Newtowne Nutbrown Ale
John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House

 

Had the charter ratified with this one on 4/25/2005. 16-oz. pint pour at the Harvard Square location.

Soapy skim of head with some galaxial stuff piled in and wedged to the side. Truly deep brown mahogany hue, almost impenetrable, with some fleeting action at the edges. Nutty, caramel malt on the nose with just a hint of smokiness, like the remains of a rain-soaked fire pit. Fairly chewy mouth feel with an oak character; nice peatiness and just a touch of butterscotch on the back of the tongue.

Found this to be fairly tasty all around, although with a little more mat I think this might verge on a scotch ale.

This beer came to me in an attractive shaker pint glass deep brown and clear, with a full cream colored head. Mildly sweet smell of dates and light roast malt. Taste is a fuller interpretation of the nose. More malt, dates more roast malt. Just a touch of bitterness that accents nicely. Rich, full mouth feel, very drinkable.

Pours mahogany, with the edges more red than brown, topped with a thin one finger tan head. No lacing to speak of.
Almond and walnut in the aroma, toasted dark bread.
A bit sweet, earthy and floral. Walnut and the toasted dark bread comes back in the taste. Red apple, and a touch of wood?
Medium bodied, served too cold I had to let it sit and warm for awhile.

On-tap in Cambridge, MA.

Dark brown with a very small head and left very little lacing. Not a big aroma at all. Slightly roasted malts were detectable. The taste is little more lively than the aroma and appearance suggest. Smooth, nutty flavor that coats the inside of your mouth oh-so-nicely. The drinkibility is definitely high on this beer.

This is a decent beer with a creamy, smooth texture to it. Not as heavy as some other brown ales, but still very tasty. I picked up a growler of this on the way out.

Chestnut brown with a ruby glint at the bottom. Only a bare layer of off-white bubbles skim across the top. Faint sweet scent of fresh-cut grass.

The meltingly tender carbonation enlivens a light-bodied, sweet and nutty malt. East Kent Goldings and Amarillo strut their stuff in the complex finish, which starts with cut grass, with a growing resin like that other kind of grass, then becomes more and more piney, even to christmas tree proportions. Whoda thunk a brown could be so complex?

Way too easy to drink.

Sampled at the Harvard Sq. brewpub.

This ale poured a dark, reddish brown color with tan foam that coated the glass. The smell was malty but very slight. The taste was malty (caramel mostly), with some oak flavors and a bit of a musty taste. The mouthfeel was smooth and crisp and clean. The drinkability was very good. Not necessarily true to the nut brown style, but an easy to drink ale.

John Harvard's Cambridge. Darker than the pale - why not? A winey nose - makes for a different nut brown, good roasted malts and semi-sweet. Nutty aftertaste. The ABV is low for a nut brown at 3-3.3%.

Deep brown with red edges and an even creamy tan lace that sticks and stays -- dropped real bright too. Musty, strong grainy aroma with some fresh pumpernickel bread mixed in.

Very smooth and light-bodied. Sweet, malty, even. Big sweet grape-like flavours. Odd little fruity flavour joins the mix. Thin tea-like bitterness. Chocolate malts and a light buttery flavour / feel is also there. Goes dry and grainy (again) in the finish.

I always expect more from cask beers, and although this one was okay ... well, it was just okay.

Deceiving dark brown colour with a surprisingly light body which adds to the drinkability. Just enough roasted malt (chocolate) to bring forth that trademark nutty flavour found in most brown ales. Touch of sweetness up front though this is a relatively dry brew. Needs to be served at cellar temp, gets too grainy when served cold.