English Brown Ale

ABV 4.2-5.9% · IBU 20-30 · SRM 12-22 · Serve 50-55F · Glass Pint

Identify

Dark amber to dark reddish brown, and clear rather than murky. A low off white to light tan head. The smell is toffee and nuts, sometimes with a light chocolate note behind it. Very little hop smell, and no coffee. Medium light to medium body with lively carbonation. Gentle malt sweetness at the front, then nutty and biscuity through the middle, then a finish that is drier than the colour led you to expect.

Place

Northern England, twentieth century. Newcastle Brown Ale, 1927

Cause

The grain bill is British mild ale malt or pale malt, plus crystal malt for the toffee. Then a very small amount of chocolate malt goes in for colour and for the nutty edge. Small is the whole point. Push that addition up and the beer starts tasting of coffee, and you have made a porter. The nuttiness is not an ingredient.

Confused with

Dark Mild, which is weaker and softer. English Porter, which is darker and genuinely roasted. American Brown Ale, which is darker, more bitter and smells of American hops. London Brown Ale, which is much sweeter and weaker.

Numbers

An English Brown Ale is a malty brown British beer without the roasted flavours of a porter. Toffee and nuts lead, hops stay in the background, and the finish is dry. It is usually a little stronger than the average British pub beer. The surprise is the finish.

Will you like it, Order and Try

Toasted hazelnuts or walnuts. The nutty note in this beer is close enough that people assume nuts were used. Digestive biscuits or malted milk biscuits. Gentle grain sweetness with a dry, crumbly ending. Toffee or fudge, but only a small piece. Rich without wanting a whole bar of it. Black tea with a splash of milk.

Pair, Judge, Myth and Remember

What does not work: fresh salads, delicate white fish, anything with a lot of chilli heat. The malt rolls straight over the first two, and heat makes the beer taste thin and sweet. Brown ale wants browned food, which is a useful rule for the whole module. Clear, dark reddish brown, with a low tan head.