Leinenkugel Brewing Co.'s Winter Seasonal: Fireside Nut Brown

For the first beer amongst many, I'll take a closer look at a brew that recently found itself in the door of my refrigerator. Leinenkugel's winter seasonal is a nutty beer, or at least that is what the advertising claims. After giving it a thorough tasting, I believe it.



I like to begin a beer discussion with a brief overview of the bottle itself. I think the way the bottle looks is an important part of the experience. When I take a drink of beer I like, I tend to stare at it affectionately at least once or twice during the drinking process, so a good looking bottle is an important part of the experience.

The bottle design for the Fireside Nut Brown is attractive without being too busy. The large brewery emblem rests in-front of a comforting winter fire contained in a homey, red-brick fireplace. A white wool rug rests just under the fire, and it looks comfy; like where I would like to be when drinking the brew itself. Or it's a picture of frothy beer-head, or just some color that goes well with the rest of the bottle. Regardless, it looks attractive.

I also like collecting bottlecaps, and this beer's cap looks great. It has a color division between two noticeably different shades of brown, and when brought together, they are ascetically satisfying. In the middle, a golden canoe rests on a lake as the sun rises. Mental images of early morning fishing hit you as you finally slap the bottle opener on and tear the thing off.

The beer has a tantalizingly rich brownish-amber color. It is just a good-looking beer, and it is one of those beers that you want after seeing it as you walk into a bar or pub. If gives off a definite nut aroma, like hazelnut. The smell combines with the bottle art to evoke the holiday image of chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

First contact with the beer (the moment it hits your tongue) gives a sudden, frosty, carbonated burn. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, it really makes you stop and think about the beer as your drink it. I found the first contact to be aggressively refreshing, and I instantly felt satisfied with my purchase. I instantly liked the taste of it, the excitement of it.

The body of the beer has a bold, hoppy flavor that rests on your tongue after the buzz of the carbonation fades. Then it finishes with a Heineken-esque, nutty-skunk aftertaste. Now, snunky is not a negative adjective when I write it; its a good flavor, and I enjoy it. "Skunk" is just the best word I can use to describe it. If you can imagine a Heineken's flavor, you will know what I am talking about. It is not the focus of this beer's flavor, but it adds to its dynamic nature.

A second wave of nuttiness hits the back of the tongue after the swallow, this time with that lingering winter-ale flavor. I can only describe it as what I imagine polished dark oak would taste like: It is delicious.

This Fireside Nut Brown makes you concentrate on all the flavors blasting your tongue. I gleefully downed five of these excellent examples of tasty brew in rapid succession, and once you give this beer a taste, I don't doubt you will, too.