We’re covering: Abita Turbodog, Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale, Smuttynose Old Brown Dog, Newcastle Brown Ale, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Harpoon Brown Session Ale, Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale,  Pig’s Ear, Sabego Brown Ale and a few others.

This episode we have Luke (our podcast producer) and Mike from BeerGeno.me to bust through some brews with us.

If you’re in the White Mountain area of New Hampshire you may want to stop down in Woodstock to Woodstock Station and Brewery. The Brewery has a nice little sit down restaurant inside, somehow casual in nature, like an all American style restaurant.

You can order from a large selection of items, some are very tasty while others could use a bit of work. I’d rank it up closer to the “comfort foods” level, the food tastes good but it cannot be healthy for you. Although they do have a good Fajita Rollup and other options, they’ve also got a great nacho appetizer that’s sure to invoke a few heart attacks but it’s awesome.

Add to this the fact that they’ve got great draft beers of their own namesake and you’re in for a good time. The restaurant is a great place to hit if you’re looking for a good brewery experience but are dragging the family on vacation with you.

I tend to lean towards the Pigs Ear Brown Ale because its got lots of flavor and goes well with many of the menu options. Although they’ve got classic ales like the Red Rack Ale which is sure to complement a meal. What I found odd was the patrons of the restaurant ordering Coors Light and Budweiser… you’re at a brewery up in the northern territory of NH and you’re ordering a mass market brew? C’mon, explore!

Good beer, good food, good experience. If you’re looking for fine dining and fancy foods, this isn’t the place for you. But, if you want a nice back woods experience with a home cooked style all american meal, give it a try.

I’ve tasted a good deal of Brown Ales, perhaps enough to make the assessment of “best” and I’ve touched them from around the US and around the world. Each time I try a new Brown Ale I find something to fall in love with, something unique to the style and something which can mark it as best of brew. I’m going to hold firm on my Turbo Dog review and consider that one truly best but this is a close second.

This brew is much the opposite of a Sam Smiths Nut Brown Ale in so many ways even though both are considered browns. While Sam Smith is silky smooth with a rich red-brown color, Gritty’s is a beautiful carbonated amber-brown ale. The Nut Brown has a fairly thick head while Gritty’s is thin and constant but the carbonation does not take away from this full bodied beverage.

The brown ale malts stand out closest to that of the Abita Turbodog without the hints of chocolate like the Louisiana brown. Gritty’s feels more like a ‘common mans’ brown ale with subtle hints of the style and very little shocking flavors, well balanced without any true bitter taste nor does it taste flat. It may not be the best in the business but it exhibits the true nature of the Brown Ale style.

If you’re looking for a smooth relaxing Brown Ale I suggest trying Sam Smiths Nut Brown if you can afford the expensive four-pack, if you want a chocolaty sweet high-end Brown Ale hunt down a TurboDog from Abita, for everyone else it’s a Gritty’s must buy. Next time I swing over to Maine I’m going to have to stop by one of their two pubs and see what this stuff tastes like from its home.

If you’ve listened to any of the Everyday Drinkers Podcasts you’ll know Doug loves him some Turbodog with good reason, it’s definitely top-notch. I’m going to go as far as to say that Turbodog tastes better than Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale. Although it’s not as smooth and creamy as a Nut Brown Ale, it seems to have a more traditional malty flavor with a nice dark color and a hint of chocolate taste.

“Abita Turbodog is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of British pale, crystal and chocolate malts.

This combination gives Turbodog its rich body and color and a sweet chocolate-toffee like flavor. Turbodog began as a specialty ale but has gained a huge loyal following and has become one of our three flagship brews.

Just a bit stronger than our other brews, so . . .beware of the dog!” (abita.com)

Apparently the hint of chocolate was part of the brew as far as Abita says on their site, which tells me my beer pallet has gotten it correct! The beauty of this chocolate taste is in the subtle nature–not too sweet as to think you’re drinking a liqueur but not so subtle only experienced drinkers will taste it if they close their eyes and imagine.

My first experience with Turbodog was during a visit with my family in Louisiana. I was given a bottle of Turbodog, Purple Haze and their Amber beers and found Turbodog the best of the breed. As I toured the French Quarter of New Orleans I stopped at every bar to get another Abita Turbodog; I was in love. Then I returned to my home town in New Hampshire and went without it for years only to find out that, now, a local store has decided to stock it regularly.

Granted, their was only two six-packs available and I purchased them both, knowing I’ll have an avenue to get this rich dark brew is good enough. Perhaps they’ll find a way to make a chocolate with a Turbodog filling?

When I got on vacation up north I visit Woodstock Inn for dinner and a beer, always choosing one of their own brews over the standard beers. This is their 2005 award winning beer from a taste competition in which it was blindly entered:

“Our beer was blindly entered in this national competition, from store-bought bottles, by organizers of the competition who wanted to ensure variety in their competition. They never imagined such a great quality beer would come from an unknown source. Then, that is how people often discover great things.

Pig’s Ear walked away with National Grand Champion in the brown ale category and Best of the Northeast, having been judged from a total of 310 beers from 121 breweries nationwide.” (woodstockinnh.com)

Sound impressive? Well, actually, it is. This beer is more nutty than classically malt tasting, a darker rich amber with a sweet finish. Right away you’ll notice it’s a very complex tasting brew with no bitterness and a crisp brown ale aroma. Pig’s Ear tastes lighter than it smells, sniff it and you’ll think dark stout but taste it and you’ll find its a medium bodied aroma blast of the senses with a thin off-white head.

If ever you’re in the area, taste a Pig’s Ear from Woodstock Inn Brewery and if you’re given the chance, stop in for a burger of a dinner plate.

This episode we’re sporting Abita Turbo Dog, Samual Smiths Nut Brown Ale, Harpoon Brown Session Ale and Old Brown Dog Ale.

In New Hampshire, you’re looking at a 4-pack price of $10.99 for this lovely brew… and that’s your standard 333ml (12-oz) bottle size.

What it does have, however, is a smooth well balanced taste and a rich red-brown color that speaks volumes. Nut Brown Ale has a thick but not too large healthy white head which urges you to take a sip.

We at Eveyday Drinkers have had arguments on which is better, Abita Turbo Dog or Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale but it’s really up to the pallet and the wallet to decide.

What makes a brown ale? It’s a malty beer made with dark or brown malts notable in regions like England, Belgium and even right here in North America! You’ll find a brown ale can be sweet medium bodied beer with around 5.0% alcohol by volume (on average) with a hint of chocolate malty awesomeness. Some brown ale recipes are a bit more bitter but none seem to have any harsh bite to the, just enough to be considered perfect.

“There have been brown beers around for hundreds of years. The term ‘Brown Ale’ was first used commercially at the beginning of the twentieth century in England as a bottled beer since the diffusion of bottles was increasing. It was just a sweeter version of a dark mild beer. North American brown ales trace their heritage to American home brewing adaptations of certain northern English beers.” (wikipedia)

If you like a stronger beer with a darker color or higher alcohol content, a brown ale may not be what you’re looking for (try an IPA for something stronger or a stout Guinness for something darker). When choosing a brown you’ll be able to find something that’s a bit bitter or sweet, strong or light and a bit malty and/or hoppy. The choice is yours.

I, however, choose Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale for my malty beverage of choice. And, if you’re looking for a holiday gift, this is a great beer to hand out for the holidays!

When my fathers birthday comes along I pickup a few packs (or a ‘case’) of Samuel Smith. Typically, you can’t buy it in a “case” but you can buy a case worth of Sam Smith 4-packs. It will probably run you USD $60.00 for six or so packs of Sam Smith but it’s worth every penny if you like good English beers.

Around my neck of the woods you can find Sam Smith in a few of their styles, Taddy Porter, Nut Brown Ale, Oatmeal Stout and a few others. I suggest any of them because their all competitively smooth when compared to each other.

“In 1847, Samuel Smith, a butcher and cattle dealer from Meanwood, Leeds, funded his son John to buy a struggling brewing business in Tadcaster from the Hartley family. That brewery, founded in 1758, is said to be the oldest in Yorkshire.

John Smith took over the brewery in 1852 forming John Smith’s Brewery. He was later joined by his brother William. John then left the brewery to the eldest son of his other brother Samuel and the joint custiodianship of the business to both William and Samuel. However William bought Samuel’s half and moved the business to a new brewery, next door, which is where John Smiths is now brewed, then leaving the business to his sister’s sons. Meanwhile Samuel’s son Samuel Smith, inherited the Old Brewery on William’s death in 1886, and re-opened the brewery under his own name. He then ran it in competition with his cousins’ business, John Smiths. Samuel Smith’s remains independent, the only brewery in Tadcaster to do so.” (wikipedia)

If you’re looking for a great brew, look to Sam Smith just remember that you’ll be paying top dollar for the joy. I try to stick to buying it for myself once or twice a year and usually hand it out for holiday gifts to beer lovers and they pay me back in kind.

The Shipyard Export Ale is a great choice if you’re not so sure about ‘flavored beers’ because it has a very clean taste with minimal hoppy flavor.  Export Ale is 5.1% alcohol by volume, no too shabby, and goes down easily so beware of over-consuming this tasty drink. If you really want a little spicy hop flavor, I highly suggest the experience, try a Shipyard Fuggles IPA because it’s a much more potent style beer (for the pallet) but not overboard like a standard fuggle style brew.

A fuggle is a late 19th century English hop “considered by some to be less refined than Goldings, others prefer its juicier, more woody character” (wikipedia) and it definitely has a distinctive taste over other hops you’ll find in beer.

If you’re looking for a slightly more malty beverage I suggest a Shipyard Brown Ale (an ale we’ll be covering in Episode 2 of the Everyday Drinkers podcast). Shipyard defines their Brown Ale as having a “sweet finish” with hint of chocolate and maple.

For those that aren’t big beer drinkers by like to try new microbrews to test the waters, try an Export Ale, you can’t go wrong.