And Now for Something Completely Different

Bonus points for getting the reference.

Going into a taste test completely ignorant...not something I do often, I will admit, but there are big advantages to this sort of 'blind' tasting, particularly when choosing a type of beer one does not have a high opinion of.  Low expectations in combination with a good quality product make for an interesting and surprising experiment.

But wait a minute here.  A nut brown ale?  Well that's not really all that different, let's be honest here.

Ah, but in a way it is.  See, I am not a great advocate of nut browns.  Certainly, I am willing to try just about any beer at least once (unless it is some mainstream American crap, or contains the words 'real lime flavour' written on the bottle), but nut browns have never really grabbed me, not in a good way.  I find most nut brown ales to be too acidic or...tin-y.  Yes, sometimes that works in a beer, but I would argue only in moderation.  So it would happen that along comes a brewery that must have read my nut brown manifesto...






Yes, it's Cannery Brewing's Naramata Nut Brown Ale.  Bit of a mouthfull?  Well spit it the hell out to make room for this delicious malt beverage.  Cannery Brewing has done something extraordinary; they've made a truly great nut brown ale that I genuinely enjoy.  Well done Cannery.

So just what sets this here beer apart from the general riff-raff?  Well, for starters, there's a distinct lack of that overpowering acidic, 'tin' taste that puts me off other nut browns.  Score one for Cannery.  This also melds nicely with point number two, in that the Naramata nut brown, while dark and potent, has a smooth finish, not being harsh in the slightest.  But what's really great is just how much flavour there is for such a, well, dare I say 'regular' beer.  Nut browns are not exactly the most interesting or polarizing of beers, not having the distinct malty and syrupy nature of stouts and porters, nor the hoppy and jarring taste of IPAs or bitters, nor the utterly hopeless and boring entirety of lagers.

If you're a lager drinker, well...quite frankly I'm shocked you've stuck it out this long.  And also that you're sober enough to read this far into the article, as drunkenness is the only function of a lager.  Shouldn't you be working on your 17th can of carbonated piss-water about now?

Anyways, inferior beverage bashing aside, back to the Naramata nut brown.  We've established that it's not just a good nut brown ale, but a great one.  So what more is there to cover?  Well, the most important points have been made, but it's worth noting that this beer is exceptional for cruising, particularly if you have it upon your destination (midpoint), because the more moderate temperature really opens up the flavour.

In fact, serving temperature is something that is often disregarded among non connoisseurs, and is something I am quite guilty of from time to time.  It's critical that you keep in mind that nearly all beer (particularly those that actually have taste) is not actually best when it's right out of the fridge.  Sure, it might be appealing in the heat of summer to grab an ice cold amber ale, fruity porter, or, god forbid, stout (never never never have a stout ice cold), but the truth is that most beer has the most flavour at cool or below room temperature levels.  It's a tough one to judge, but much like an appreciation for fine beer, an appreciation for the right temperature at which to drink said beer will come with time and experience.  Just remember that extreme cold covers up the flavour, and therefore is best reserved for terrible beer that exists for the sole purpose of getting you drunk.

My my...that was quite the tangent wasn't it?  Yes...yes it was, invisible inquisitive reader.  But an important one.  Now...on to the main event.

Taste:  It's a nut brown ale...and by golly, I like it.  I like it a lot, in fact.  This is the absolute quintessential 'regular' beer.  Extremely flavourful, very palatable, and yet not out of reach for newcomers.

Aroma:  To be honest, it's not the strong point of the Naramata, though aroma tends to be a secondary factor in most of this type, in my experience.

Aftertaste:  Not overly complex, but not too simplistic either.  A great, smooth finish, lacking the metallic or acidic taste sometimes found in other nut browns.  

Recommended?:  Big big yes.  Not only can I recommend this to beer drinkers, but I would say beginners would find this just as enjoyable.  It's a beer for all.  The Volkswagon of beer, one might say.

Verdict:  Whether you're a fan of nut browns or not, a high time beer drinker or not, a drunk or not, I think there's a lot to enjoy from this beer.  I'd say it's a safe bet just about anyone can pick it up and thoroughly enjoy it, whether they've been drinking great beer for a long time, or whether they're just breaking out of the mainstream of limp-wristed fairy dust lagers.

Score:  9 mugs out of 10.