Buster Nut Brown Ale - Ska Brewing Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Reddish bronze with ripe orange trim. Like most beer of this style, Buster Nut Brown Ale isn't brown at all. The head is surprisingly light in color, a few shades lighter than 'malted milk ball center' ecru. The surface of the cap is lumpy and bumpy, with hundreds of fine bubbles that aren't popping very quickly. A few spots and dots of lace are stuck to the glass above a ragged, thick collar of sticky foam.

The nose is decent for a brown ale, but Munich malt isn't one of my favorites. Dark caramel, carob and toasted walnuts are prominent enough that I'm still onboard. I like the aroma more the more I smell it. I'll take that as a good sign for what's to come.

First impression... this beer deserves a bigger body. There's a near equal mixture of carob and coffee, with more nuttiness than most brown ales. At times I think I taste a pumpernickel breadiness, but the flavor doesn't last long enough for me to be sure one way or the other. This is one case in which the overall flavor falls short of the sum of its parts.

The hop bill consists of Northern Brewer, Cascade and Willamette, although none of those three puts its indelible stamp on the flavor profile. I can pick up a faint Cascade citrusiness that may be nothing more than my imagination. This beer has potential, but it just doesn't gel for me.

As noted, the body/mouthfeel leaves something to be desired. I've given it an average score because I'm aware of my big beer bias and because I'm pretty sure that it falls within the accepted bounds for the style. Make no mistake, though, there's no hint of viscosity or chewiness.

Ska Brewing Company's Buster Nut Brown Ale (I keep wanting to call it Nut Buster, a name that would be more appropriate if it was bigger and better) is an decent version, although I can't bring myself to recommend it. More malt is the obvious fix. As is, cast your brown ale lovin' eyes elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2006 16:49:36 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
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

brentk56

North Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a chestnut brown with a very modest head that quickly becomes a ringlet, though it does leave a small trace behind

Smell: Brown bread, with a hint of toffee sweetness

Taste: Brown bread, with some nutskin sour flavor developing by mid-palate; some toffee sweetness in the mix as well; after the swallow, the sweet, bready flavors linger

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Brown ale is a tough style to get excited about, but some brewers manage to add something to it to make it interesting; Sky, unfortunately, does not

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2009 21:33:33 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +17.9%
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

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ya gotta love the Dick Tracy comic book label art.

A solid beer that focuses on the sweeter elements of nuttiness, chocolate, and mild brown malts. Hops keep the beer from cloying but really don't make much of an impact other than a mild herbal rise. Malted milk and shortbread sweetness help the overall sugary mix with a sturdy grian maltiness. No real ester or phenolic varieties; this is a clean, but one-dimentional Brown Ale. Easy enough to drink though.

Thanks Ken.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 22:13:07 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear, light brown body, big, creamy, fuzzy head.
Aroma:nice and nutty, maybe woody, too, touches of cocoa, perhaps...
Taste: very mild, small, no, no hops, good malt, solid body, but ultimately thin. Little texture, too, with a scant finish, nothing stands out, nothing really pleases, either. Which, darn it, is what I look for in a brew, not just inoffensive drinkability, which this provides aplenty. Seems to fall into the "mild ale" style of English brown ale, and that should be warning enough for me. Perfectly ordinary, this is, and that makes it a bit of a let-down, for I did enjoy their porter pretty well and still look forward to more.
Thanks to prAna for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2004 09:36:32 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.83/5  rDev +10.7%
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

Mora2000

Texas

3.53/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Flying Saucer in Fort Worth.

The beer pours a brown color with a small tan head. The aroma is full of toffee and caramel with a little bit of nuttyness mixed in. Straight forward but enjoyable. The flavor is more of the same. There is a little bit of brown sugar to go along with the hazelnut, toffee and caramel notes. There is a little bit of grass from the hops but it is hidden well behind the malt. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2011 03:09:19 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, reddish brown color with a small, tan head of foam with some big bubbles. It left little to no lace.

S - It smelled of caramel, biscuity malt and grasses.

T - A fairly sweet brown ale. Lots of caramel and malt flavors. Not much hop bite or bitterness.

M - It was soft and smooth. A light bodied ale.

D - This is an okay brown okay. It really didn't have the nutty flavors and aromas that I expect in an "English" brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2009 02:40:30 | More by zeff80

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.8/5  rDev +9.8%
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

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottled on Date of January 2, but I am pretty sure this is a mistake as this beer does not taste like a three year old beer, in fact it is far to light to have lasted this well.

This beer pours a clear ruby amber color with a light brown head. The aroma is malty with roasted notes, biscuits, caramel and even perhaps a hint of cherry fruitiness. The body of this beer is light, actually a bit lighter than I was expecting. The taste is a mix of malty sweetness, lightly roasted barley notes, and a cherry like fruitiness. There is certainly nothing wrong with this beer, and it does have a nice mix of fresh flavors, but it is a bit thin and it is missing a little something.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2005 03:44:48 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours brown with a fizzy off-white head, fair retention.

S: Toffee, caramel, hazelnuts.

T: Nuts, hints of dark chocolate and a note of roast form the main flavour. Some smoke flavour goes with the relatively sweet finish. Nice taste.

M: Light-bodied, fizzy carbonation, on the thin side.

D: Solid nut brown ale. Not the most common style in the craft brewers repertoire so it was nice to see. Another good ale from Ska.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 01:15:37 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +12.1%
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

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +14.2%
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

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.23/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours with light brown, two-fingered bubbly head, fades slowly and leaves a good lace. Light-medium carbonation. Light bodied. Deep amber color. Not much of a nose. Starts hoppy finishes very hoppy and bitter. $1.69 for a 12oz bottle from Super 7-Even Raleigh, NC.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2004 23:50:15 | More by jdhilt

ppoitras

Massachusetts

2.6/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

12oz bottle from nvsblman as part of BIF 19. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed an overpowering 3" light brown head above the dark amber brew. Head fades very slowly, with areas of frothy lace. Aroma is minimally of effervescent malts, I expect some sort of nuttiness from a nut brown. Taste is lightly nutty, but other than than little character to note. Mouthfeel seems quite thin, with drinkability being a bit better, but overall not much redeeming here. Lots better brews in the cooler...

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2005 20:33:22 | More by ppoitras

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a murky brown with a finger width of light tan head that left adequate lacing. Not much coming through on the aroma. Maybe just some light tones of sweet biscuits and nuttiness.

The taste profile is similar to aroma. Fairly sweet with notes of toasted malt, nuts, some chocolate or coffee as well. I'm picking up some citrus as well in the background. The mouthfeel is unfortunately the one big lowlight of this beer. Just way more thin and watery than the taste would suggest.

Some more chewiness would have gone a long way to improve this beer for me. Not terrible but in the end, I was defintley expecting a little more.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2008 17:54:35 | More by Kegatron

DoubleJ

California

2.35/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 ounce bottle with a cool cartoon label, on to the beer:

Pours ruby brown ibnto my pint glass. It has an amber glow as it sits in my glass and forms a low, one cm head on top. There is some good stuff in the nose, fruity esters mix with a toffee nut note. Faint hint of oxidation (cardboard). And now I taste it...it's like a mix of English pale with a brown. Fruity like strawberry preserves, mild dry nuttiness, with a whisper of dull alcohol hitting the palate. It's a little watery without much carbonation.

This beer didn't do me much good. Keep the esters and faint alcohol out of the flavor, and don't forget to pep the carbonation level. Then we have a much more enjoyable beverage here.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 21:48:29 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at Bruisin' Ales in Asheville.

Pours a hazy brown color with a two-finger off-white head. The head dissipates fairly quickly into a thin pancake on top leaving very light lacing.

Smells of lightly toasted malts with a good amount of nuttiness, however neither aromas are as robust as I'd like.

Tastes lighter than it smells. Toasted malts start things off, followed by fruit sweetness in which the fruits can't be pinned down - it's certainly not fruity, just the sweetness with a fruit twang. There's a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is alright. It's a bit on the thin side with good carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I had no problem finishing one, but I'm not sure I'd be excited about another.

Overall this was a good beer, but one that I probably won't revisit again.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 23:13:44 | More by glid02

Gusler

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer emigrates from the 12-ounce brown bottle a somewhat hazy brown with a portly light tan head that is semi-creamy in texture as it fades away; the lace forms a concealing blanket upon the glass. Nose is malt with light caramel tones, fresh and somewhat tobacco like, start is lightly sweet and the malt profile light to moderate with the top light in its feel. Finish is mildly acidic, the hops benign in their spiciness, somewhat sour aftertaste is also dry, a drinkable beer, but not a real hit with me.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2005 23:44:20 | More by Gusler

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with a best by date of 11/18/10 stamped on the neck. Thanks Ryan for the chance to try this.

Buster nut... appears a perfectly clear amber brown color with less than a finger of lightly tanned head. The foam of bubbles does not display much power of retension and before long it is nothing more than a thin layering atop the brew. Multiple swirls hardly revive little more than a few extra bubbles.

The aroma of this brew is grainy with some toasty suggestions of chocolate malt and a bit of coffee. Lightly fruity from a combination of the alcohol's presence, yeast and floral hops.

The taste is grainy with chocolate malt and a bit more fruity flavored than I would like but it isn't suprising how sweet and fruity this offering is considering the warning from the aroma. It finishes somewhat crisp but has an ackward fruitiness about it that I just don't like. More sips start to yield a bit of bitterness that seems to be more from a chocolate maltiness than from hops. The alcohol is well surpressed and this would be a fine session brew if it wasn't for the fruitiness. Perhaps a change in the hops is needed or a different yeast or fermenting temperature to make this one less fruity?

Medium bodied brew with a light level of carbonation. Could benefit from a bit more carbonation as the lack of carbonation imparts a bit of a watery feel.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 01:25:52 | More by stakem

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great lloking beer, except for the insane overflw of head after a very light pour. But the crazy, light beige head does hld up well throughout all twelve ounces. Medium brown with ok lacing. The aroma is a little moldy. Very malty bready arom with just a hint of mold. ust a hint though, so it doesn't make wanna dump the bre. Especially if you've had a couple of lambics under your belt. The taste is a bit old tasting bread with lots of toast and medium roasted malts.The palate is smooth yet musty. It is still pretty easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2008 04:38:56 | More by scruffwhor

Tone

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, brown color. 6/4 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight nut, slight wheat, slight grain, and slight hops. Fits the style of an English Brown Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, slight yeast, slight grain, slight nut, slight wheat, and a hint of hops. Overall, good appearance and complexity, but average aroma and body.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 14:20:49 | More by Tone

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.73/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

It has a bottled on list on the label but nothing is notched.

This pours a clear amber brown with a 1 finger head of off white foam.

The smell has notes of roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, and a light nutiness.

The taste has a cocoa/dark chocolate and nutty flavour mixed in with sweet tones of milk chocolate and caramel. There's a ying yang of bitter and sweet and is pretty tasty.

It has a surprisingly thickish body with lowish levels of carbonation. A very nice mouthfeel.

Drinkability? Easy drinker, plain and simple and the head retention is good as is the lacing. A good beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 23:16:54 | More by Bitterbill

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -4.6%
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