Arthur's Nut Brown Ale
Otto's Pub and Brewery

 

On Cask at the brewpub. A succinct aroma of elephant shit and bear urine. This smells like a freakin' zoo. I recognize that it arises from typical malt characters and possibly ester formation, but it has been magnified so significantly that it just smells terrible to me. Rubbery. This beer reeks. I can't believe I'm giving a craft Otto's beer this low of an aroma rating. Pours beautifully, with a deep rich mahogany tone and ruby corners, floating a supreme cream head above. Flavor doesn't stray too far from the aroma, there's an unpleasant sensation of burning crude oil, the licking of tires, and an acidic mouthful of coal. This mingles with a standard hazlenut and browned butter brown malt profile. Standard cask body and minimal hop presence. Sans the revolting malt character, this beer doesn't carry that much complexity or flavor. And the cask sensation isn't all the phenomenal either. It isn't particularly drinkable nor fulfilling. Right on par with Newcastle in my opinion, somewhat unfortunately. I wish I had better things to say about a craft brewers cask brown, but this wasn't working.

On hand pump at Zeno's Pub.

A--Clear dark brown with a nice thick tan head...very nice.

S--Most disappointing thing about this beer. A mild malty smell but not much else.

T--What it lacks in smell it makes up in taste. Very nice roasted malt with a creainess to it. Follows with a slight nutty aftertaste.

M--Full bodied and rich. Lovely creaminess.

D--A delightful beer, a session beer for sure. This is a beer that would make any cask beer lover from across the pond happy to drink!

I had this on tap at the brewery

Arrives a very cloudy deep, dark amber with brown tints. A nice one finger head of tight beige foam rests on top. Beautiful lacing throughout.

The aroma is dominated by dark, caramel-y malts, but it's also fruity with some spicy/herbal hops in the background. As it warms it picks up a slight grainy smell.

The flavor is really nutty, with soft dark brown sugar and chocolate malt right there. Flavors of dried fruit. Not alot of residual sugars. There is a nice level of hop bitterness for balance, and faint herbal spicy hop flavors as well. The aftertaste is a little grainy/astringent, but pleasant.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, but not real sweet. Very low, soft carbonation is typical of this cask ale. The finish is actually crisp and refreshing.

This is a good cask brown ale, maybe could be a little more complex. . It's got "session" written all over it. Recommended.