Brown Ale

Brown ale is a style that is difficult to categorize. Because it was difficult and expensive to create pale malt until the late 18th century, it was for centuries the most popular type of beer in Europe and the United Kingdom. As a result, almost all beers were brown, regardless of how hopped or powerful they were. Other beers developed into separate varieties, such as pale ales, porter (which is actually a brown ale), and mild ale, but there was no such thing as a brown ale until Mann’s debuted its now-famous low-gravity beer in the early twentieth century. This was followed 25 years later by the release of Newcastle Brown Ale, which had a much higher initial gravity.

Other brewers tried to break into the market by bottling their mild ale as brown ale, effectively turning mild into a brown ale. Others made brown ales in a variety of gravities before the style, like mild in Britain, slipped into near-terminal decline. Then, at the turn of the century, American microbreweries got involved and re-invented brown ale. Browns in the United States were often larger and hoppier than any of the existing British varieties. So now the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has identified three categories of beer: Southern English, Northern English, and American Brown Ale!

For the American brown ale, roasted malt, caramel-like, and chocolate-like flavors and aromas should be of medium intensity. Low to medium hop taste and aroma, as well as medium to high hop bitterness, are present in American-style brown ales. The origins of this style can be traced back to homebrewers in the United States who were inspired by English-style brown ales and porters. It has a flavor that is somewhere between the two British varieties, but it is more bitter than both.

The basic English Ale yeasts will all work well for the Southern brown style, but there are a few things to keep in mind. The sweetness originates from the use of low-enzyme English malts and a relatively high mash temperature, but the brewers “”keep”” the sweetness by pasteurizing the beer in the bottle. Of course, you can’t do this at home, so search for a yeast that’s very flocculant and produces a low level of apparent attenuation.

Northern brown ale has a higher gravity and isn’t designed to be as sweet as its Southern counterpart. However, there’s another factor to consider: Newcastle Brown and a rival Double Maxim (both from the Northeast of England) have a distinct fruity flavor that comes from the esters formed during fermentation. The White Labs WLP023 (Burton Ale) yeast, as well as Wyeast 1084, will perform wonderfully (Irish Ale). Ferment at roughly 70°F (21°C) in this case to stimulate ester production. It’s worth noting that Newcastle Brown is actually a combination of two separate beers, one weaker and one stronger in gravity than the finished product, according to Michael Jackson. This allows the brewers to generate a higher degree of esters than would be possible if the beer was brewed at working gravity.

It may be said that both forms of Brown Ale are modest, mellow beers with little in the way of major tastes or complexity. This isn’t really a drawback, as these are intended to be session beers (especially the Southern version).