Nut Brown Ale I Black Oak Brewing Co.
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 25
Style: Brown ale
Colour: The median hex-value of all brown Ontario nuts
Price: $2.95/473ml can
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 25
Style: Brown ale
Colour: The median hex-value of all brown Ontario nuts
Price: $2.95/473ml can
I was more excited than Justin Bieber at a Lamborghini dealership to finally see Black Oak Nut Brown Ale on the shelf at my local LCBO, which typically carries a relatively large number but less than inspiring diversity of Ontario beers. There it was, almost hidden in a sea of IPA's, in it's seemingly 20 foot tall 600ml bottle, shining like a beacon of malty light, beckoning me to take it home. Not like I needed any convincing, as I'm a huge fan of old-school British beer styles. But when it came time to drink it, I made a rookie mistake, which was to drink this beer after plowing through a very hoppy ale, which kind of fucked with my palette. Didn't matter though, as the toasted malts and subtle sweetness of this beer quickly cleaned up my hop-fatigued taste-buds.
The beer pours a light brown colour with some aggressive off-white head. There was a surprisingly listless nose to this beer, as I found myself having to take some huge whiffs just to get some aromas to present themselves. What I did pull out was roasted nuts, grasses, and berries, along with a faint off-putting metallic tinge. The flavour more than makes up for the lackluster aromas though, as Nut Brown Ale was almost everything I hoped it would be. In true English style, the flavour of this beer isn't huge and overly bold. Instead, it's more on the subtle and complex side, nicely balanced, and smooth. Every sip starts sweet and slightly nutty, showing caramel malts and hints of hazelnut and walnut. It then moves to a more toasted and bitter back end, with dark chocolate, dark fruits, roasty malt and just a tinge of hop bitterness. There was a tiny bit of soapiness in the background, but not enough to really distract from the overall flavour. The mouth-feel is good, as the beer stays full and finishes smooth, but it's probably not as robust as it could be, and I would almost classify it as light bodied. In the end though, this almost gives the beer a nice refreshing airy feel which contrasts nicely with its classic and full flavour to create something rather unique.
Overall a very solid beer, and while it may not blow you away, it's a nice example of the style, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
The beer pours a light brown colour with some aggressive off-white head. There was a surprisingly listless nose to this beer, as I found myself having to take some huge whiffs just to get some aromas to present themselves. What I did pull out was roasted nuts, grasses, and berries, along with a faint off-putting metallic tinge. The flavour more than makes up for the lackluster aromas though, as Nut Brown Ale was almost everything I hoped it would be. In true English style, the flavour of this beer isn't huge and overly bold. Instead, it's more on the subtle and complex side, nicely balanced, and smooth. Every sip starts sweet and slightly nutty, showing caramel malts and hints of hazelnut and walnut. It then moves to a more toasted and bitter back end, with dark chocolate, dark fruits, roasty malt and just a tinge of hop bitterness. There was a tiny bit of soapiness in the background, but not enough to really distract from the overall flavour. The mouth-feel is good, as the beer stays full and finishes smooth, but it's probably not as robust as it could be, and I would almost classify it as light bodied. In the end though, this almost gives the beer a nice refreshing airy feel which contrasts nicely with its classic and full flavour to create something rather unique.
Overall a very solid beer, and while it may not blow you away, it's a nice example of the style, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
