The Kernel's recipe for this Brown Ale detours from an idea rooted in the north of England via both Europe and the USA to where they have now decided to situate it.

It has gone through a good number of iterations before settling where they now like it. The European heritage is tangible through the German smoked malt used (a small amount, but the intensity does vary (smoking is an art that has large variability in its outcomes).

A touch of bonfire, roundly autumnal, balancing the caramel tones of the malt. The American influence arrives through the use of hops - this batch features Cascade.

A hoppy brown ale (hopped in the modern style) is very much an American thing. The sweet spot with play between malt and hops is a personal thing: some veer towards a cleaner malt profile, some towards the fruit and freshness that the hops bring. The folks at Kernel feel their hop levels here are on the low side, but certainly present. Cascade, an American classic, brings pine and a touch of citrus.

Overall the beer presents as warm, round, nutty and lightly toasty, with caramel and dried fruits. Then tending towards citrus before the lingering edges of the smoked malt round things out.