Newcastle Brown Ale

It's been years since I've had Newcastle Brown Ale.  I must've been an undergrad last time I had it (and now I feel old...).  I remember liking it well enough years ago, but it wasn't one of my favorites.  It'll be interesting to see if my tastes have changed:

Vittles:
Northern English Brown
4.7% abv

Score:
Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 19/25
Taste: 31/40
Mouthfeel: 7/10
Style: 5/5
Drinkability: 7/10
Overall: 77/100

Impression:
Ok, so it doesn't taste as good as I remember, but then again, I thought Guinness was the shit back in the day.  Now, Guinness seems like a watery, lightly-flavored concoction, and Newcastle seems like a beer I'd be just as likely to cook with as to drink.  It's not bad, but I doubt I'll be going out of my way to get another bottle anytime soon.  The head fell quickly and left almost no lacing.  The aroma is very weak, and what I could pick up on was faintly malty with a hint of nuttiness and a slight fruity undertone.  The flavors were more of sweet malts, caramel, some brown sugar -- but still weak, like flavored water.  There is a slight bit of hoppiness, too.  It's a smooth beer -- that's the one factor that really works in its favor.  It finishes somewhat dry with an earthy breath on the tail end.  Not terrible, but not fantastic either.

~Cheers!