Brown Ale
Ice Harbor Brewing Company

This seasonal offering is listed as “Brown Ale” on the house tap and if I’m not mistaken, it’s “Nut Brown Ale” on their website. Since both listings share the same 5.2% ABV and 18 IBU, I assume they’re one and the same. The potential distinction between them is that I would tag this a sweet brown ale as opposed to a nut brown. It begins with properties that could easily be mistaken for those of a porter. The dark body is black/ruby and the crescent tan head looks and smells porter-like.

But a short while later the beer shifts to a sweet caramel taste with light toasty undertones. Nothing nutty really presents itself. But the beer is very decent, very drinkable for most of its journey. It does tend to break down a bit before the pint ends, especially the mouthfeel.

Poured from a pitcher drawn from the tap at Ice Harbor's brewpub in Kennewick.

A: It pours a rich dark brown with a moderate head. The head dissipated fairly fast leaving barely a hint of bubbles on the surface of the beer and a moderate lacing on the side of the glass.

S: The aromas were not as pronounced as I expected. There was a slight nutty aroma that complemented the malts and more dominant smell of hops.

T: This is a solid ale but a bit malt light and hop heavy. The flavor of nutty malts came through but it was accented by a modest bitter taste of the hops that left a slight (but not overpowering) sour aftertaste (it has a IBU of only 18). The alcohol is well hidden and I barley noticed I was drinking a microbrew (it has a 5.2 ABV).

M: Medium bodied and a bit watery. It is very light and refreshing. Modest bitter aftertaste but it is not so strong as to discourage drinking deep into the night. .

D: It is only sold on tap in the Tri-Cities (as far as I know it is only available at the brew pub and Tony Roma’s in Kennewick). It has good flavor and is light enough that you can drink it long into the night with little damage.

I bought a growler of this at Ice Harbor's new brewpub in Kennewick (their old brewery in Pasco is no longer a going concern). They are currently calling this "Tony Roma's Nut-Brown Ale," after the chain restaurant, whose local representative sits on the opposite side of town and has an account for this on-tap there.

Pours a dark brown verging on cola color. Moderate head, lots of lace left on the sides of my glass.

Smell is mildly nutty, with a sweet, brown sugary maltiness. So far, it smells more interesting than a Newcastle, which seems to be most people's benchmark for the style.

Taste is more complex than many brown ales I've had. Admittedly, I've never thought of this style as very complex, but this one is one of the better tasting examples out there. Sure, there's the usual nutty, brown sugar/caramel taste that should normally be encountered with this style, but there's also a modest hoppy dryness that is at it's most noticeable at the finish.

This being one of the lighter dark ale styles around, this is a very medium bodied beer. No surprises here.

This is eminently drinkable. It would make an excellent session beer, and has more character than Newcastle. At the brewpub this is going for $3.50 per pint. If you come to the Tri-Cities, visit this place in Kennewick and have a bite and some beers. It's better than any brewpub in Spokane, that's for sure.

(at brewery, from notes) Nice brown color. Nutty, malt flavors throughout. Good solid body. Hop bitterness balances well with the malts providing a very nicely drinkable beer.