The world is a very large place, to be sure. As I sip my Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale and enjoy its rich, full flavor this evening, I’m also sitting waiting for the Powerball homepage to load that I might see if I’m a winner. Tonight’s jackpot is $200 million, and the servers are jammed with requests for the page, hence my wait. I only splurged on a few dollars worth of tickets, but it’s worth it just to dream of all the places I’d visit were I to be the big winner.

Of course, we can’t visit all the places in the world we’d like to, but fortunately one can in fact travel the world in a bottle in the case of beer. That’s not unique to beer, of course, since we can often sample a bit of a far-off land’s culture by partaking in its cuisine, reading its literature, listening to its music, or studying its art. Beer, however, is my favored method of transport.

In a single night, I can survey the Cascade Mountains with a Deschutes Jubel Ale in hand, cross the Bavarian Alps while sipping an Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, or climb the Appalachians with a Penn Pilsner. I can see the sunlight shining over Narragansett Bay with a Narragansett Lager, or watch the fog roll off San Francisco Bay while savoring an Anchor Steam.

Perhaps it’s all in my head, but I really do believe that an Otter Creek Copper Ale tastes like Vermont. A sip of their Oktoberfest Ale with eyes closed will have me seeing red, brown, and gold leaves dancing in the crisp Vermont air. A Geary’s Pale Ale will have me imagining myself sitting in Portland, Maine. And a half-liter bottle of Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale has me sitting in a pub in merry old England.

Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale pours to a dark brown color reminiscent of cola. The thick, creamy head helps reinforce that image. The nose suggests lightly roasted malt, and the palate is very malty, creamy, somewhat nutty (hence the name) with a unique mushroomy character almost akin to a Ringwood ale. There’s a touch of butter albeit a light one, and a surprisingly fruity finish, which strongly hints at melon and pear. A light toffee character and subtle roastiness permeate the beer as well.

This is a wonderful beer with red meat; perhaps beef Wellington or a prime rib and oven roasted potatoes. I enjoyed it with steak tonight and it was a perfect accompaniment.

And its a great way to visit England in a bottle.

Update 12/29/2012: Time was, I would complain about the fact that Sam Smith beers were so expensive. Not any more. These days, they're a true bargain at $3.99 for a 550 ML bottle. At that price they're about the same the price they were 11 years ago. What a buy, what a bargain shoppers.

It gets better, though. A few days ago I bought a three bottle gift pack of Samuel Smith's beers at Target for just $11.39 at my local target, and that included the lovely Nut Brown Ale I'm sipping tonight along with an India Ale, and Oatmeal Stout, a couple of coasters and the beautiful glass in the photo above. You just can't beat that.

The Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale is so delightfully soft malty with a delicate chocolate chip cookie character underneath. It's flinty and buttery, decidedly nutty, with just a tad of minty hop aroma at the last. Still and all, the soft dark malts prevail here.

Michael Jackson said of this beer in his Beer Companion: "Samuel Smith's of Tadcaster has the richest, maltiest, and nuttiest of brown ales."

Samuel Smith's says on the label:

Brewed at Samuel Smith's small, traditional British brewery with well water (the original well sunk in 1758 is still in use), best barley malt, roasted barley, yeast and aromatic hops. Nut Brown Ale is relatively dry with a rich amber-brown color and nutty flavor derived exclusively from small amounts of dark malt. Brown ales are a specialty of northern England.

Fermented in "stone Yorkshire squares."

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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