Naramata
Cannery Brewing Company

 

I love this beer. So tasty. Rich dark caramel and chocolate malty flavours. The perfect nut brown ale.

 

Look: Clear dark red-brown. Light head that fades in a minute to a thin skiff across the glass.
Smell: Mostly sweet malt. Little bit of sweet coffee. Swirling the glass kicks up a bit stronger malt.
Taste: Robust medium-roasted malt. A bit sweeter than I like. Small amount of bitters show up in the aftertaste, but they don't linger.
Feel: Quickly foams up into bubbles that are a bit too large to feel creamy. Very little tongue tingle.
Overall: Very gentle blend of flavors. The bitter levels are a nice complement to the strong malt and help to tamp down some of the sweetness.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Clear with the colour of dark/burning caramelized sugar. The head reminds me a lot of the head on a cane sugar root beer - it’s towering multi-finger fluffy foam has a good range of bubble sizes the help keep the dissipation in the moderate range. Though there is a little bit of lacing that tries to purchase real estate on the glass, it eventually falls off the market completely.

Aromatics: Yummy sweet nutty scent, though it is mild if first sensed while chilled. Once it warms up though you get lots of sweet and wheaty smells, like Brown Sugar Mini Wheat cereal. There are a less intense scents that border on fresh spring green leaves and milder florals.

Taste: Awesome nuttiness flavour. Not too bold, but definitely hits the mark for me for a nut ale. The malted barley really bridging the gap between biscuit, sugary yeast, and the slight bitter from the hops. It is very “English” in my opinion, and a great flavour that doesn’t come off as ostentatious like others that say they are in a “traditional English” vibe.

Palate: I well kept medium sized bedroom. All the mouthfeel components have purpose and match the flavour and style almost flawlessly. Carbonation is excellently maintained and allows the flavour to carry across the entire palate, the finish is clean and dry. The slight battering hop at the end is easily overlooked, because it carries the nutty flavour with it which is quite enjoyable.

Overall: I loved the flavour and mouth when it was super chilled (probably 1°C) but it lacks the aromas that cold obviously. Once it warms up the flavours are a bit more pronounced, and the scents really invite you in. I wish there was a way to enjoy the flavour and smell at cold temperature because it was a great feel when chilled.

Pairing : I want to spice it up, I think there may be a bit of spiciness hidden amongst the barley, a good accompaniment will have a bit more pronounced spicy kick in it. Though I would stay away from cayenne (so hot wings and sriracha oriented foods I’m not sure would work)… the spice needs to be as much compliment as it is a necessity. I’m actually thinking a warm freshly baked pull apart bread made with taco seasoned hamburger, cheese, onions, pepper blend, child powder, garlic, and perhaps a little jalapeño powder. (check out this video on taste made that uses buffalo chicken - just replace the chicken with a well seasoned beef taco mix : https://www.tastemade.com/videos/buffalo-chicken-pull-apart-bread)

 

Good beer. Nice taste. Good hint of a nutty taste. Would buy again.

 

 

 

A- Pours a cola brown that is clear yet opaque to look at....there is about a one finger thick head at first that disappears rather quickly, leaving behind a ring around the glass. Carbonation is hard to see what is going on and lacing is moderate....nothing special to look at.

S- Heavy caramel, coffee, prune fruit, and toffee nut are the most prominent aromas. Malt sweetness in the body and the finish is not bitter, but rather an Earthy dryness that is of damp soil. Not a bad smelling beer, and seems close to what the style calls for.

T- The flavors follow the aromas closely, however everything is much more muted.....not as impressive I'd say. There are extended flavors of milky chocolate, shelled unsalted cashew nuts.....again, the finish is dry, as well as malty and of dark fruit/nut.

M/O- This seems to be somewhat flat, as the carbonation is almost too fine....I will give it the note of creaminess though. It is somewhat dessert like, drinkable enough and it's not offensive by any means, but it's unassuming and I'm not sure why it has the following it does....it alright overall!