Nut Brown Ale
Peak Organic Brewing Company

Nut Brown AleNut Brown Ale
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From:
Peak Organic Brewing Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
English Brown Ale
Ranked #119
ABV:
4.7%
Score:
79
Ranked #26,461
Avg:
3.48 | pDev: 13.22%
Reviews:
160
Ratings:
392
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 04, 2023
Added:
May 16, 2006
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  43
Our Nut Brown Ale starts out very smooth, like an English-style Brown Ale. The use of Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, and Hallartau Hops give this beer a crisp, nutty finish. Peak Nut Brown is a delectable beer loaded with complex, differentiated flavors that don’t overwhelm the palate, making it a perfect dark beer for food pairing.

21 IBU
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Jadjunk:
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.53/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
#94. The final of a trio of beers by Peak Organic that I found at a local Kroger.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass at room temp.

(Appearance) Pours a two finger depth frothy head with an above average head retention which was pleasing. Sadly, there is little lacing action. Color is an opaque medium brown, very clear with plenty of varied carbonation. Looks quite appealing. 4

(Smell) Light roasted caramel malts, toasty sugars, earthy hops and some nutty aromas make up the nose of this beer. There's a medium potency here; it could afford to be far more intense. Smell is creamy and slightly sweet. 3.5

(Taste) Interestingly more bitter than I had anticipated. The lightly roasted nut flavors are up front more than anything else, and thinner caramel flavors are present, but not enough to offset this beer's bitter qualities. Taste is not far from some boiled peanuts; it's interesting. Hops are also distributed evenly throughout the beer, but don't manage to overshadow any other qualities. The beer is more intense than I had predicted. It's enjoyable but a slow drinker as the bitterness slows me down significantly. It's good to have this warm to the 50s and let some of those roasted flavors permeate the taste. I'm not sure if the bitter was overdone in this beer or not; it could have been held some but I don't mind and appreciate the originality. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Quite a creamy and frothy texture to this beer. Body is medium and the alcohol is pretty well concealed; the bitterness does a good job at masking any alarming alcohol flavors this might give off. Finish is thick and sticky bitter with an average dryness. 3.5

(Drinkability) I wouldn't mind a second or perhaps third of these beers. The most alarming factor is the bitterness which can become mawkish over time, slowing down my drinking and waning my interest. The flavors are positively complex enough without being too strong. Alcohol is incredibly fair. Mouthfeel and taste are decent and appearance was good as well. This is worthy of a second round. 3.5

Verdict: I'm not incredibly knowledgeable about brown ales (yet) but this one is acceptable on several levels. The taste is lightly roasted with flavor. The mouthfeel sticky & dry. The appearance was also pretty good. This beer did a pretty good job at impressing me. It's a worthy drink, especially in the limited range of the organic beer department. B (3.6)
Feb 16, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Feb 04, 2023
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.26/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
"Best by 5/23/22"; drank 12/26/21 @ Form Over Function Rosslyn.

Opaque dark brown/orange appearance.

A violent pour yielded a huge khaki head; frothy lace.

Acorn, mild brown sugar & faint cream notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

More of the same on the flavors; it's kinda dull, overall. Not one I'll return to.
Dec 29, 2021
Photo of Kevin94th
Reviewed by Kevin94th from Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Beautiful pour, with a great color and great, nutty smell. That's where the excitement ended for me. The flavor offered notes of nuttiness, malt, and caramel, but was too reserved. I love brown ales, so I was disappointed that this one didn't offer more pizazz. Decent and drinkable, I just wanted more.
Jan 13, 2021
 
Rated: 3.52 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Aug 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.53 by caffeinelogic from New York

Jan 16, 2019
Photo of Radome
Reviewed by Radome from Florida

3.31/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Tasted on tap in at Red Heat Tavern in Bedford, MA. It was served too cold for the style, in my opinion, which probably affected my overall impression. I found it visually attractive but lacking in any aroma whatsoever. The flavors were also muted, with clean, crisp malt, but nothing intersting for the palate to dwell on. This was a well-made beer, but I thought it was lacking in traditional nuttiness and roast flavors and certainly in aroma that would have made it a great example of the style.
Feb 16, 2018
Photo of Dodo2step
Reviewed by Dodo2step from Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A- caramel amber color with half finger head that dissipates quickly. Clear and translucent.

S- nutty and caramel hints.

F- faint bitter chocolate with hints or roasted nuttiness.

M- sweet and chewy. a nice medium bodied brew.

O- I am not a big organic fan but this one was alright.
Jan 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by BenMorse from Maine

Jan 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Jan 07, 2018
 
Rated: 2.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.18 by Jackjaffar from Massachusetts

Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by Dface from Texas

Dec 02, 2017
Photo of YoungMtn52
Rated by YoungMtn52 from New York

3.54/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Got this as part of a Beer-of-the-Month...pretty decent nut brown ale but I prefer the Smuttynose version better...
Dec 01, 2017
Photo of DoctorRobert1969
Rated by DoctorRobert1969 from California

4.25/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I really enjoy this one. Nice toasty taste. Smooth.
Nov 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.13 by TheElectricOne from Rhode Island

Jul 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by YeastEnthusiast from New Jersey

Jun 24, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.94/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a mug, the appearance was a semi-stuffy burnt dark orange close to brown color with a finger's worth of white foamy head that slid off at a moderate pace to allow a slight sticky yet becoming sliding as the warmed up a little bit.
The aroma had a nice blend of sweet to roasty and nutty malts, light dose of caramel/toffee goodness and a quickening little glide of earthiness, ample amount of pine touching the underneath.
The flavor was moderately sweet with a gentle touch of roastiness grabbing the bitterness of those hops (Simcoe? - I think, but not exactly sure). Some grip of the bitter hops playing in the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a subsiding sessionability as the grip of those hops seem to penetrate a bit more than expected. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt sturdy.
Overall, BA says English brown ale, but not to argue with anyone but I thought this seemed more of an American Brown ale. Still, it's a worthy one, nonetheless of having again despite whatever it's supposed to be.
Jun 12, 2017
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark chestnut color with a 1 inch head. Smell is sweet, malty, nutty. Taste is malts, dark breads, nutty, just a touch of sweetness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an easy drinking and enjoyable beer.
Jun 09, 2017
Photo of utopiajane
Reviewed by utopiajane from New York

4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours mahogany brown with copper and orange hues. Thinner head of cream colored foam that lasted well. Clear. Nose is toasted malt and hard nutty caramel. Cool, woody hop. Breaddy, a soft dark fruit back note but nothing too prominent.

Drinks nutty , twiggy and quite hoppy because it's fresh. Best by -7/19/17. The caramel is fim and nutty but also velvety and a bit rich. The mouth feel is medium but fuller. That means the fullest medium. Right here is where we can say it's not a porter or a stout because it's not full it's just fullish. It demonstrates how persuasive caramel is in the malts. It's soft with lots of breaddy malt and there is a crisp, bigger bubble. No bite just an open feeling in the finish, an expanding. The hops are twiggy. Caramel is a secondary flavor in beer and imo if it becomes too prominent the beer seems off balance and too sweet. Also the wrong color. This one is nice and dark brown, very toasted and not sweet. Excellent. Hearty yet gentle. It is not too complex and that is the trademark of the brown ale. A bit of nutty toasty flavor on some vibrant hops.

The new guidelines differentiate the American brown ale with a bigger hops presence and abv all the way to 6.2%. In the old guidelines this would have been an English brown and the cap at 5.4%.
Mar 26, 2017
Nut Brown Ale from Peak Organic Brewing Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 392 ratings