Sorry about my prolonged absence from the blog. Last week I was at Camp Kemo, which is traditionally my longest stretch of the year without a cold beer, so I’m just now getting into the swing of things.

Even though I had to go a whole week without beer, I did have a special friend waiting on me when I got back home. My oatmeal nut brown was conditioned and ready to drink. This was the beer I brewed up back on Memorial Day.

I’m going to say this right off the bat, this may be the best beer I’ve brewed. It’s a bold statement, but I really like it. It has a light brown color with a creamy off-white head. It isn’t the clearest beer ever, but there is little sediment floating around.

The brown sugar is very apparent in the aroma. I also get hints of the toasted pecans. The flavor is very smooth and slightly sweet. It tastes like a traditional brown ale, but it’s souped up with a little extra sweetness from the brown sugar and a buscuity, nutty flavor. A wonderful caramel flavor lingers on the palate long after I take a sip.

The beer has a moderate body. Despite its darker color, it isn’t a heavy beer at all. This would make a very nice session beer if you’re in the mood for something sweet and nutty.

The alcohol content on my batch came in around 3-4% ABV. Lord’s batch is up around 6%, so I’m very curious to try his once it’s ready and compare the differences. We’re going to try and arrange a tasting next week, so I’ll let you know the results.

I haven’t decided if I want to post the recipe. This might be the beer I use to launch my commercial brewery someday, so it might be an industry secret. Then again, Lord knows the recipe. Hmmm… I might have to make him an offer he can’t refuse :)