512. Switchyard Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN) - Pecan Brown

“Brewed with roasted pecans and Vermont maple syrup [sic] the slight malty sweetness is balanced with flavors of maple, toffee and pecans for the perfect fall seasonal beer.”

Sadly, no. Amy and I are goofy for The West Wing—goofy to the point that “Vermont maple syrup” is an in-joke reference that always make us laugh—so the description made me want to try this one; but it ain’t much to write home about. I can’t even taste the 7.5% ABV, which should be impressive for a brown ale. There’s a nutty quality that I could probably ascribe to pecans, but if the maple is there (and it’s true that real maple syrup doesn’t taste remotely like that Mrs. Butterworth’s shit), it’s drafting in the marginal jetwash of the pecans. Surprisingly light for something that purports to be so big, and very disappointing.