Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale

Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 4.39%

Serving size: 12 oz. bottle

Beer Style: English Brown Ale

Information from Lazy Magnolia:

http://lazymagnolia.com/ourbeer.php

Original Gravity 13.5

Final Gravity 5.2

Bittering Units 19

Lovibond Scale 15

Grains: Maris Otter, caramel malt, wheat, roasted pecans

Hops: Domestic nugget and willamette

Ideal Serving Temperature      50 degrees F

Ideal Carbonation Level          2.5 Volumes

As you’ve probably noticed, a lot of our reviews are for beers born in the south. Since we’re in the south, and we like to support the local folks, here comes another, for Lazy Magnolia’s Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale, which won a Bronze Medal in the 2006 World Beer Cup in the Specialty Beer category. By the way, YES we say pecan the proper way – “PEE-can.” Ya’ll can take your “pu-kahns” and go elsewhere with ’em if you have a beef with our pronunciation. Just kidding ya’ll – we’ll let you stay no matter how wrong you are.

Now for a little background on Lazy Magnolia. Mark and Leslie Henderson began brewing beer at Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company, located in Kiln, Mississippi, in 2005. Mark and Leslie are both engineers, and from some of the engineering friends I have, I know that it’s a) common to enjoy beer and b) common to want to take things apart, see how they work and then make them better. Lazy Magnolia happened one Christmas when Leslie bought Mark a homebrew kit. Per Mark and Leslie, “it didn’t take long for this hobby to take over the house and all of their free time…  …the house was completely taken over with 5-gallon glass jugs, copper heat exchangers, and bubbling buckets of beer as they explored dozens of variations on their own special recipes.”  This is one of the reasons why we at RIBR haven’t tried home-brewing – lack of space. The other reason being the fact that we’re very much “instant gratification” types who can’t wait for the brew to be ready.

Lazy Magnolia survived Hurricane Katrina and began distribution in 2006, becoming Mississippi’s first package brewery since prohibition.  Lazy Magnolia beers are now found in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Their current line-up consists of Southern Pecan, Southern Gold Honey Ale, Deep South Pale Ale, Jefferson Stout – a sweet potato cream stout – wow!,  Indian Summer Wheat Ale and Ginger Jaque. We had a little chuckle at a question on their FAQ page that asked “Will you ever offer a light or alcohol-free beer?” and the response was “No, this is the south, ya’ll.” This review is for Southern Pecan, but we’re definitely adding a few of their other offerings to our shopping list.

Temperature of beer at tasting – 52

Appearance: Medium amber. A quarter inch of creamy brown head dissipates quickly. There was no lacing left on the glass.

Aroma: brown bread, nutty, roasted malts, slight esters. We finally determined, as it warmed, that what we smelled was banana nut bread.

Mouthfeel:  Very lively carbonation. There was an impression of sweetness, but it finished cleanly without a lot stickiness.

Taste: nutty, woody, malty, toasty, carmelized sugar, slight bitter/sour finish. Not quite as sweet as the aroma suggested. The bitterness is similar to when you’re actually eating pecans from the shell and get a bit of that harder rust colored woody “stuff” that holds the meat in place.

Drinkability: Very nice. The carbonation held on to the last sip. It wasn’t sticky sweet and had a well-balanced flavor. We think it would satisfy a craving for when you want a brown ale with just a little something more to it.

Pro: Just a good all around brown ale. Very complex for having such a low ABV. A “sessionable” brown ale.

Con: Not exactly a brown ale, so some folks might not care for the additional layers of flavor. The pecan notes were not as forward as I thought they would be.

Food pairings:

Garlic cheddar cheese spreads

Pub foods, such as fish and chips or a big, drippy cheeseburger

Butternut squash ravioli, tossed with a very light oil with a tiny dash of cinnamon