Full Sail Nut Brown and a Sandwich

A couple of summers ago, I had the opportunity to work a 4-10 schedule, resulting in delicious three day weekends.

That glorious summer, my Friday routine consisted of little more than sleep, laziness, delicious sandwiches, and beer.  That's living. Religiously I would wander down to Natalia & Cristoforo's, my favorite Italian deli in Corvallis, OR, and grab an Italian baguette sandwich to enjoy with the beer of the day.

Feeling particularly reminiscent this weekend, I was jonesing for a delicious sandwich and some cool, crisp beer and the Ballard Market delivered.

After picking up some hot soppresseta, roast turkey, and a baguette, the beer aisle was calling my name.  Almost immediately, I noticed that Full Sail beers were on sale and the Nut Brown Ale looked interesting.

A six-pack in hand, I headed back to my condo to make a delicious sandwich and get to work.

The Nut Brown Ale is part of Full Sail's Pub Series -- a rotating series of ales that previously only were available in the Hood River brewpub.  A limited edition ale, the Nut Brown is available only.  As described by the brewery:

After a long day on the mountain carving turns in deep powder, snowboarders and skiers make their way down the mountain to warm up and relive all those great runs in our pub. Our British style nut brown ale helps fuel the stories of deep powder and epic yard sales. The combination of 2 row pale, crystal and chocolate malts impart an array of malt and chocolate flavors in a medium bodied ale with an extremely smooth palate. Fuggle and Mt.Hood hops contribute a slightly spicy aroma and finish to complement this beer’s malt character.

The sandwich made, an apple on the plate, and my butt in the recliner...I was ready to taste the beer.

Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 83, Good
RateBeer.com Rating: 88 Overall
Serving: 12oz Bottle
ABV: 6.0%

Appearance:  An inviting dark brown with translucency, the Nut Brown poured with a moderate head that indicated some nice carbonation.

Smell: Sticking my nose in and taking a big old whiff, the malt presence on this beer was immediately evident. I pick up a little bit of yeastiness as well. I could tell by the nose that this beer was destined to be an easy drinking session beer.

Taste: My first sip confirmed what I had smelled; the Nut Brown was a smooth, nutty and refreshing beer with a little bit of character to back it up. A lingering malt profile, the medium carbonation makes for a refreshing late winter or early spring beer.

Paired with my delicious sandwich, this beer definitely got the job done. I'm excited to see what's next in the Pub Series.

Cheers!