Nut Brown Ale
AleSmith Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12-oz can three and a half months past its filling date into a goblet.

Look: Dark brown, lots of bubbles and a 3/4” tan head that reduced fairly quickly and produced some lacing.

Nose: Roasted malt and cocoa — very nice.

Attack: Follows the nose, but mildly, with the flavor just a bit thinner than I expected.

Finish: Perfect gentle bitterness to balance the attack — really like the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium thin, a little too much carbonation.

Overall: A very good, very drinkable English Brown. While I be prefer both the now defunct Rogue Hazelnut Brown, and Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, just a bit more, I’d gladly order and enjoy drinking this one.

12 ounce can - $2.00 at Woodstock Beer Market in Woodstock, Georgia.

CANNED ON 05/28/25.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with a frothed, foaming, khaki-colored head. Light glaze of lace.

Smell: A pleasingly malty aroma. Nutty, toasted dark bread breadcrusts with touches of caramel, cocoa mix. Scant yet persistent ester fruitiness. Very subtle earthy hint.

Taste: A medium amount of sweetness within the soundly toasty, nutty, caramelly malt flavors with a small pinch of cocoa. Very light hint of red cherry-toned fruitiness. Modest amount of lightly earthy hops and bitterness. Gently drying though still malty finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Very slight creaminess to the mouthfeel.

Overall: For a long time, AleSmith was never available in this state. Then it was! Then it seemed to not be, or only be found sporadically in drips and drabs at select locations and never was the (Nautical) Nut Brown Ale to be found in all those many years, much to my disappointment. Then, it just happened to be sitting there on a shelf one day. I grabbed up a six-pack and came back the following day for another. What a simple yet wholly and wonderfully satisfying brown ale.

RB transfer

 

Look: Chestnut brown in the glass and deep ruby-red when held to light with a formidable tan head that ends as a 2-finger lid and leaves a ring of lacing behind

Aroma: Roasted tree nuts, freshly baked brown bread, wafts of cocoa, brown sugar, and some earthy notes

Taste: Opens up with a ton of warm and freshly baked bread, quickly joined by some brown sugar and cocoa. Tree buts, both raw and lightly roasted, come next and mix in well and earthiness dances around throughout and to the close

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth, clean, medium-high carbonation, and clean and smooth on the finish

Overall: This is some good stuff. I love English Brown Ales and hadn’t had nor seen this one in years so had to score a sixer when I did. It’s a really tasty and well-made example that checks all the style boxes and one that I feel is such a great beer when there is tweener weather around – spring and fall both. Recommended

 

Deep mahogany color. One finger thick, off-white head. Toasted malt and cocoa in the aroma. Malt dominates in taste with mild, bitterness at the end.

Deep in flavor but not that heavy. Will definitely get again

 

Remember Newcastle Brown Ale? Let the force flow through you…..good, good…..

Nutty, clean, slight buttery popcorn, earthy fresh cut wood. Classic, under appreciated style, like your mom’s finishing move.

Great example of a style that has been ignored for many years. I love this style, and as a Home brewer who has been brewing since the early 90's really missed the many versions available in the past. Poured from a 12 oz can into a 12oz tulip this brew features a great earthy nose with subtle English hops. But the star here is the malt - lucious malt without being cloying. Great head retention with a typical biscuity taste and subtle sweetness, but with a suprising dry finish. Also tasting hazlenut and vanilla on the sides of the tongue Get this while you can as this is a throwback that is not widely available but well worth the reward. A fantastic change from the typical hop bombs that dominate todays brews.

 

 

"Name a better brown ale. less than 2 weeks old?? AWESOME." - my untappd, November 1, 2023