Samuel Smiths Nut Brown Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Brown Ale
Tadcaster, England

Pours a dark brown with a medium, but long-lasting head. The ale is very smooth with caramel and either a Brazil nut or pecan flavor. This is a very nice tasting brown ale.

Bottle. Lighter brown color with no head. Nice slight nutty taste with a long finish. Good aftertaste leaves you really wanting that next sip.

(Bottle). Sweet malt aroma. Deep reddish brown in color, with a moderate head. Nicely balanced nutty malt flavor, but not much finish. Also, the body has a thin feel. Nice effort, and a classic traditional brew, but Ol’ Sam has been eclipsed by other more modern, more impressive and more substantial brown ales, from the likes of Smuttynose, Rogue, Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, et al.

Beautiful reddish brown color. Aroma and taste of roasted malt---and nuts. Very thin body. Not much hop bitterness.

Bottle. Pours a deep brown, with a substantial white head. Aroma of sweet, roasted malts. The flavor is not too sweet, but still nicely malty, with flavors of nuts, toffee and dark fruits, and a slight hoppiness in the aftertaste. Creamy mouthfeel. Not the most exciting beer in the world, but very pleasant and drinkable.

550mL bottle purchased from LCBO in Toronto. I’m generally bored silly with nut brown ales, and am hoping this one can break the trend. Pours a clear medium brown with little head. Weak aroma of nothing much. Flavour starts out with a medium maltiness that quickly gives way to a quite nice tang that lingers throughout the aftertaste. Medium bodied. That tangy finish keeps me coming back. A nut brown ale I like!

Appearance is a clear, dark amber-to-brown hue, thin layer of condensed white foam sustains, no lacing. Smell is caramel malts, almonds/walnuts, touch of brown sugar, butter popcorn, roast/toast malts, hint of hops. Taste is mostly roasty malts with a strong nutty backbone, caramel and toffee enter midway, finishes with a dry sweetness chock full of nuts. Palate is light-medium bodied, thin and watery texture, moderate carbonation. Overall, a very smooth and flavorful english brown with no discernible alcohol presence, right in the session range at 5%, could drink quite a bit of this one.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz. bottle into a pint glass. It builds a thick and foamy head with a creamy tan color over a dark reddish brown body. The body has good clarity and some visible carbonation. The head has very good retention, lasting until the last sip, and it leaves light tan lacing on the glass. The aroma has a strong malty character with notes of mixed nuts and mild hops. It has a malty, sweet bread character that’s doughy and nutty. The presence of hops is mild and only noticeable towards the finish. Its carbonation is mild and the body is about medium making the texture smooth and creamy. This is a very enjoyable brown ale.