Try?
I have to tell
you that I just love winter. There's just nothing like an icy cold winter
night, sitting by the fireplace with the Christmas tree brightly lit, the
holiday music softly playing, and a warming glass of fine ale in your hand.
Moments like this are so special that they seem to hang outside of time,
placing our normal hectic daily struggle for survival on pause before we
have to wake up again next day and hit the Fast Forward button once more.
Of course, I live in Atlanta, and much to my consternation, its bloody well 70 degrees on December 20th as I type. But while I can't enjoy a beer by the fireside tonight, I can still enjoy a Fireside Nut Brown Ale, the new winter seasonal from Wisconsin's Jacob Leinenkugel Brewery.
Leinenkugel is, of course, owned by Miller Brewing, which in turn is now a subsidiary of South African Breweries. Fortunately, Leinekeugel is allowed a good deal of autonomy, as a sip of Fireside Nut Brown Ale will show you. Leinenkugel has been brewing since 1867, and it would truly be a shame if their beer became just another Miller brand. That hasn't happened, and we hope it never will.
Leinekugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale pours to a bright mahogany color with a very thick and bubbly tan head formation and a deliciously appetizing chocolate chip cookie nose with just a hint of maple. Taking a sip, you'll immediately see this is an easy drinking ale, not heavy at all and to be quite honest a breath of fresh air in that regard. Christmas is a time for over-indulgence, and many brewers wallop you with hops, malt, and spices with that in mind. But a beer like this, a mild and quaffable English style brown ale, can be nice for the holidays, too.
And this one definitely is. Still, there's plenty of flavor: sweet cookiesh malt, hints of chocolate, undertones of maple, chewy treacle, and a decided hazelnut character all dance across the tongue like sugarplum fairies. In the finish, there's even a gentle buzz of grassy herbal hops that balance the beer to perfection, though if you drink it too cold you may miss them.
The label calls this Beer with Natural Flavor, so I'm suspecting that they've added hazelnut and maybe maple extract to give this a bit of holiday flair. To be sure, Fireside Nut Brown Ale won't knock you over the head with flavor, and that may cause it to receive demerits from the ultra-reactionary contingent of the Beer Geek Party. But this is patterned on an English Mild Brown, after all, and beers like this are supposed to be easy drinking.
For my part, I love it, and welcome it as a new addition to my holiday lineup of brews. Because Fireside Nut Brown Ale is a beer that's accessible to the beer drinking novice, yet flavorful enough for the experienced veteran. So why not try some tonight? And if you have a cold night and a fireplace to drink it by, so much the better.
Of course, I live in Atlanta, and much to my consternation, its bloody well 70 degrees on December 20th as I type. But while I can't enjoy a beer by the fireside tonight, I can still enjoy a Fireside Nut Brown Ale, the new winter seasonal from Wisconsin's Jacob Leinenkugel Brewery.
Leinenkugel is, of course, owned by Miller Brewing, which in turn is now a subsidiary of South African Breweries. Fortunately, Leinekeugel is allowed a good deal of autonomy, as a sip of Fireside Nut Brown Ale will show you. Leinenkugel has been brewing since 1867, and it would truly be a shame if their beer became just another Miller brand. That hasn't happened, and we hope it never will.
Leinekugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale pours to a bright mahogany color with a very thick and bubbly tan head formation and a deliciously appetizing chocolate chip cookie nose with just a hint of maple. Taking a sip, you'll immediately see this is an easy drinking ale, not heavy at all and to be quite honest a breath of fresh air in that regard. Christmas is a time for over-indulgence, and many brewers wallop you with hops, malt, and spices with that in mind. But a beer like this, a mild and quaffable English style brown ale, can be nice for the holidays, too.
And this one definitely is. Still, there's plenty of flavor: sweet cookiesh malt, hints of chocolate, undertones of maple, chewy treacle, and a decided hazelnut character all dance across the tongue like sugarplum fairies. In the finish, there's even a gentle buzz of grassy herbal hops that balance the beer to perfection, though if you drink it too cold you may miss them.
The label calls this Beer with Natural Flavor, so I'm suspecting that they've added hazelnut and maybe maple extract to give this a bit of holiday flair. To be sure, Fireside Nut Brown Ale won't knock you over the head with flavor, and that may cause it to receive demerits from the ultra-reactionary contingent of the Beer Geek Party. But this is patterned on an English Mild Brown, after all, and beers like this are supposed to be easy drinking.
For my part, I love it, and welcome it as a new addition to my holiday lineup of brews. Because Fireside Nut Brown Ale is a beer that's accessible to the beer drinking novice, yet flavorful enough for the experienced veteran. So why not try some tonight? And if you have a cold night and a fireplace to drink it by, so much the better.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
