Beer Review: Black Oak Nut Brown Ale

I got some craft brew beers a while back and I finally got around to tasting some. The first one is a beer from Toronto Ontario's Black Oak Brewing Company.

This beer came in a six pack of mixed Ontario Craft Beers, and I honestly didn't know what to expect from them. So far I have been pleasantly surprised. Gone are the days of craft beer meaning a stale tasteless skunky sludge you wouldn't give to your worst enemy, this isn't beer made by five guys in a basement they call an office. Craft Beer is exploding, and craft brewers are lovers of beer and want to expand beyond the generic beer generally offered by the big breweries. The brewers over at Black Oak clearly love their beer, and the Nut Brown Ale is a prime example of what good beer should taste like.

image used with permission from Black Oak Brewery

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The colour is a nice chestnut brown, not a real dark more of a bronzed chestnut, certainly not a stout by any means. The nose is a lovely woody smell. The flavour was lighter than expected from the nose almost none of the usual bitterness you expect from the hops in beer. A good sweet nutty flavour with a hint of chocolate followed by a hit of malt and hops only coming in at the finish. A nice clean taste.

This beer is a perfectly balanced beer in almost every aspect. The flavour is wonderfully smooth and clean, the carbonation level is slightly below average, and the head, something many brewers overlook, stays put till the end. Even if you don't like darker beers I challenge any beer lover to try this and find significant fault.

I had a chance to visit this brewery a while ago. Very nice set up, very friendly staff. I highly recommend, if you are in the Toronto area, to drop by and take a tour. Its a small brewery and thus definitely fits the description of micro-brewery. The owner is extremely nice and loves to give tours of his facilities. Clearly this is a man who loves the business he is in, and loves his product.