Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown Ale

It's been a few days since I've tried a new beer (hence the lack of new posts...).  So, I swung by the bottle shop on my way home today to see what kind of selection they had to offer.  Lately, they've been getting some different craft beers, though the bulk of what they offer still seems pretty bland.  Anyway, I saw a sampler from Tommyknocker Brewery, and I've never tried any of their beers before, so I thought, what the hell, why not?  What I like about it right off the bat, before even opening up the box, is that there are 6 varieties (2 of each) instead of the usual 3-4 that most samplers offer.  (The only other brewer that I've seen do this so far is Sam Adams, so sidebar kudos to them!)

So, I grabbed a bottle out of the box without looking.  I wound up with their Maple Nut Brown Ale:

Appearance: 10/10

It's a rich, dark amber with ruby highlights.  The off-white head retains nicely, and when it does fall, it leaves very pretty lacing on the mug.  This beer screams, "Drink me!"

Aroma: 20/25
The nose is mainly roasted malt with nutty and caramel hints.  I can't really make out any maple, but that isn't really surprising, since the aromatics in maple syrup can be carried off by the heat if the syrup boils too long in the brew.  It's still an appealing aroma, despite the lack of maple scent.

Taste: 31/40
After a second or two, I can pick up on the roasted malt flavors, some subdued nuttiness (hazelnut?), and an extremely ephemeral wisp of maple.  That burst of flavor is very brief, though, which was a little disappointing.  I actually taste more flavor in the aftertaste than I do while the beer's in my mouth.  In the aftertaste, I get the maple flavor much clearer.  I also get a very rich, malty background, nuttiness, maple sweetness, a tinge of coffee, and a dab of toffee in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: 7/10
This beer seems to have two faces: at times, it's thin and watery in both flavor and mouthfeel.  Then, it switches up on you and you get a burst of flavor along with a full-bodied sensation, but neither one lasts very long.  Moderate carbonation brings a very mild sting to the tongue.  It finishes with a slight alcohol-warmth in the back of the throat and mild dryness on the front of the tongue.

Style: 5/5
While it seems a little thin, like it somewhat lacks that robust flavor I associate with brown ales, this beer actually matches the guidelines for this style pretty well, though it is bottomed out for IBUs -- brown ales usually range from 20-40, and this one squeaks in at 20.  And, like I said, one sip might be thin and bland, but the next sip might be full and robust.  I'm not sure why I'm getting such an inconsistent taste out of it.

Drinkability: 8/10
Very drinkable.  This would pair well with anything but light fish, really.  Heavier-tasting seafood, like maybe shark steaks, would probably go extremely well with this, especially if done on the grill.  This is also a pretty good beer to just sip on a lazy afternoon, like today.

Overall: 81/100
Despite the uneven tasting experience, I like this beer.  It's on the maltier end of the spectrum, which is what I tend to prefer these days.  It's probably not the first brown ale that would come to mind if someone were to ask me for a recommendation, but it is decent.  It's also nice to find a beer with these flavors in a beer with only 4.5 abv.

Cheers!