Brown Ale vs Nut Brown Ale

[dhelegda]

What's the difference between a Brown Ale and a Nut Brown Ale?

 

[Yooper]

There are two basic variations of English brown- Northern (nut) brown ale, and Southern brown ale.

The Northern brown ale is drier, often with malts that make a "nutty" flavor, while Southern English brown is sweeter with a caramel/toffee note.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

sometimes you feel like a Nut Brown Ale, sometimes you don't.

 

[boscobeans]

For me, nothing beats a good 4% nut brown ale with a carb level at the lower end.

bosco

 

[the_trout]

Ithaca brewing company makes a tremendous nut brown. Really good stuff.

 

[patto1ro]

There's no difference at all. The "nut" doesn't even have anything to do with the characteristics of the beer. It's just a quote from an old song:

The Players' Song

The nut-brown ale, the nut-brown ale,
Puts downe all drinke when it is stale,
The toast, the nutmeg, and the ginger,
Will make the sighing man a singer.

Ale gives a buffet in the head,
But ginger under proppes the brayne;
When ale would strike a strong man dead,
Then nutmegge tempers it againe,
The nut-brown ale, the nut-brown ale,
Puts downe all drinke when it is stale.

 

[TwoHeart]

The difference is, this Nut Brown is better than any Brown you will ever taste.

 

[boscobeans]

The difference is, this Nut Brown is better than any Brown you will ever taste.

I agree. It's the best I have ever tasted. I get close but never have made one as good and probably never will, but I will keep on trying.

bosco

 

[Gameface]

I don't have a ton of examples sunder my belt, but from my limited experience I agree with the previous two posters in regard to Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Absolutely delicious!

 

[signpost]

The use of 'nut' as a descriptor refers only to the particular shade of brown. It really has nothing to do with the flavors, at least originally it didn't. There have been plenty of versions of nut brown ales that include actual nuts or nutty flavors from certain types of grains (like Yooper said).

 

[Billy-Klubb]

y'all a bunch of nutters.

 

[pwortiz]

I agree. It's the best I have ever tasted. I get close but never have made one as good and probably never will, but I will keep on trying.

bosco

do you have a "close" clone you can share perhaps?

 

[brokebucket]

I think that the style for brown ale is either Northern, Southern, or American. "Nut" is just a desctipter for a nutty flavor in the beer that to me tastes of fresh hazelnuts.

When done right, no nuts are required, it is all from the grain.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Marketing. That's the only difference.

y'all a bunch of nutters.

Says the guy who's nuttier than a squirrel turd.

 

[DavidJP]

Yeah I don't think its related to a north vs south difference, the image below was from a brewery now sadly demised that was about as far south as you can get without being in France.