New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Bottle from the Cellar as part of the New Glarus variety 12 pack. Was unsure at what I was getting into at first, but was pleasently suprised with the aromas given off and the taste that followed. Got me to try other Nut Brown Ales.

12oz bottle shared by Dogbrick. Pous a semi-opaque amber with a thin white head. Sweet aroma of caramel, vanilla and hazelnut with a hint of berry in there too. Creamy vanilla flavor up front followed by nuts and fruit. Way more complex than I expected and pretty tasty to boot.

Bottle from Terrel at Cassanova’s. Pours a hazy amber color with a trim beige head. Smells and tastes of roasted hazelnuts and watered down coffee with traces of dark cocoa, mustard seed, barley, and caramel. A touch flat, but highly drinkable.

12 oz bottle courtesy wj94. Pours a big cloudy brown with a thick off white head. Nice caramel malt and earthy hop aroma. Nice slightly sweet malt taste with a nice touch of caramel and hop bite. Has a very earthy Euro hop profile, not overpowering but tasty. Good brew.

12 oz bottle. Pours a brownish copper with lacy beige head. The aroma is spicy and earthy with a few notes of caramel and toast. The flavor is nice... sweet caramel and a smooth, round nuttiness (not like the harsh peanut-shell thing I get in a lot of nut browns, but more like hazelnut like the commercial description mentions). A few mild fruity esters float around in there, mostly cherry and pear. There’s a touch of bitterness to the finish, but not much. The aftertaste is earthy caramel, but doesn’t stick around for very long. This was surprisingly good.

Bottle. Amber brown pour with a little carbonation. Not much aroma to speak of (good or bad). Flavor was mild malt, some hops and finished crisp and clean. A solid brown ale, makes me wish I was back in college in Wisconsin.

12oz bottle thanks to ...... Pours a clear amber with a thin, off-white head. Nose is of nut and roast malt. Taste is same as smell. Mouthfeel is thin and watery with carbonation. Not bad.

A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass fills it with four-fingers of tan colored froth. The beer is a ruddy plum / amber color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, copper tinged, amber color when held up to the light. The aroma smells quite malty up front with notes of toasty grain, a light nuttiness, and a whole grain bread crust aroma. There is a backdrop of malt sweetness, a berry like fruitiness and a hint of toffee. As the beer warms a touch of herbal hop character becomes noticeable.

Lightly sweet up front, but picks up more sweetness through the middle where it picks up and finishes with a solid berry fruitiness. The sweetness is offset by a light toasted malt character, a hint of coffee in the finish and a lingering toasted nuttiness. There is an herbal hop note, the hops add to the berry notes here as well as a soft bitterness in the finish. A touch of chalk-like malt, a nice toasted whole grain bread crust flavors and a nice freshly crushed malt flavor anchor the sweeter malt notes. This beer is eminently quaffable, it is light, but not watery and has a touch of chewy malt body that just helps to make this an enjoyable brew to quaff.

This is a solid Brown ale, I like the berry like fruitiness, and I like that it is well balanced by the toasty malt character. This drinks quite easily and I could easily spend an afternoon with a couple of these beers. This was exactly what I was looking for right now.