Buster Nut Brown Ale - Ska Brewing Co.

alexgash

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light caramelly root beer brown with a fizzy light tan head. Decent lacing. Smell is brown sugar biscuit, light nuttiness, with a hint of bitter cocoa. Taste is mild, buttery, slightly sweet toasted malt up front. This is followed by a minerally, kinda bitter finish, with a touch of caramel-flavored coffee. Not bad, like other brewpub browns I've had. Mouthfeel is light-med., and the carbonation is a bit much. Less fizz, and a creamier, less watery consistency would be good.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2004 01:38:58 | More by alexgash

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured brown with ruby highlights and a off white head that fell rapidly but lasted to lace the glass.

The aroma was chocolate with roasty and nutty aromas and a slight caramel with some fruitiness.

The flavor was chocolate and slight caramel. No complexity in the malt and a slgith coffee flavor.

The finish was dry with lasting coffee roastiness. The body was medium to medium light.

12 ounce bottle. The flavor was so average I forgot to drink the entire glass.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2004 22:52:34 | More by GCBrewingCo

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

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -2.9%
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

Beaver13

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The Buster Nut poured a dark reddish brown, with a smallish fizzy head that quickly went down to a small top. It has a very nice roasted malt aroma with chocolate and coffee mixed in - almost like a porter. The taste was kind of bland - malty and acidic up front with a sweetish malty finish. As it warms, more malty nuttiness comes out. It had a kind of watery mouthfeel. Overall, a decent drinking brown, but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2003 06:09:23 | More by Beaver13

homebrew311

Illinois

3.16/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a Duvel glass. Appearance is dark brown with no light passage. A cm of tan head and thick lacing. Nose features mellow roast and caramel malt, no hops to speak of. The taste is mild with a watered down roasted malt profile and a slightly nutty character at the end. Mouthfeel is light and moderately carbonated. Overall, this is a pretty run of the mill brown.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 00:11:21 | More by homebrew311

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

nothing special here. pours a cocacola colored brown with a small off white head which fades away to nothing in a minute or two. smells honey sweet and medium roasty, caramel malts dominate. flavor is rather bland, on the sweet side but not much of that roasted character comes through from the smell. no hops to speak of. mouthfeel is fuller bodied and kind of filling, with a little less carbonation than maybe it could have. leaves a funny aftertaste too. overall definitely not one of skas better beers, ive come to expect more from them. still, a sessionable brown ale that would pass muster in a lot of other states, but it doesnt cut it here in colorado.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2012 18:41:43 | More by StonedTrippin

Mora2000

Texas

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
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

DCon

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Enjoyed on-tap @ the Wolf Public House in Ballwin, MO for $5. Tapped from the Wooden, Gold Tipped, and Ska Character on the front into a Pint Glass and has a Keg Date of March 13, 2011.

Aroma- Very sweet, malty, and has a good caramel aroma. Has even a toffee scent at times.

Appearance- Received with a 2 finger head that has good retention. Dark Brown color body, clear, and leaves a ton of sudsy lace.

Flavor- Nice caramel and roasty tastes from the beginning. Light on the bitterness and easy finish. Can't note many things here, because of such mild ingredients used.

Mouthfeel- Light- Medium Bodied, Light-Medium Carbonation, and is very malty all the way through. What else though???

Overall Impression- A light, refreshing mild brown that didn't have much characteristic after the nose... Liked it but SKA has much better brews than this. Would recommend for some people trying to get into new craft beers and need a lighter brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2011 18:11:53 | More by DCon

jmvecchio1

Missouri

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

Buster Nut pours a dark brown with hints of red and deep copper coming through. The head is fairly light in color and sticky. It slowly gives way to a few spots of lacing. The aroma is rich; full of caramel, toasted walnuts and hazelnuts, and hints of both bread and chocolate. On the first sip you know you'll be wanting more than one pint of this brew. This is definitely a nutty brown ale with tastes of both chocolate and coffee with hints of pumpernickel bread. Hints of hops come through on the flavor, but don't linger long enough to be distinguishable. This beer is very carbonated and that masks the flavor slightly, but thankfully the flavors continue to develop and grow stronger as you drink it. A nutty aroma lingers with you after each sip and leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2011 20:20:57 | More by jmvecchio1

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

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

On tap pint at iTap in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Light brown color with ruby highlights. An inch of tan foam that left nice lacing and good retention. Very nice looking beer. The aromas were sweet grainy malts, and a slight nuttiness. The flavor is sweet at first, then the roasted malt and nut flavors come forward. Dry, clean finish, crispness keeps the sweetness from being too sugary. The body is medium, good carbonation and mouthfeel. Easy to drink, a good session brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2011 18:11:34 | More by BigBry

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

clayrock81

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a leather couch brown w/ 2-finger head that quickly receeds and left no lace on top of a faint aroma of burnt sweet malts and sour hop bitterness. Taste and mouthfeel are light and quaint as there isn't much going into this; light, sweet caramel and chocolate malts w/ slight roasted edge and a hint of hops lead to dryness (and breadiness). An alright brown ale that was nice to have on a summer day.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2010 00:42:36 | More by clayrock81

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Off the tap at Lady Falconburgh's in Durango, Colorado. Poured into the pint glass an ever so slightly hazy brown color with ruby highlights. Two fingers of tan head, good lacing and good retention. Great looking overall. The aromas were sweet malt, dry grains and a nuttiness. The flavors were sweet at first then the bready malt and nut flavors (chestnut?) kick in. Dry finish as the sweet malt fades out. The body is medium to light and perhaps just a bit watery but the carbonation is good and it lends itself to being quaffable. A good session brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2008 01:19:21 | More by thekevlarkid

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

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

homersimpson

North Carolina

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

Clear brown with a quickly gone beige head.
Has a sweet, almost medicinal smell.
Body is quite light for a brown ale
Big malt up front with toffee flavors mixing with a hint of carmel, this doesn't really change, but slowly fades away.
Not what I was expecting, imminently drinkable, but lacks anything that would make you want to.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2004 22:09:20 | More by homersimpson