If it's brown, drink it down

Huh. I bought this bottle of Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale in the belief that it's a packaged version of their Dark Mild. Everyone knows that's how English breweries work. But no: while the Mild is a mere 2.8% ABV this is a much more substantial 5%. The signature 550ml bottle meant I was in for a big chewy experience.

And while it is properly full-bodied it's not sickly sweet. The dark malts are balanced by a roasted spice, something along the lines of grains of paradise or even incense. Uncomplicated Yorkshire drinking this is not. A woody dryness brings us to cedar, proceeding from bitterness to an almost Flanders-red sourness, tartly oaky with port overtones. All of that is fun, but I miss the coffee and caramel that makes brown ale a satisfying style to drink.

While I enjoyed it, I did come out feeling gypped. It wasn't the sweet dessert substitute I had been looking for.