: Chinook, Willamette Malt Variety: 2-Row, Chocolate, Crystal, Carapils OG:? ABV: 5.0% IBUs:? Color: Deep Red

Both Laughing Lab and Ellie's label show a labrador dog facing to the right, but as we look closer, Ellie's lab looks a bit more stoic, while Bristol's Lab seems to be "laughing" and more playful thanks to Luke Flowers' unique illustration.

The beers actually somewhat match their respective dogs portrayed in the label, with the Ellie's being the closest. Avery's is very symmetrical, while Bristol's has more of a off-centered balance.

Ingredient-wise, both beers feature 2-row barley with caramel and roasted malts, with Ellie's adding Munich and Honey malt(one of my favorites).

Ellie's had less head than Laughing Lab, but stuck around a bit more, helping add to the mouthfeel.

Laughing Lab had a great head of foam to start but dissipated quickly.

Thoughts on Ellie's: Roasty aroma, chocolate shines through. Tastes just like it smells, roasty, sweet and smooth. I could sip on this forever.

Thoughts on Laughing Lab: Caramel-sweet aroma, very malty. Tastes a bit bitter, but smooths out in the end.

In the end, these are both excellent beers, but there has to be a winner in a Thursday Throwdown. I grew up loving Laughing Lab, but Ellie's is quickly nuzzling its way into my fridge. Since I have to choose, I pick the darker, more chocolatey Lab.

Ellie's Brown in the Red corner is the first Throwdown winner. I found myself opening more than one of these tonight, and that's what makes a great beer, drinkability...and the cute dog on the label.

Check in next Thursday for another Throwdown, and if you have any ideas for the future, please leave a comment!


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