Chestnut Brown

If you don't know the story of the American Chestnut, well...you should. One in four hardwood canopy trees in the Eastern United States was a native chestnut tree -- it's why there are so many roads and map references to "chestnut," particularly toward the mountains.

A spore that rapidly spread across the Eastern U.S. rapidly killed nearly all the trees. Young saplings still grow, but without isolated care, the small tree will almost certainly perish within ten years.

Over the years, arborists and scientists have made real progress reintroducing chestnuts through blight-resistant chestnut hybrids. One of the region's premiere growers of these trees is High Rock Farm, an estate and orchard just north of Gibsonville, N.C. founded in 1807.

We return to High Rock Farm this year with an American Brown Ale brewed with domestic and North Carolina malts and, of course, High Rock Farm-ground chestnut flour.

Sweet chestnut fuses with the grain bill, adding a layer of malty, honey-like goodness, but it's not like you're going to be blown away with chestnut flavor. It's just a delicious, nutty brown ale.

Craft beer needs more brown ales.

Especially more brown ales that raise awareness of the American Chestnut renaissance.