My previous two Brew Reviews were based on beers that I’d had more than once, so this week I set out to try something completely new. And since I was in the mood for (and am a big fan of ) brown ales, I picked up a sixer of Tröegs Rugged Trail Nut Brown Ale. I’d heard nothing about this independently brewed beer before, and for some reason the name called out to me.
First of all, that picture to the right is pretty misleading. The color was a lot darker than that, in my experience, and where did they get that two-inch head? I poured quite liberally from a 12-ounce bottle into a standard beer glass, and I was only able to achieve a very light one. Right away, that was a bit of a turn-off.
The taste was very characteristic of a nut brown ale, though it also had a very distinct taste that I tend to refer to as “home brewy.” This may be due to the fact that I believe it uses Fuggles hops, which I’ve used many times in my own beers. This may be why I’m never very satisfied with the beers I make, since I don’t care for that taste. I also thought this might be due to not filtering the yeast enough when putting to containers. But what do I know?
The taste does have the advertised subtle chocolatey-ness, and definitely a part the aroma. I had one of these on its own and one with homemade pizza, which it went reasonably well with. This beer is only 4.4% ABV, so it’s quite easy to drink and works as a meal beer for sure.
All in all, I’ll go with what most reviewers of this beer seem to say: it’s unremarkable, unmemorable. I don’t see myself going out of my way to get these again, though I’ll finish off the other four to the pack without complaint.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Feb 27, 2009 @ 13:28 EST5EDT
