Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale

Brewed by Tommyknocker Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Idaho Springs, Colorado USA

Appears a dark brown with a deep auburn hue. A 2 finger tan head slowly fades out into a mild cap. Nice amounts of chunky lacing is left around the glass. Smell is of maple, molasses, roasted nuts, nougat, and rich brown sugar. Taste is of the same aromas with a caramelized wort flavor that is actually pretty rich, bountiful, sugary, and delicious. Mouthfeel is full bodied, intense of alcohol, sweet, and bitter with a roasted nut feel that lingers along the palate.

In the bomber bottle. Notched Jan 29, 2005. Maybe aging has improved this beer, as I too think it is far better than the rating average. Pours dark brown garnet color with a yellow-beige head of huge proportions. Awesome lacing! Serious maple aroma. The beer just smells thick. Alcohol is clearly evident in the nose. Flavor is smooth with a milky maple bolus overcoming your senses. Sweet chocolate flavors appear and the beer has quite a nutty aroma as it warms. Delicious.

Pours dark brown with a minimal light brown head. Smells of figs, sweet malt, maple, some citrus, sugar and raisins. taste is og earthy hops, figs, dark fruit, raisins and pepper. As it warms, grassy notes, tea like hops and some chocolate reveal themselves.

Many thanks to Matta for this, a beer that deserves a lot more accolades, and one of the top 10 I have quaffed this year, or any year for that matter. The pour starts things off in a great way, showing a deep burnt sienna color with a 3-finger tan head that beautifully contrasts the color of the beer, like an early morning fog rising off the surface of a muddy Georgia marsh. The aroma greets the olfactory receptors with a complex medley consisting of huge roasty malt, corn flakes, brown sugar, almonds, toffee, and an underlying maple syrup element. The flavor is rich and complex, giving taste notes of roasty, corn flakey malt, with a mid-palate hit of brown sugar, almonds, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, and nutmeg. The palate is perfect, a nice hefty beer with great layers of interlacing flavors and aromas. I would never have pegged this as almost 10% ABV, that’s how well made it is. This is a beer for the ages, abeer that I would gladly stand in line for. Also, I consider this to be an Imperial Nut Brown Ale, as the label states, not an American strong ale.

(06.14.06) One pint , 6 oz brown bottle from beergeek.com. 10th year anniversary ale 1994-2004. Bottle labeled as best consumed within four months of June 1005. Hazy dark brown with medium off-white head. Soft carbonation. Aroma of sweet malt, fruity, and sour milk. Full bodied ale that starts with light malt sweetness and toasted malt/nutty flavor. Subtle maple syrup flavor noted in the middle. Finished with light malt fade and light hop bitterness. Creamy, rich, and smooth. Well-balanced. This is an excellent brown ale, one of the best that I’ve enjoyed so far.

thick dark brown with a tan head. huge roasted nutty malt aroma. almost like hazelnut buttercream. flavor very sweet maple syrup and nutty. full bodied. thick creamy and smooth. finish lasts forever. sweet syrup hazelnut and some bitter notes. nice big brown ale flavor with some hints of alcohol. this was a lot better than i expected. im not a big fan of brown ales but this one came through.

(bottle - 22 oz) Dark brown in color with a thick and puffy tan head. Aroma is slightly nutty and sweet with some hints of maple syrup and roasted malts. Flavor is very sweet and nutty at the start with a very thick and chewy maple syrup middle. Finish is roasty and almost overly sweet with hints of toffee at the end. Very warming and thick.

Bottle purchased at RFD in Washington, DC. A bit of a vinous, sweet, roasted, metallic aroma. Ethanol is apparent, but aroma is generally quite faint. Transparent dark amber color with a smallish khaki head despite a vigorous pour. Minimal lacing. Sweet, sticky, chewy caramel maltiness to start. Has a minute maple syrup flavor in the middle along with a mild ethanolic burn. Finishes more cloying and very sweet. Alcohol is poorly hidden and this brew is way too sweet and cloying.