Nut Brown Ale
Ithaca Beer Company

 

I tried this beer off the tapper at Ithaca Beer Co's Cornell location as part of a four sample flight. It poured a clear dark amber with off white head that is leaving some lace. The scent had subtle malt and grain notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with semi sweet dark malt base and nut highlights. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer.

Appearance" Deep copper, small beige head, light lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate and caramel stand out. Where is the nuttiness from the name?
Taste: Earthy with roasted malts laying the groundwork for what the nose prepared the palate for.
Mouthfeel: Soft and smooth. A bit of nuttiness shows up in the aftertaste. Modestly carbonated.
Overall: Enjoyable on a cool evening paired with roast beef.

L: Deep, dark brown with a mahogany tinge around the edges and a tan short lived head that quickly dissolves into islands.

S: light aromas of toasted malts and chocolate with a hint of ground walnuts

T: follows the smell with slightly sweet toasted malts, some coffee, a little dark chocolate and a bit of roasted nuts (sometimes peanut, sometimes almonds) with some smooth hoppy bitterness

F: a little sweet at the front and a little bitter at the end, little carbonation giving a smooth swallow and a dry, pleasantly bitter aftertaste

O: a very nice brown ale. The flavors are well balanced giving it a clean refreshing taste

 

Easy drinking and lots of flavor.

Golden brown with a creamy head that lingers. Nutty and sweet with a malty finish. Great beer!

I love Ithaca, Cornell, and the Finger Lakes, so had high expectations. Beer had a nice smell so I was expecting a good taste. Yes, there was some chocolate and caramel, but overall on the sour side with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I'm not crazy about Newcastle Brown Ale, but I think I prefer it to this. Ah, well.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a mug, the appearance was a rugged burnt dark amber close to brown color. Sly little white head. Messy lace. The aroma takes on nutty to light chocolate maltiness. Big caramel / toffee tones and a clean earthy to grassy quality. The flavor leans nutty sweet with the chocolate, caramel and toffee notes combining sweetly. Sly crisp earthy, and malty aftertaste slyly moving into the finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fair sessionability about it. Low carbonation feels good. Overall, nice English styled brown ale that I would have again.

11/5/16...pours brown (shocker!), on the medium dark side with deep foaming that settles into light pockets. Burnt cola nose, vanillas. Light sweet taste, nutty vanilla flavor. Cola comes through. Small bitter bite. Ok.

 

L: Clear, dark brown with a foamy tan head.

S: Caramel, darkly toasted brown bread, molasses, milk chocolate, peanuts, earth.

T: Caramel, toasted brown bread, peanut brittle, milk chocolate, almonds, peanuts, and earth. Finishes slightly sweet, but with a very subtle lingering earthy bitterness.

F: Smooth and creamy upfront, a bit watery near the finish, but ends flavorfully. Carbonation is medium and perfectly appropriate.

O: A solid brown ale. Satisfying.

Sampled July 2016 from bottle in pint glass. Drank it about 4 months after the bottled date on the bottle.

Appearance: Dark brown color, medium size dark tan head that lasted for less than a minute. No remnants on the side of the glass from the head.

Smell: Sweet & malty with strong toasted coffee aromas, also some hops. Some smoke and caramel aroma as well.

Taste: Medium-bodied with nice balance of malt and hops and alcohol. Dominated by coffee and burnt malt flavors, but with a little bitterness and kick from the hops. There is also a very little sweet flavor like caramel. Overall a nice combination.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, but very smooth. Matched 5.4% on the label.

Overall: Nice brown ale. Easy to drink, but still has some interesting flavors. I would drink this again.

 

Pours dark Amber. No head what there is fizzles away fast. Initial taste is strong bitter bite that finishes off better with nice smooth sweet malt coffee flavor.

A: [3.25] Nice dark brown color with lots of red hues. The head is 1 finger of off white small bubbles. The head recedes pretty quickly. The bottle has a clear brewed date (12/30/15). There is no ABV listing (it is 5.4% - I had to look it up)

S: [3.75] Chocolate, cocoa, brown bread, earthy malts and mild smoke.

T: [3.25] Nutty flavor up front like hazelnuts then cocoa. There is also a bit of smoke on the finish here.

M: [3.00] This is a bit watery. The carbonation level is pretty low which adds to the watery feeling. The finish is a little dry from the smoke flavor.

O: [3.25] This is a drinkable beer and is probably a middle of the road Brown Ale. The nose was really nice. The flavor was a bit less complex but was still ok. The body is a bit weak and could use some additional oomph. Last complaint No ABV? C'mon, usually I just pass on a beer with no date or ABV. Get it on there!

 

 

Tried this as part of a sample pack. Not disappointed.

Look: A darker beer, but slightly reddish and clearer around the edges. Bubbly head, dissipates quickly.

Smell: Malt, walnuts, light coffee.

Taste: Same as the smell. Malt, walnuts, and light coffee. Almost a chocolate, but not quite.

Feel: Smoother than most ales. Not a lot to it but more substantial than I expected.

Overall: I enjoyed this beer. Some darker ales tend to be in between two worlds; not quite porter but not quite the typical ale either. This one splits it just right, bringing the freshness of an ale with hints of the darker flavors of a porter.

 

 

 

Pours a brownish copper with less than a finger of head. The nose is nicely nutty. The flavor is bready with a touch of caramel. The finish is semi-dry.