Nut Roll Ale - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nut Roll Ale
Pennsylvania Brewing Company

12 oz bottle. Nice clear brown ale. Aroma of sugary malt, fresh bread and some spices. In the taste, vanilla, chocolate, roasted malt, nutty notes, kind of like a holiday nut roll. Bready, faint buttered biscuit notes and lots of brown sugar, chocolate malts and very little bitterness. Faint cinnamon like spices. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, creamy with ample carbonation. Overall, a tasty holiday brew from Penn, and certainly a welcome addition to the winter mixed case. Penn is branching out with this one, and its a pretty good experiment.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 04:59:00 | More by Stinkypuss

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice dark coffee color with reddish hues and some nice lacing. Also great foam cap on top light tan in color 1/2 inch thick.

S: Aroma is nutty and sweet with a caramel note in the mix.

T: Taste is also nutty and sweet brown sugar nutmeg clove ginger all the spices in my Grandmothers nut roll of long ago, very good and definitely holiday.

M: Mouthfeel is a medium body with a decent carbonation level.

O: Overall great to have as desert after that big holiday meal, but wound not want to drink more than 2 in a sitting, odd but good.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 05:43:18 | More by nukem5

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Grabbed a bottle at my local mixed six place, Beer Nutz.

A - Looks decent enough. A nice dark amber brown with a red hue and a half inch of creamy head. Noticed the "not brewed with nuts" on the label

S - Well it does have some distinct nut smell, subtle pecans and walnuts meets some vanilla, brown sugar, and some bread malts.

T - As hustlesworth stated its very artificial in flavor (obviously since no real nuts were used). I get a nice sweet body, nuts and vanilla, and the finish with a bread malt. I don't get much hops so it drinks like a balanced brown ale.

M - Light to medium and has a bit of creaminess to it. Pretty easy to drink.

Overall with only a slight pet peeve that it's artificially flavored I see no reason to hate the ale. Maybe a touch more spice and this would be a staple in my fridge but I wouldn't pass up a glass if I was ever at the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 05:13:42 | More by DrDemento456

hustlesworth

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

part of the penn brewing "gourmet selection" 12-pack

A- pours a clear reddish amber with orange highlights. the creamy beige head is dense and sticky and kills it with christmas lace.

S- as expected, a nutty spiced holiday aroma. hazelnuts, pecan, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, nutmeg, and maybe the faintest dash of cinnamon. brown sugar and toffee caramel malt, and minute hop earthiness. worried about this one because the bottle clearly states "natural flavors added" and "contains no nuts". hope what i'm smelling isn't artificial hazelnut syrup or something.

T- yep, tastes like a nut roll. tastes EXACTLY like a holiday nut roll. and since i know there wasn't a nut roll in the mash, i'm feeling weird. hazelnut, pecan, walnut, candied orange peel, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper. even some pine and brown sugar. there's an earthy assertive hoppiness (thank goodness) to contrast the sweetness of the flavorings and the malt. cocoa and coffee malt notes hold their own as well.

MF- the artificial taste and aroma carry over to an artificial feel, just like leinenkugel's fireside. which was BLECH. funny diet soda feeling body and understated carbonation. unpleasant cheek feel.

D- glad to have tried it due to my sincere respect for penn brewery, but the whole thing is a little off in my opinion. maybe next year take a tip from great lakes or thirsty dog when making a spiced ale. i'll give the other bottle away to a less than cheerful family member.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 00:27:06 | More by hustlesworth