Beer Style of the Week – Brown Ales – Week 8

Brown Ale was adopted and raised in the English countryside in the late sixteen hundreds to the gentile, yet proud Mild Ale family. He was a fire-roasted malt, and therefore required special care by dedicated brewers of the day. And he was very special indeed! Smooth and silky with a hint of smoke, sometimes nutty, and tad chocolaty, he was less hoppy than his Pale cousins and leaner than the Porters he ran with on occasions. He started his own family in the early 1700s. Continuing in his tradition of being Mild, he clung to his deep-routed belief that his family be brewed with 100% fire-roasted brown malts. Years passed as Brown’s offspring grew up and sought a life of their own. One married into the Hoppy family. They in turn adopted cute little Pale Malts into the hoppy brood. One was welcomed into the family of Porters. Alas, one of Brown’s offspring landed on hard times and fell into the hands of poorer and sometimes unscrupulous brewers. No longer fire-roasted, cheap malts added and sometimes dyed to look brown, it was a sad affair. In a short period of time cheap hybrids and offshoots of the fabled Browns became quite acceptable to the thirsty masses. Folks on a budget could have cared less. Any beer would do. The pure bred Browns were relegated to just a few loyalists of the day. But, as the old saying goes, what goes around comes around again. This is most true if you happen to be a worthy beer style.

The Brown Ale style (and that is varied) seems to be making a steady comeback in the hearts and minds of easy-drinking beer-lovers everywhere. Hail Brown!

Browns from the land of Origin

Newcastle Brown Ale from Scottish and Newcastle Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland may be the Brown Ale that comes immediately to mind. At 4.7% ABV, it leans towards its Mild Ale roots.

Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Nut Brown Ale – Tadcaster, England – 5% ABV

It pours a shiny nutmeg brown color with a fast-fading off-white head along with some webby lacing.

I love the nutty, earthy aroma at first pour. Sweet malty and tea-like smells mingle with a light whiff of fruit cup and bread dough. A very distant smell of cut green wood is noticed.

The flavors are incredibly uniform and tasty without any off tastes or weighted flavor profiles. Nicely balanced!

The nutty malty sweetness is tempered with tea-like, light citrus and a faint pear-like fruitiness. Mild alcohol fuminess peeks through in perfect harmony.

The mouthfeel is slick, not oily. A little buttery, not thick.

Delectable liquid brew!

Belgian Brown

Corsendonk Pater Abbey Brown from Oud-Turnhout, Belgium is a stronger Belgian-style variation of the Brown Ale. Bigger, bolder and sweeter than the English versions, this Brown supplies a fairly strong alcoholic punch. 7.5% ABV

Brown’s New England Ancestors

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Brown Ale – Portsmouth, NH – 6.7% ABV

Is a nice Americanized Brown Ale with a bit more of an alcohol profile that your English version, yet true to form, has distinctive Brown roots. Quite good!

Shipyard Brewers Brown Ale – Portland, Maine – 5.4% ABV

The brown shoe polish color is true to the style. A foamy beige head rises fast and holds over the top. Fairly good retaining lace throughout.

Sweet malt and fruit bread smells, blend with a bit of citrusy and tea-like aromas. A faint whiff of peaty whiskey is perceived.

The earthy, peaty malt taste is upfront. A doughy wheat bread taste is followed with tea-like and fruit cup flavors. A little limey citrus and distant whiskey taste are ever present.

It's a fairly deceptively dry body, with just enough smoothness to make it gulpable.

Tell anyone in the UK that they are drinking an original brown ale and they won't bat an eye lash. Except for the slightly elevated alcoholic kick, there is no discernible difference.

Easy to Find in New England

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale – Milton, Delaware – 7.2% ABV

Now this is what a strong Brown Ale should taste like! I've always been partial to Brown Ales, but lately it seems, they're getting harder to find. Now this one comes along and raises the bar - so to speak - as to what the style can and should be (even if this particular one is substantially more potent - nearly a hoppy Baltic Porter, but a bit more sweet and subdued.

It pours a dark cordovan brown with a nice firm tan head on top. Lots of sticky lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is strongly of rich chocolate malt, coffee, floral hops and mildly of alcohol. The ample sweet malt body is rich in dark chocolate; crème brulee burnt top, fresh bread and faint touch of licorice. Grapefruit, mild lime and hint of metallic tang provide a nice bitter counter-balance to the malt. A pleasant warming alcohol seems to bring all together.

Browns are extremely versatile when pairing with all kinds of foods. For mild browns, consider creamy cheeses, or Swedish Meatballs, or sweet ribs. A nice Nut Brown will quell the heat of Spicy Chili. Stronger Browns go well with Hot Turkey and Gravy sandwiches and can be used in preparing Beef Stews. Try the Corsendonk Brown to make Beef Carbonade, the traditional dish of Belgium. Good stuff, Brown Ale!

So the Brown Ale is back and in many traditional and exciting new ways! The next time you pour yourself a Brown ale, give the glass a knowing nod and a friendly wink. Don’t worry, everyone in the room will understand.

Cheers!

Quote: “Life isn’t all beer and skittles; but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman’s education.” – Thomas Hughes, English Lawyer/Writer (1822-1897)

Beer Style of the Week - Pale Ales

Each week we examine a particular beer style and then recommend the beers that best fit that style’s profile. Week one of fifty two – Pale Ale

Pale Ale

Pale ale is a classic British style ale. Not really pale but lighter in color than Porters or Brown Ales. The style calls for an earthy medium to full malt body with a dark golden to deep copper color. The head should produce a good-sized rocky off-white to beige head. Well hopped, though not overly so, with a combination of two or more of East Kent Goldings, British First Gold, Fuggles, or Challenger hops. The malt should be brewed from pale English Two row barley. A lightly sweet caramel sweetness and a bit of a fruity taste is the norm. A taste of biscuits is quite common to the style. Some pale ales allow for a mineral and/or herbal taste to edge through the flavor profile, though preferably in the background. The United States brewers have taken liberties and developed quite a few different takes on the style. These are not “classic pale ales” and should be noted as such. Five good original classic examples are Young’s Special London Ale, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale, Fuller’s London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and arguably,Bass Ale.

There are several well-crafted Pale Ales brewed in New England, which respect and adhere to at least, the original style profile.

Samuel Adams Pale Ale – Boston, MA 12oz brown bottle. Freshness date on label.

It pours a shiny brass color with a thin to medium-sized white head and a fair amount of sticky lace.

A blend of doughy malt and citrusy hop aromas fade rather quickly.

Lightly roasted biscuity malt with a light caramel sweetness provides a good foundation for the generously applied hops.

Citrusy tartness and a mild metallic tang mix with a light tea-like after taste.

This Pale Ale is dry from start to finish. It could have had a little more sweetness, but still enjoyable.

Cisco Brewing - Whale’s Tale Pale Ale – Nantucket, MA 22.9oz dark brown bottle. No freshness date.

It pours a hazy orangey amber with a big lasting off-white head on top.

It smells a lot like cut fruit and macerated berries. A light hay-like aroma is present in the background.

A slight cidery, astringent tartness arrives in the sprightly effervescent bubbles. A bit like Sahti with that distinct juniper branch bitterness. As it sits for a while, tastes of ripe green apple and citrus lemon vie for attention. A light bread flavor followed by dry malty taste is noticed.

The 5.8%abv is well hidden, that is until the effects begin to kick in.

It does improve as it warms, but so do lots of other craft beers.

Tremont Ale – Brewed by Shipyard Brewing – Maine

12oz bottle. Freshness date etched on left side of label.

It pours a bright copper color with a white head that fades to a constant thin rim. Some sticky and trailing laces remain.

A floral and resinous hop smell rises strong at first pour and lasts halfway through the glass. A background smell of biscuity malt lasts throughout.

A somewhat grassy and biscuity malt reveals some caramel sweetness as it warms.

A harsh, sharp-edged citrus bitterness mingles with a taste of tea with lemon. I recommend this beer as a session beer, or a good beer to drink while watching sports.

Geary’s Pale Ale – Portland, ME – 4.5% abv

12oz dark brown bottle. No freshness date. Poured into a standard pint glass.

It pours an orange-hued amber with a light beige fluffy head, with some trailing and spotty lace. An earthy aroma, with caramel malt, slight fruitiness, resinous hops. Edgy bitterness, slightly fruity with some caramel sweetness. As in the aroma, the hops have a resinous bite. A dose of West Coast hops lend a bit more of a piney bitterness than your typical Pale Ale. Medium to light bodied with spritely effervescence. Fairly good impression of an English Pale ale with a bit more edgy bitterness!

Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale – Berkshire Brewing – S. Deerfield, MA – 5.3% abv

On draft. No freshness date. Poured into standard pint glass.

It pours a dull gold with a cascading, then fast fading white head. Plenty of lace sticks to the glass. The aroma of fresh cut hay and mild hops lasts a fair amount of time. The biscuity malt is lightly roasted and provides a nice body for the mildly citrus and metallic bitterness to dwell in. A faint flavor of apples, a touch of sweetness, and a hint of sunflower seeds make for a nice, if mildly flavored ale.

Thomas Hooker American Pale Ale – Brookfield, CT – 5.4% abv

12 oz. brown bottle. No freshness date noticed. Served in a Samuel Adams Lager glass.

The color is an orange-hued amber with a thin white head, along with some sticky and trailing lacing. Earthy dry malt, hay, and grass aroma with a hint of resinous herbal hoppiness.

The taste is fairly balanced between hops and malt. Dry and crisp at first drink, then some caramel sweetness an herbal tastes break through. A sprightly effervescence dissipates quickly and evolves nicely into harmonious blend of Pale Ale goodness. A very close cousin to an English Pale ale if there is one.

West Coast Pale Ales are a distinctively different animal. The hop bitterness is more upfront as they tend to use west coast hop varieties such as Cascade, Willamette, and Chinook with a higher alpha bitterness rating. West Coast Pale Ales tend to have a piney or resinous bitterness not found in the English style. Prime examples are; Sierra Nevada, Anchor Liberty Ale, and Stone Pale Ale.

Belgian Pales Ales are in a league of their own and will be profiled in a future Beer Style of the Week profile.

Next week: Pilsners and Pils-style Lagers.

Quote: “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” - Shakespeare 'Twelfth Night'

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