TommyKnocker Maple Nut Brown Ale

Dear (Beer) Diary. I have so much to tell you this weekend. So much is going on in my life. But you're going to need to wait on me, please.

Stopped by Total Wine on the way home from work for my weekly selection. Gave my kid an empty six pack to keep him busy and his hands off all the breakables.

Do you know that it's impossible to be unhappy at Total Wine? I mean, I thought that maybe if you're having a really, really bad day, you could at least frown there. But nope, I was wrong. Usually angry bar fighters with head to toe tattoos were saying "after you" to me at the cash register. Strangers were smiling at me and sharing stories. Clerks didn't need to help get high-up bottles as everyone was willing to help.

Now, the first thing I did was go get a 12-pack of the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life. My (usually non-beer) wife had a bottle of that last week at a friend's house and thinks it's God's gift to the world. Wow, that is some cheap beer: $6.49 for a 12-pack.

Then the good stuff started. I picked out 6 individual bottle from the rack to get some diversity. Last week, you'll probably recall, I made the mistake of picking up a 6-pack of an unknown beer to me. And I didn't like it! There are still 3 left in the garage. I guess I'll have some house guests to pawn it off on at some point.

One of my new bottles is TommyKnocker Maple Nut Brown Ale brewed by TommyKnocker Brewery & Pub in Idaho Springs, Colorado. They go all out on the label telling you about how Tommyknockers are mischievous elves from the 1800's. You see, you learn something every day--I thought it was a movie by Stephen King.

So first impression (and actually mostly the only impression). There is an overpowering amount of maple syrup flavor in this beer, making it extremely sweet. There are roasted nutty flavors and the beer has a good finish leaving a good taste in my mouth, but it's just too hard to get past the sweetnessssssssssssssss. The aroma is nice but that is NOT why I buy beer. Maybe this beer would do better with a solid meal. And it's too bad. There was a variety pack from this brewery on the shelf too that I was thinking about getting, but I guess I'll just get each one, one by one.