Flossmoor Station Brewing Company: Pullman Nut Brown Ale – All Aboard for this Big Beautiful Brown

Take a moment… think of where you were… who you were with,  and what you were doing the very first time you heard the words, “IPA”.

Got it? Okay, you were curious, right? You wanted to know what IPA stood for.. what differentiated it from every other beer, etc. etc. etc.  After you tasted it, you thought in your head, ‘Holy Hell… That’s HOPPY!” Regardless, you were determined to see what the fuss was all about…

Am I close?

Talking to most of my craft beer loving friends ends up in a very similar story. The very first time I heard of an IPA happened to be the first time I tried it, and it happened to be at Flossmoor Station. A very good friend of mine had moved to Homewood, and one of his first discoveries of the town was this brewery.  When I put that first IPA in my mouth, I thought I was drinking pine needle juice. I can honestly say I didn’t like it… crazy, right? Not really,  I used to think YOO-HOO would be my favorite drink forever.. things change. Flossmoor Station Brewing Company is solely responsible for helping me enter, and understand the world of great American craft beer.  

Once I had mastered the IPA.. I tried the Pullman Nut Brown. Still one of my favorites, but time, AND experience has taught me that it’s not the master I had once thought it was.  Pullman pours thick. Again, glubs out which is VERY deceiving considering the light body it actually has. Color is dark dark brown; almost looks like a porter or even a stout upon first glance. Imagine liquid dark chocolate fudge, and you’ve got a good idea of this beers color. Head is an even beige, which poured out into a nice 1 inch head, but shrunk down to almost nothing by the time I was ready to drink it.  Smelling it stirs up memories of the candy shop in the mall, with lots of brown sugar, molasses and that ever loved cocoa all up in your nose.  No hop aroma at all.  Putting the beer into your mouth reveals the unusual light body it has. When pouring the beer it demonstrates characteristics of a beer with a heavy body; something that will coat your mouth for an hour, but it almost completely dissipates as you swallow. Hop presence is obvious the moment it hits your tongue, and then all the molasses, chocolate sugar flavors rush through. This beer is especially hoppy for a brown and manages to leave your mouth a little dry. Considering I don’t smell any hops, I’m baffled. The middle has tones of darker fruits, cherry, raisons and dates.  Flossmoor Station’s website describes the beer as having 7 different malts and 3 different hops. At 6% ABV, I’m surprised to feel as much alcohol burn as I do, but the malty sweetness keeps me coming back for more.  With January almost in the bag, I recommend getting this beer before the colder months are gone.  This is a fireplace companion. 

ABV: 6%

Glass: Imperial Pint

Verdict: Buy a Twelve Pack