Shakedown Nut Brown
Angelic Brewing Company

After visiting the Great Dane the night before, I thought I'd give the Angelic, the other Madison brewpub, a shot. This beer looked pretty crappy, a cloudly, caramely light brown color with no head or lacing of which to speak. It smelled distinctly fruity, an odd and unwelcome feature in something touted as a nut brown. Almost smelled Belgian. Very slight roasted characteristics, but the fruitiness dominates. The taste was too sweet, only bitter/roasted in the aftertaste, and even then, slight. The mouthfeel was torpedoed by the apparent flatness of the beer. I see this beer got two good reviews from a couple years back--I wonder what happened since then.

Served up a deep brown in color with a creamy light tan head. Aroma consisted primarily of roasted malt with a slight sweetness to it. Satisfying creamy medium-bodied mouthfeel. Flavors of toasted malt dominate. Caramel sweetness detected in the midtones. Nice slightly earthy nutty flavor is carried throughout. Finishes pretty smooth. A tasty nut brown that's defintely worth a try. It was quite an enjoyable ale on a wet and chilly Fall afternoon following a Badger game in Madison.

Pours a brown-amber with a creamy beige head that retains well. Good lacing.
Large nose of toasted malts. Simple but effective.
Starts off big and toasty. BIg maltiness mirrors the aroma. Shakes in some roasted nuts (mostly walnut) to validate the name, but they stay fairly subdued underneath the toastedness. Underlying toffee adds a touch of sweetness, as does a ghostly grape presence that seems to peek around the corner from time to time. But for the most part, this continues on as it starts...toasted. Hops provide some balance in the finish, but are not otherwise important.
Velvet mouthfeel. Easily the highlight of the brew. Medium- full leaning toward full. Coating and beefy. Delightful.
Nice brown here.