Brown

BROWN ALE

 What we know as a Brown Ale has been around, in one form or another for over 300 years. In the late 1600s, the working class of London wanted an ale that was a little heavier and stronger than the pub ales that they were used to. A darker beer, called a Mild Ale, was developed using roasted malts, creating a dark, nutty beer that became popular in taverns in working class neighborhoods across the UK. This beer was called mild because it had far less hops than the Pale Ales that were also being brewed in that era.

In the 1700s, Mild Ales began to have a tiered system similar to the Scottish shilling rating for beers (see our Wee Heavy entry for more on this). Roasted brown malts were giving way to kilned pale malt, which was both cheaper to produce and had a higher sugar content. These pale malts are still used today as base grains for most beers, regardless of style. Brown beer faded in popularity during this era, as porters and stouts took over the dark beer mantle for the blue collar drinkers. 

The Brown faded away to near extinction until Mann's Brewery, based in London, revived it in the late 1800s. Mann's made a new template for Brown Ale. Over the next few decades the beer, ranging between 4-5% ABV grew and more breweries added it to their roster. At the dawn of the 20th century, British beer drinkers wanted to spend less time at the pub and have their ale in the comfort of their own homes. The demand for bottled beer grew and grew, and Brown Ale grew right along with it. Even today, English Brown Ales are almost always bottled, maintaining the tradition that was born out of not wanting to leave the house. 

A version of the Brown Ale called the Dark Mild was created as lower alcohol version of the Brown. The Dark Mild became a popular choice until World War II broke out, and brewing took a backseat for many communities. After the war, the Dark Mild regained its foot hold in the Southern regions of England, where the more traditional Brown Ale stayed strong in the North. In particular, the city of Newcastle took to the style and their Brown is still among the most popular beers in the world. 

In America, Brown Ales had been brewed in the colonies and throughout our early history. Although not as popular as cider, American Browns had their place in every tavern, and were enjoyed just as much as their British cousins. Paralleling the trends across the Atlantic, American Brown Ales faded in popularity, and prohibition nearly killed the beer. Homebrewers revived the style in the 1980's, as the experimental nature of homebrewing led people to experiment with darker and more historical beers.

What came out of that scene was a hoppier version of the traditional Brown, with a higher ABV, sometimes hovering around 7%. Commercial breweries these days have tempered that down a little, with most offerings opting for a more traditional variation. 

Browns are a blue collar beer. They are purposefully moderate, with medium body, medium mouth feel, and a medium carbonation. Brown Ales are gaining in popularity again as craft breweries are adding it to their brews, often in the colder months. Notes of chocolate, and roasted malt accent a mild hop character. Often dry and nutty, Brown Ales are malt forward like many other darker ales, and like many dark ales, they are often served warmer than we are used to. Browns take well to a nitro tap, as well, which will give a lot more body and a creamier consistency than a traditional CO2 charge. 

Belgian versions of the Brown Ale are often slightly sour, with esters and tart fruit flavors coming through. A lighter colored brown, what is referred to as Oud Bruin is very clear, unlike English and American versions which can be murky. Oud Bruin is Dutch for "Old Brown," and sometimes the style is referred to as a Flanders Brown, after the region of Belgium that it was born in. 

The London Brown of the 17th century is nearly extinct. Northern style Browns have take over from the original beer to the point where the Beer Judge Certification Program has labelled the London Brown as a "Historical Style," something that is only rarely made currently. It was less balanced, leaning heavily on the malt for sweet flavors ranging from pure sugar to toffee. Mann's Brewery is still around, however, and still making a version of what was, in 1902, called "The Sweetest Beer in London."

OUR RECIPE
10 lb 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
3/4 lb 40L Caramel Malt
1/2 lb Roasted Barley

1oz Fuggles Hops
1 oz Cluster Hops

11.5 grams S-04 Dry English Ale Yeast

1 tsp Irish Moss

Malts We Use

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A basic base malt, this won’t impart too much color and very little flavor. It is a pretty clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and pretty much any style of beer. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter than English breeds.

40L Caramel Malt: This specialty malt will contribute not only a fair amount of sweetness, but also a beautiful color that makes this beer stand out from its mellower cousins. 40 is a mid range Caramel malt, with lower numbers (10, 20, etc) being much milder and higher being stronger flavored and darker. 

Roasted Barley: A classic dark malt, roasted barley adds rich dark hues with highlights of magenta and red to stouts and porters. It is heavy on the roast flavor and gives a fresh coffee aromatic characteristic in beer. Roasted barley is among the only widely used specialty grains that are unmalted.

 

Hops We Use

Fuggle: A versatile and traditional English hop variety, Fuggle was introduced in the 19^th century and has been a staple of British beers ever since. Usually an aromatic hop, it can be used at any point in the brewing process. In this case, its low Alpha Acid levels make it a perfect bittering hop for low IBU dark beers.

Cluster: Cluster is one of the oldest and most popular hops in the United States. It has a strong bittering profile which makes it good for pale ales and IPAs. Later additions add an earthy aroma that works well in darker beers. 

Yeast We Use

SafAle S-04: A basic English dry yeast strain that works well across all styles but really thrives in malty and dark ales. Top fermenting and reliable, S-04 dry yeast can handle most low to medium ABV beers, it ferments quickly and creates a tight sediment base, increasing the clarity of lighter English ales while still retaining the hearty characteristics of pub beer.

Irish Moss: We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.