I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)

Friday's finally here. Ahhhhhhhhh. It's sunny, warm but not hot, it's the end of July, and it's beer o'clock.

Today's beer is the one that so impressed me last weekend. Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Maybe it was all the hummus I had eaten earlier than evening. Maybe it was the fact that right before I drank this I had suffered through another Miller Lite. Maybe it was just THAT good. But whatever stars aligned, I became a HUGE fan of this beer.

It looks a bit strange, in a clear bottle and an old fashioned label, but it's good. BeerAdvocate's reviews rate it pretty highly. Here's a bit of history, lifted directly from this site:

The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Samuel Smith is one of the few remaining independent breweries in England, and further is the last to utilize the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation solely in stone squares.

The rich Samuel Smith strain of yeast at The Old Brewery dates from the early 1900s. Hops are hand-weighed by the master hop blender, and the brewing water is drawn from a well sunk over 200 years ago.

First introduced to the U.S. market in 1978 by Merchant du Vin, Samuel Smith beers quickly became the benchmark ales for the emerging craft beer movement. To this day, they remain among the most awarded.

All Samuel Smith beers are vegan products, registered with The Vegan Society, as seen here.

Info about the Nut Brown, also lifted directly from their site:

Often called “mild” if it is on draft, brown ale is a walnut-colored specialty of the North of England. A festive-occasion beer, brown ale is one of the oldest English brewing styles, mentioned in literature in the 16th century. Beers brewed at the old brewery have a round, nutty flavor because of the Yorkshire square system of fermentation.

Walnut-like color and palate of hazelnuts. Wonderful balance of roasted crystal malt and aromatic hops. Long clean finish.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Stilton cheese, grouse and roasted game hen, barbecued duck, pepper steak; spicy food, paella, stir-fry, teriyaki, Thai food, Chinese food, creamy chicken and pineapple curry. Serve at 55 degrees.

Gold Medal and "Top-Rated English Brown Ale" —World Beer Championships, 2004