Nut Brown Ale
McGuire's Irish Pub

Late Fall 2007 seasonal. From the updated recipe tweaked by the new brewmaster. Served in a pint glass, this one's a handsome and clear pale brown with reddish hints. Little to no visible carbo streams. Thin head from bar pour lingers as a thin collar and a bit of scattered lacing as the pint is drained. Nose evinces a definite nut presence, likely pecan. Semi-sweet malt on the nose. Tastes well-balanced with a firm malty sweetness tempered by a smattering of hops and undertones of pecan. Mouth is semi-viscous and smooth with light carbonation, yielding a very drinkable brew.

Overall: A solid brown/nut ale. This is one of the best of the McGuire’s brews. Recommended if you can catch it during the late fall season.

Presentation: Sampled at McGuire’s Irish Pub during a recent visit back to Pensacola. This was advertised as the current Seasonal at 4.5%.

Appearance: Medium chestnut brown body that is perfectly clear. Zero head on this one when served except for a little smattered and broken light tan covering. It soon looks flat though, a gentle swirl reveals low conditioning.

Nose: Light grain malts with a little walnut. Sparse aromas but pleasant enough.

Taste: Nice entrance but not much to write home about. The middle had a clean and crisp nutty feel with some roast chestnut tickles in the swallow. Finished clean. Very minimalist.

Mouthfeel: Low on conditioning, sadly it had a flat feel; this detracted a little but curiously accentuated the tastes I feel.

Drinkability: The lack of carbonation was a real draw back, but this one is relatively easy to put down nonetheless. It went extremely well with my Steak and Mushroom Pie too.

Overall: Quite nice actually, marks reflect the lack of life, a little flatness in the appearance and low conditioning stakes, but it drinks well enough. Not sure if this was at the end of its “Seasonal life”, or not. I’m sure it would have been much better earlier on though.