Buster Nut Brown Ale - Ska Brewing Co.

beergoot

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Crystal clear, dark brown body topped with a thick, creamy head. Roasted grains, nutty, with slight estery hints. Caramel and dark grains produce a smooth, mellow malt sweetness throughout; touch of hop bitterness and faint alcohol notes. Solid medium body, smooth.

A pretty tasty malt-forward beer, not too sweet yet packed with excellent caramel and nut flavors.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 19:56:44 | More by beergoot

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.51/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 355ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2012, so it's rather out of date. Acquired a little while back from Trembling Madness in York. Curse the distributors of US beer in the UK - I had no idea that the date was so short. I'll cross my fingers that it's still in decent condition. The label is cool, but faintly alarming.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A rich reddish-brown hue with low carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy beige foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a surface layer. Some lacing. Aroma of sweet, nutty malt with hints of chocolate, caramel, mild brown sugar, faint vanilla and earthy yeast. Quite enticing.

Tastes of sweet chocolate malt with a dry finish. Notes of roasted malt, caramel, nutty grain, mild chocolate, a hint of brown sugar, earthy yeast and faint stewed hops. Possesses a vague fruitiness and a twinge of acidity. Quite dry, with a delicate bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and lightly tingly, with decent body. The carbonation is lacking; could be more effervescent. Mildly astringent, with an aftertaste of sweet malt, caramel and stewed hops.

Not bad, a brown ale that slides down nicely. Despite being a tad old it seems alright. The aroma and flavour are dominated by sweet chocolate and caramel notes, which make for easy drinking. Somewhat undercarbonated, but otherwise OK. Worth sampling if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 22:22:10 | More by jazzyjeff13

GMB

Japan

3.73/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ska Brewing Co. produces delicious, drinkable beer. That's what this offering is, and I recommend it.

Buster Nut Brown Ale pours a light brown body with a head that isn't long for this world.

Toasted malts dominate the nose. I pick up a bit of pumpernickel bread crust. Hops are noticeable but indistinct.

This is a rich, delicious nut brown ale. Roasted nuts, particularly almond and hazelnut, are at the fore. Its malt is roasted just enough, accentuated by the balanced use of bittering hops, to suggest aromas of coffee and chocolate without allowing these richer, heavier flavors to overwhelm what is otherwise a full-bodied yet "sessionable" beer. Nice.

Roasted almonds don't pair as well as one would expect. But dark chocolate does. So do peanut butter and bananas.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 20:21:42 | More by GMB

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a reddish brown pour with a slight amount of creme colored head and nice retention. smells very malt heavy, hints of caramel and chocolate (nothing too outstanding).
the taste is very bland.. a very subtle mix of chocolate with various malts.. on the sweet side, but nothing is really outstanding (again).. there is also a slightly fruity hint of raisins.
light bodied, mildly carbonated.. subtle and smooth.

well, the beer wasn't all that fascinating however, i'm glad i got to try it and i will be keeping the bottle. growing up listening to ska makes me appreciate every beer this brewery makes whether it be hit or miss (so far this is really the first miss).

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 07:22:41 | More by facundoCNB

vickersspitfire

Texas

2.8/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured out into a pint glass, it looks good: dark brown body highlighted with red hues with very little carbonation and topped off with a finger thick off white head that quickly mellows out into sporadic bubble islands in the glass all surrounded by a strong lacing. Malts, brown sugar, wheat bread and mild cinnamon are some of the aromas coming out of this nice drink. Mild nutty aromas are in there too! Bitter when it first hits your tongue, but it quickly mellows out and is actually quite sweet. Unfortunately I can’t pick up any more flavor than this, except in the aftertaste, where some nuts and mild banana bread comes out mixed in with some raisin. It has a relatively light mouth feel and goes down really smooth, not a bad beer overall.

WOW!... just read a few reviews, I may have gotten a bad beer, it looked good and was not skunked at all...I'll have to get another one and re-review.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 03:45:42 | More by vickersspitfire

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

Megahertz

Missouri

3.33/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz into a shaker. Best by date is smeared.

A - Medium to dark brown, clear, with distinct ruby highlights. Small tan head forms. Carbonation appears minimal.

S - Nutty with an almost boozy note.

T - Honey-like initial sweetness with some fruity esters. Mid has a distinct almond-like flavor with a bit of alcohol bite. Finish is slightly sweet with a metallic hopiness - may be an old sample.

M - Medium body, medium carbonation. Would like more body.

O - A good, easy to drink nut brown. Slightly above average example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 20:16:32 | More by Megahertz

imasloth

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got this at Spec's in Dallas for just $4.99 for a sixer.

A- Clear, reddish-brown. Almond-coloured head, one finger in width. Light lacing in pint glass.

S- Malt, even kind of grassy. Light nutty and cocoa smells.

T- Cocoa and malt, then malt and light alcohol. Finishes nutty with a light hop bitterness.

M- Medium-bodied. Carbonation evident, light mouth-coating.

O- Good but not great. obviously a steal for the price.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 12:41:04 | More by imasloth

depechemode1983

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark brown in color. The head is tan and retention is very little. Lacing is scattered unevenly around the glass. Lightly toasted malts take stage with a faint hop bitterness. The nose ends on a sweet almond like nutty note. Light roasted grains dominate the taste but are balanced out nicely by bitter hop characters and a sort of sourness in the middle. Once again the taste finishes nutty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Smooth and with fine carbonation. A fairly average brown ale. Its got just enough complexity to keep you interested. If I could find this in singles in my area I could see purchasing a couple now and then. Although I would never drop the cash for a six pack. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 16:52:36 | More by depechemode1983

Bockrules

New Mexico

3.6/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured from the bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a slight hazy, amber-brown. A few bubbles rise to he two-finger, tan head. Head is reduced to a ring of bubbles about 2/3rds down the glass. Leaves behind several large splotches of lacing.

S - Sweet crystal malt with a fair amount of caramel and some nuttiness.

T - Caramel and sweet malt upfront. The body attempts to the balance the sweet caramel malt with earthy English hops, but the combination comes of slightly astringent here. Nutty notes are mixed A flash of earthy hops as the beer passes over the back of the tongue leads to a stale biscuit with slight caramel finish.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Acceptable, but would like to see more creamy.

A solid English ale from Ska brewing, but a far cry from veterans of the style such as Samuel Smiths. The real problem is that the beer just didn't come off as rich, creamy, and complex as some other English browns, plus the art on the bottle kinda creeped me out. I might have this again on tap if I'm in the mood for a brown, but I don't see myself picking up a six of it anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 04:57:00 | More by Bockrules

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

DavidST

Texas

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass, best by 1/27/12 (a couple of weeks past date). This pours a nice amber color with a decent sized foamy white head. The smells are of brown sugar, a little nuttiness, other malts. The feel is medium. Taste is brown sugar, nuttiness, some roasted malts. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 06:13:46 | More by DavidST

denver10

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours brown with very little head. Sweet swell to this thing but nothing distinct in the aroma. Taste is pretty flat and I get very little distinguishable flavors from it. Maybe a blend of brown sugar and malt. I think I might have to buy another single of this in the future to ensure I simply didn't get a bad bottle of this. Mouthfeel is syrupy and very little carbonation. Very disappointed in this beer so far. I will have to give it a second chance though, reading a lot of these comments suggest something wasn't right for me here Maybe a wrong time, wrong place situation, maybe an old bottle that sat on the rack for too long, who know...

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 21:12:58 | More by denver10

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

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into schooner. Best before date on the bottle was 1/27/12.

A - clear brown with very little head and just a hint of lacing

S - nice roasty malt and caramel on the nose

T - some slight initial hops (more than I'm accustomed to in an English Brown Ale, but definitely not too much) melting into a caramel and nutty middle with a bit of smoke in the finish. Nice malt backbone and not overly sweet. Maybe even a hint of licorice at the end.

M - medium bodied with a small amount of carbonation; coats the mouth nicely

D - goes down easy

Overall this was a solid English Brown Ale - slightly more hops than in some of the others I've had, but it's just a hint and melts away into the big caramel and malt finish. Definitely tasty and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 23:19:57 | More by DoktorZee

Sweasty

Texas

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ska Brewing company's brown ale is finally available around here. Ska nails it again with the awesome label. They usually capture the essence of ska/punk music with their labels. Alas labels are meaningless, it's what's inside the bottle that counts. Buster Nut pours a clear dark mahogany brown. Things are topped off by a finger or so of bone white head. Head settles to a ring rather quickly. A light bit of lacing is left in its wake.

The aroma is a bit light. Light coffee notes hit first. A touch of sweet chocolate pops beneath the coffee. Some caramel notes hit next. The aroma is rounded out by some brown bread notes.

The taste follows the aroma. Some light roast quality shines. Coffee is much more pronounced on the palate. It takes on a coffee grounds like quality. Semi-sweet chocolate notes flow underneath the coffee. Beneath the roastiness, a light bit of caramel comes through. Some brown bread qualities hit next. The finish is quick with a bit of lingering roast coffee notes

Buster nut is a nice medium bodied brew with adequate carbonation.

I am glad to have tried this brew. This is a tasty enough beer. Buster Nut is far from being a world class brown ale. It's just a bit light all the way around. That said, there's no major missteps here. Props to Ska for making a nice easy drinking quaff.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 03:12:41 | More by Sweasty

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle pours a very dark brown color for the style and has a nice-looking tan head that leaves plenty of lace...enough to be interconnected all the way around the glass. Impressive.

Nose is toffee, caramel and hazelnuts. A little astringent here and there, but pretty big overall and the nuttiness comes through nicely.

Nuts galore and even goes so far as to remind me of a hazelnut liqueur, not quite Frangelico in its richness and sweetness though. Toffee and coffee are secondary flavors, but still there nonetheless. Hops are very low and its hard to distinguish any yeast character. The body is fine and leans a bit toward the sweet end of the spectrum. Its quite baffling, Ive had at least twelve of these over the past couple years and the components all add up to something I would really like...but for some reason it just doesnt all come together perfectly for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 03:18:45 | More by twiggamortis420

KansasBeerLover

Kansas

2.3/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured a 12 oz. bottle into a pint ale glass.

Color is a pleasing dark amber, almost mahogany color. The last of the pour is almost syrup-like, with the last few drop not wanting to leave the bottle. Head is thin with visible marbling, which soon disappears and leaves no lacing.

Smell is faint, sweet and roasted nuts with a hint of malt.

Taste is flat, reminds me of a bottle of pop left open too long.

Mouthfeel is in the roof. Like the aroma, too thin.

This was my fourth bottle of a six-pack. I started to review the first, but held judgment until I was sure. Sadly, all four bottles had the same results. I won't share this with my friends, and I'm too tight to pour the last two down the drain. The beer looks good, but seems to have been rushed out the door.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 00:09:58 | More by KansasBeerLover

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

Coplains

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up in a pick your own six pack, so only one to sample. Pours d dark brown with fair head and moderate carbonation. Taste is of roasted malt and it does have a distinct nut flavor. Overall a pretty good nut brown , not the best offering from Ska but a good not great beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 00:37:02 | More by Coplains

chinchill

South Carolina

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, undated despite coding bar on label, served in a pint glass.

Pours a dark red-mahogany, clear with a smallish tan head that is short-lived.

Aroma - medium and dark malt; a trace of spicy hops, a bit smoky. Rather understated.

T - moderately malty, nicely nutty, with a medium- and well-roasted grain flavor and hints of banana and dark fruits.

M- medium-light body; a bit light for style. Good carbonation. Slightly dry finish

O - a fairly well-crafted if rather unremarkable English Brown. No real strong points or weaknesses.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 01:37:36 | More by chinchill

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: The body is pecan brown with some mahogany highlights. There is almost no foam, not even enough to cover the top of the beer. And no lacing of course.

Smell: The malts have a roasted quality to them, but not quite coffee, more like roasted nuts. It has brown ale characteristics with this malt profile, but it is weak, and a little on the harsher side.

Taste: Not really any bready malts in play here. Just more of that roasted nut taste. It is not bad, and certainly could work in a brown ale, but it is really bland. It really is a skinny profile. Maybe some biscuity malt in the finish, but that char carries through as well.

Mouth feel: Despite the underwhelming taste, it is a smooth drinker. That roasted profile kind of distracts from the feel though. More on the light side than medium.

Overall: While it is true this brown ale is pretty straight forward, it does at least go for a more original interpretation of a brown ale. That roasted flavor could even be called endearing if it was done better. The malt profiles are just too small. You could do worse for browns, I'm sure. But ultimately, you could also do much, much better.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 23:33:12 | More by Pintofbrown

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

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

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

hazelnut color and a light offwhite head that capped the top with vigorous carbonation throughout. aroma is sweet, lots of caramel and roasted nuts, hints of bready grains, touches of light earthy hops, really quite nicely done i have to admit. moving forward there is a clean, crisp feel to it, smooth medium body is well deserving and shows off the overall profile very, very well. i was quite impressed with how easy this was. flavor is dominated by caramel and roasted nuts and the overall expierence is that of a lightly sweetened and very sessionable ale.

overall really very well done

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 03:10:19 | More by mikesgroove