One of the things you will learn about me by reading this blog is my absolute love of a good beer.

My obsession with great tasting beer began in 1995 when I started bartending, while in college, at a sports bar with over 30 assorted beers on tap and nearly 100 micro-brews available by the bottle. It was like an adult’s version of a candy store. I was so cliché’; I literally bartended my way through college.

I worked with a great group of girls and night after night it was like our own little party. The bar was filled with regulars. It was Cheers in the boondocks; everyone knew one another and their subsequent business and gossip. It was like a small, drunk, little town and it was by far the most fun I ever had working.

After closing down the bar every night at 2 a.m. the girls and I would sit around the bar, fill the jukebox with money, blast some of our favorite tunes and sample a new beer every night.

For a while, I considered blogging solely about beer but thought my family would think I was a total lush. So, as a compromise I opted to blog about beer once a week and call it Malt Monday. Today marks my first Malt Monday post and I have to admit, I am pretty excited.

Goose Island – Nut Brown Ale

Style: Brown Ale
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.3%
Calories: 159
Price: $1.89/bottle

Awards: World Beer Cup 2010 Gold medal, American Brown Ale category; World Beer Cup 2006 Gold medal, American Brown Ale category

Brewed and bottled by Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, IL. The bottle that I tasted was bottled on May 4, 2012 and the label suggests the beer is at its freshest within 180 days. I tasted the beer two ways, directly from the bottle and then poured into a beer glass. I liked the beer better directly from the bottle.

Goose Island’s Nut Brown Ale is a delightful brown ale with hints of chocolate, honey, caramel, coffee, tobacco, nutty flavors and a sense of earthiness. Beautiful, rich brown color without a lot of foam when poured. Goes down easy, rather thin and light for a brown ale. I drank this little gem on a Sunday evening all by itself without pairing it with food. However, if I was going to pair it with some yummy food I would choose potato skins, cheese and crackers or a messy pulled pork sandwich.

This is the kind of beer I could make a day with, easily sipping a few without feeling as if I’ve overdone it. A good entry point for someone wanting to try their first brown ale or for a seasoned dark beer girl like me.

Goose Island’s Nut Brown Ale is GGG approved!

 

This article was written by food blogger Linda Arceo for Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps. Connect with me on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.