Whenever I open a beer of Hoyne I never expect extreme stuff. This is very comforting. Whatever pours from a Hoyne bottle will be solid, highly drinkable and above average in taste. Off the Grid is true to form. It was just - well - nice.


Off the Grid (Hoyne) =5/10


Faint pecans and toast aromas rose from the glass filled with Off the Grid. This followed into every sip with a medium mouthfeel that carried nutty, bready and toasted tastes to the end. The ending was clean with the faintest pecan loaf residue. Lots of people will sip this, stare into their glass, smile and carry on. Perhaps this is what makes a great session beer.

Glassware: Whatever you have will work

Food Pairing: Choose things with bready and nutty flavours. Salami sandwiches, nut burgers, pecan pie.  

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.3%
Value +1
Appearance 0  (label didn't really describe beer flavour well)

Recently, a discussion came up about under appreciated beers. The first style mentioned was the nut brown ale. It is true beer geeks will not acknowledge this beer on a tap list. Perhaps we assume all nut brown ales taste like Newcastle. Luckily this is not true.


Naramata Nut Brown Ale (Cannery) = 7/10
Ratebeer 3.06 50th percentile
Beer Advocate 84%

An appreciable roasted pecan, hazelnut and milk chocolate nose was remarkable for a style perceived to be bland. Things just got better with a creamy, medium mouthfeel. It almost could have been on nitro. Hey that's an idea! Try this beer on nitro. Each sip is a pleasant mix of almond butter, caramel, nutella and earthy hops. Smooth is the name of the game here; but not lacking in flavour. I have forgotten how much I liked this beer. Very unassuming, but it always draws you in for another sip.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Other Nutty Reviews
Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale

Why do I even bother? There is a Herculean task ahead of me here: document all the beers in my various notebooks, cellphone notes and scrap pieces of paper. What would this accomplish. Actually nothing. At the end there will be no Brownie badge, no power up, no medal and no parade. Such is the life of a beer ticker. However I have noticed one trend in the lifecycle of the beer geek. The rate of new beers sampled is decreasing. I used to fill up one 33beers book every two weeks; now, one will last be over a month. Does this mean there is some sort of metamorphosis coming?

Amsterdam Nut Brown Ale = 5/10

Ratebeer 3.04/5 49th percentile
Beer Advocate B-

Honestly I look forward to tasting a nut brown ale as I do to brushing my teeth. The whole point of a nut brown ale is that they are easy drinking and unobtrusive. The Amsterdam is no exception. Your aroma is pecans, with slight DMS - but OK. There is a mild creaminess in the sip with a tolerable astringency from roasted grains. The more I drank this beer, the more I liked it. Its cocoa, dry toast and pecan butter meshed well with the mineral hops. Overall an enjoyable, but not challenging, beer.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content 0 5%
Value +1
Appearance 0 (it's a can!)