Buster Nut Brown Ale - Ska Brewing Co.

jnice1984

North Carolina

4.58/5  rDev +32.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had it at Mac's speed shop on South blvd in Charlotte NC.

A- the bottle was hip and cool. The beer has has a light brown color.

S- it has a nice clam smell. Nothing special

T- has a great taste. Not to bold but has flavor

M- nothing stood out abt the mouthfeel

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 22:00:15 | More by jnice1984

centbeerfest

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass
A-The name says it all. A beautiful deep brown that is clear, but darkly opaque.
S-Very enjoyable toasted malt.
T-Slow to build, but long lasting roasted nutty finish. Strangely clean and refreshing for a beer as dark as it appears. Could use a bit more depth of taste but a small point in the grand scheme.
M-Very good. Doesn't kill your palate and leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 04:20:35 | More by centbeerfest

scottblaze

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A heavy pour down the middle resulted in a tan, 1 ½" finely bubbled head lasting a couple or three minutes diminishing to frothy peaks before going to almost nothing. Very good lacing wafting across the glass. Smell is of dark chocolate, with a hint vanilla. Dark chocolate is the predominate flavor, a little sweetness, creamy mouthfeel and very good drinkability.

Comes across almost like chilled coco, an interesting and fun beer, should work great for breakfast.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2008 02:24:50 | More by scottblaze

jktedder12

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a chilled pint glass with a minimum amount of head, which dissipated rather quickly. Nice warm brown color, but a lighter brown. The smell of roasted nut with a hint of sweetness on the nose. Medium bodied feel in the mouth. Nice smooth malty flavor, with a bit of a lingering aftertaste. Very nice brown ale in my opinion. Been looking for a nice solid brown to be a 'mainstay' in the bar. This is a keeper.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 23:32:16 | More by jktedder12

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown with a dense, off-white head.

Smell: Sweet-smelling, enormously nutty aroma. Hints of cocoa powder.

Taste: The taste is initially semi-sweet, but incredibly nutty and toasted all the while. Again, there's that hint of cocoa. Just enough of a gentle, subtle bitterness on the dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: I'll tell you what, it was surprisingly nice, at least on-tap.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2007 04:42:30 | More by ChainGangGuy

patobandito

New Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is my first beer from Ska brewing.
Pours a lovely dark brown color, possibly a bit dark for a nut brown, but looks great. Slight head with a good lacing, poor retention however. Smells distinctly of tootsie rolls. Very sweet smell, great. Tastes great as well, very chocolaty malt, again, like a tootsie roll. Goes down extremely smooth. Excellent.

I will definitely be buying this again, and trying even more from Ska. Its near my hometown, so I am looking forward to going home for Christmas this year.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 04:42:04 | More by patobandito

Conk

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Buster Nut Brown Ale pours a dark rich mahogany color with a two finger head that receded to leave moderate lacing and crown of foam atop the beer. This beer enjoys nice clarity and adequate carbonation as well as a beautiful color.

Smell: Aromas of apricots, walnuts, damp wood, slightly burnt coffee and bitter chocolates round out the mild smelling brown ale.

Taste: Dark roasted malts mix with subtle flavors of roasted almonds and walnuts with a well subdued sweetness and a mild hop finish that almost tastes of bitter chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and rich, yet light in body with a deliciously creamy frothy cap.

Drinkability: Very drinkable.

Rating: Yum. This beer was lighter in body and dryer than I had expected, though the full flavor profile and the creamy mouthfeel make this an especially drinkable beer. I look forward to keeping this on hand for a "sure thing" when a great beer is in need.

Final Words: Great choice for a lighter bodied full flavored brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 22:11:11 | More by Conk

scalffd

Illinois

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly cloudy/murky red-brown color, some carbonation bubbles swirling throughout, very small off-white head (1/4") which reduces quickly to a thin remaining layer.

Aroma: Very light, malty.

Taste: Much of the same and to be expected for the genre, but very light without much complexity, smooth mouthfeel and little on the back-end. Very drinkable because of the light taste and feel.

This has received sub-par reviews here, but I thought it was a solid beer, yet I prefer a Newcastle.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 00:52:23 | More by scalffd

bamadog

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My buddy Jeff brought this one back to me some time ago from a recent trip out to Colorado. The review is from notes taken on 10/25/2010 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pour is a dark coppery brown/toffee color; starts with a loose tan one finger head that fades quickly to a thin skim and 2 large islands; body shows solid clarity; minimal carbonation is present visually; nice thick wall of lacing and a lot of loose spots left behind.

Smell: Smells like well done, slightly burnt toast; slight nutty scent; mild earthy hop presence; smell isn't too bad -- typically I don't get too excited for Browns, but this one has kind of piqued my interest.

Taste: Nut flavor is much more present in the mouth than I would have expected from the nose -- it comes across a little bitter, but it's really "meaty" and it reminds me of a big, fat walnut; slightly burnt toasty presence is really more in the background and the slightly hoppy presence that I noticed in the nose is barely perceptible; again, I typically don't get too excited about this style, but the big walnut flavor straight out of the gate really makes me glad I'm drinking it.

Mouthfeel: A sticky, loose and slightly oily coating is left all over the roof of the mouth; the body is pretty soft and smooth; carbonation is present, but light and soft and it really seems to compliment the body nicely; overall it's really not too heavy.

Drinkability: I have to admit, this Brown is really drinkable as it's quite good; there are nice flavors that really live up to the name on the label; moderate ABV and a body that isn't too heavy, hell, I think I'd be able to get through 2 or 3 of these in a sitting if I had to.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 02:53:43 | More by bamadog

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer pours a dark warm brown crystal clear body with a big carbonation of tiny bubbles. That is fuel for a huge creamy light tan head.

S- Even during the pour the smell of nutty sweet malt filled the air. Hints of crystal malt and some Munich malts with a faint hint of biscuit.

T- The taste of brown malt and some crystal malt have some sweet and some dry qualities with a slight tangy taste. The taste is very fresh like the powder from grinding grain. The finish is a dry carbonic bite with no hops noticed.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a fizz texture.

D- I'm not a fan of Brown Ales because they are usually bland and shallow. This one has good grain qualities and complexity that give it lots of depth in the flavor. I would like to see a little hops or other grain in the finish but it was very nice to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 03:09:53 | More by rhoadsrage

mynie

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very dark brown like tree bark with a light, tawny head.

Smells of a surprising kick of hops along with honey, molasses, and hazlenut.

Tastes great! Rich coffee malt, moving into honey and hazlenut in the back and ending even sweeter and nuttier. Not overly sweet, though, like some nut browns.

An excellent example of its style and a great introduction to the Ska Brewery. If only it didn't have such a horrible name...I'm far from a prude or anything--I just don't like to be reminded of semen while I'm trying to savor the flavor of something, is all.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2006 05:12:11 | More by mynie

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

#4 on Christmas is the Buster Nut Brown from SKA. The colors is a nice brownish clear amber with thin slightly off-white head that is lacing!!! The scent includes malt, maple sugar, and some nuttyness. The taste includes a good push of sweet molasis type malt with hints of peanut butter. The mouthfeel is ok, lighter in body good carbonation. Overall it is a decent beer....I think I would prefer a little more body.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 22:27:58 | More by WoodBrew

SIRIUS2

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Tyler's Taproom in Apex, NC in a Ska Brewing pint glass.

Arrived to the table dark brown, seemed a bit hazy but hard to tell in the light, with about 2 fingers of light brown head. Good retention that gave way to some fine lacing all the way down the glass.

That happy nutty woody malty nut-brown smell was present at first sniff but really let loose a little with a bit of a swirl. Nice sense of caramel comes about on the nose, albeit light.

Mellow and modest, a solid flavored nutty malt is the first to arrive as the senses as you begin to take this in. As it glides around the mouth, you start to notice the complexities a little bit more, like some light hop bittering without the hard hop taste, some light chocolate tones, and some relatively light carbonation that helps provide for a relatively creamy texture. The finish is a little bit more of that chocolate, but it's sort of bitter chocolate that sort of just fades away.

This is some decent brown! It goes down easy, just short of creamy, and is just so mellow that it seems like it would go with so many things. I can see this as a good session brew. If your into browns, check this one out. Pretty good.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2008 23:55:06 | More by SIRIUS2

Mitchster

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +13%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Brewed with Victory and Munich malt. Hopped with Northern Brewer, Cascade and Willamette. Part of a mixed 12 pack sampler from this brewery. Brewed August 2004.

Pours out to a clear dark mahogany, forming a wimpy and small light tan head with poor retention and minimal lacing. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma of milk chocolate, wet grain husk, herbal hops, tobacco and leather. Mouthfeel is somewhat thin with a clean finish. Medium-light body. Taste begins with herbaceous and woody hops, followed by a mild saltiness and nuts. Slightly salty hops in the finish which are mild to moderate in intensity. Aftertaste is of pleasant minerals, chocolate, wood, leather, and minimal tobacco. Cleanly fermented, no perceptable alcohol.

This is a pleasant nut brown ale...I like the chocolate, minerals and grain husk, though it's a touch thin bodied. On a side note, their busy labels annoy me. I can hardly tell what the freakin' beer is. Get it? "Buster nut?" Yawn...

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2005 23:25:18 | More by Mitchster

drxandy

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got in trade thanks to mhewes!
Poured from 12oz to footed ale glass, pours a nice golden reddish brown, tan/off white head

smells of sweet maltiness (kinda appley), slight bitterness, nuttiness, spiciness, and probably some other kind of -ness.

tastes of caramel malts, nutty flavors, bitterness is blended well roasty malts, easy drinking as a nut brown should with a slight touch of bakers chocolate?

mouthfeel is smooth and sessionable, with a nice creaminess from carbonation, something i would totally want to kick back with some pizza.

I love the concept ska brewing is providing as a company. This is my first taste of one of their beers and it's definitely a nice nut brown, love the play on words for the name and the bottle art is really great. Very nice graffiti ska styled, very attractive illustration in my option, something that would pop out to a regular consumer.

I only wish I could visit the taproom to see how things went down there :D

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2008 05:59:56 | More by drxandy

Yeastcakes

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +13%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - roast and caramel malt notes dominate. Slight hop notes.
A - one finger of rocky head that quickly dissipates. Clear ruby in color.
M -light to medium body with medium carbonation. Slight creaminess.
T - Roast and caramel from the aroma dominate. Very subtle malty sweetness balances nicely with the bitterness.
D - Nice light beer with some roasty notes. Very drinkable. Has some nice stuff going on, but is not too cluttered.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 03:30:04 | More by Yeastcakes

atsprings

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a standard pint glass a crisp brown with a thin diminishing khaki head that leaves decent lacing on the glass. Aroma is mild brown malts and cocoa. The taste is a smooth subtle blend of dark malts, cocoa, nuts and mild caramel. The beer is quite light, crisp and smooth with mild carbonation. This is a surprisingly enjoyable brown ale, one I would love to have on-tap again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 17:27:39 | More by atsprings

Gavage

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: clear brown in color with a thin 1" head that falls away quickly. Some spotty lacing shows up.

Smell: caramel and nuts are detectable but not overwhelmingly strong.

Taste: caramel, hints of chocolate, nuts, and some very soft earthy tones. Mild bitterness sticks in the background.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Lightly crisp at the start, smooth towards the finish. Very short aftertaste.

Drinkability: easy to drink session ale. This will not blow you out of the water, but a worthy beer to try.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2007 16:52:48 | More by Gavage

Bung

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. A nice deep brown, nut brown? Just a thin layer of white head.

Aroma, certainly nutty, some malt and lighter brown sugar, herbal hop.

Taste is malty, light caramel and earthy. Some leather, hazelnut, peat. Finish has just a faint amount of hop bittering, toast.
Seems pretty in tune with the style.

Heavier side of light, adequate carbonation. I found this very drinkable, pleasant with the low abv. A session English brown, not many around from US brewers. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 02:50:09 | More by Bung

1fastz28

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

buster nut brown ale, has a pretty cool label, reminds me of some punk rock albums from the mid 90's, think mighty mighty bosstones or reel big fish. looks great, a reddish brown color with a small weak head. smell is good, has a very strong chocolately malty aroma. taste is very coffee like, has a nice sugary malty flavor. no hop presence at all, mouthfeel is kinda watery, good beer all around.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2008 20:49:00 | More by 1fastz28

Loki

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sampled from a 12oz bottle.

Appearance: Pure brown color with a decent white head. However, the head fades very quickly and leaves minimal lacing.

Smell: Toasted malt, roasted nuts, and dry yeast. Very aromatic. Strong nut and toast smell.

Taste: Sweetmalt followed by a mild bitter toffee taste with a mild nuttiness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a light stickiness.

Drinkability: A solid beer but nothing impressive.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2004 02:57:52 | More by Loki

WesWes

New York

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a brown color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has a sweet, malty scent that boasts of crystal and roasted malts along with a nutty aroma. The taste is decent. It has a light, malty flavor that goes down easy and finishes a bit weak with some residual sweetness. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a low/medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a good drinking beer, but just not the best nut brown. The aroma suggests lots of malt flavor, but the actual taste is a let down. Overall, a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2006 02:13:14 | More by WesWes

Rayek

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Perfect Pint glass.

A: Deep chestnut brown, with nice clarity. A foamy beige head has OK retention and leaves a little lace.

S: Toffee, baking chocolate and a bit of walnut.

T: Fairly light. Bittersweet baking chocolate up front. A black tea and lemon bitterness comes on with just enough intensity to provide balance. Finishes with a bit of toffee.

M: The somewhat dry body has about the right level of carbonation.

D: A pretty decent beer overall. Low ABV makes it a good session beer. I'm glad I had the opportunity to have it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 02:55:15 | More by Rayek

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a cola-like dark brown. A cream colored head recedes quickly to a film, then half-way down there's nothing. Some light lacing sticks to the glass. The smell is malty and sweet. A maple syrup presence and a nutty undertone. The beer tastes quite malty and syrupy up front. Not much hop balance, even in the finish. The beer feels thick and sticky in the mouth.

Overall, this beer has it's ups and downs, but it's alright. Too sticky and definitely not good on a hot summer night.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 16:56:06 | More by JuicesFlowing

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poors brown to charcoal in color, with a decent head tan to brown in color that retianed well all the way down.

Smell: Malty,fruity nose that me think of english Christmas pudding.

Taste: Malts dominate with subtle tastes of cashew and hazel nut and hoppy bitterness on the front of the tounge & back of the throat.

Mouthfeel: Wish the body was thicker, kind of detracted from the overall taste.

Found this very drinkable, but made thirstier for something heavier...

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2005 04:05:08 | More by russpowell