Beer Style Guide: Get to Know British Brown with Em Sauter
Most Americans are familiar with the popular Newcastle Brown Ale but what is the brown ale’s history and what is its current role?
History of British Brown Ale
In Jeff Alworth’s great book, “The Beer Bible,” he reminds us that before the invention of the indirect malt kiln, most beers were brownish (obviously there are some exceptions to this). When we talk about the history of styles, it’s important to remember that the styles we love today are an evolution from previous styles that no longer exist or are made specifically in a historical sense. There were a lot of “brown ales” hundreds of years ago, but they are nothing like our modern interpretation of it.
British Brown Ale Today
The modern brown ale grew out of the London brown ale, which is a rarely made, lower ABV style beer made with sugar adjuncts or lactose that was popular in the early 20th century. Breweries in Newcastle in the North of England brewed what would equate to “an imperial'' version of this but all malt and no addition of sugar or lactose. In modern times, there are only a few English brown ales brewed on a large scale.
British brown ales are brewed with English pale and crystal malts along with perhaps some chocolate malt for color and flavor. They are usually a bottled product and their alcohol is quite robust for English standards—the brown ale can be up to 6% ABV while most English beers are around 4% or so. English hops and yeast are standard to use as well.
Tasting Notes
British brown ales today are sweet tasting to our palates with flavors of coffee, toffee, caramel, and chocolate. There’s a lovely pear note from the English ale yeast as well. Hops are hardly present but could come across with floral or herbal notes that are trademarks of English hops. Sometimes the beer can be described as a “nut brown” but that is merely for its nutty flavor similar to walnuts; this beer is not brewed with nuts.
Pairing
British brown ales are a nice contrast to vegetable dishes like a nice veggie burger. I also really like them with chicken in any capacity, from a BBQ chicken breast to a delicious roast chicken. Anything salty shines with British brown ale so if you don’t want to be fancy, pair this beer with putting your feet up and opening a bag of potato chips.
Beers to Try
Your local brewery
Yes, the cop out answer, but this style is increasingly rare in a large-scale capacity so visit your local brewpub or brewery and see what they are up to. You may be surprised to find a British brown ale there!
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown
Northern England brewer Sam Smith’s nut brown is the closest thing you’ll get to historical brown ale. The beer is still brewed using water from the original well from the 18th century and the beer is fermented in Yorkshire squares, an antiquated brewing system. Its yeast strain is particularly robust too making it a wholly unique experience.
Newcastle
Now owned by Heineken and brewed at Lagunitas’ huge warehouse brewery in Chicago, Newcastle is the classic English Brown ale we all associate with the style. The label has been redone recently and the beer is now in a stubby brown bottle used by Lagunitas. The liquid inside is all that matters as it is still the delicious beer many beer drinkers gravitate towards.