Thoughts on Hoppy Brown Ales

Sincerely? I hate it. A good English-style brown ale made domestically is virtually impossible to find. Riffing on a traditional European style to create something new is something American brewers do very well, but sometimes it amounts to little more than taking something and adding more hops to it. As far as brown ales are concerned, it has been an unimaginative failure.

 

I completely agree, and the same can be said for porters (Avery's New World Porter comes to mind). A malt-forward beer made super hoppy is as big a crime against humanity as cookies with raisins that look like chocolate chips.

 

I can appreciate a hoppy brown ale at times, but in general, hand me a maltier one please.

 

I'm not a brown ale fan, so the only way I can drink them is if they have been hopped up.

Sorry, I'm at at the opposite end of the spectrum as the OP.

 

In general, I prefer beers with less hop presence than an average modern American IPA (and I definitely don't want every beer on the shelf to taste of grapefruit), but before we make big sweeping generalizations, let's not forget that the Brits pumped large amounts of hops into their beers many moons before it was tagged as "American."

 

I'd contact the brewery to find out what's up.

I prefer browns to be crisp and hoppy, but I also love scotch ales/wee heavies and old ales. I think the sweet flavors really shine at 8-10%. Cheers

 

I kinda hated Smuttynose Durty, way too much hops for the malt bill IMO. Big Sky Moose Drool is a great American Brown though and of course Bell's Best Brown.

 

I think it depends on the brewer and the malt base of the beer. Some of the best American Browns around (DFH Indian Brown, Telluride Face Down, Board Meeting) are pretty hoppy...but the malt character has to be able to hold up to it and the right hops need to be used, too. Some work better than others. A chinook/simcoe assault can be rough, but European hops and milder US hops like mt. hood and willamette can be great. Even classic cascades, crystal, and nuggets tend to work.

 

Depends for me, also you have to realize food has a big impact on your taste buds, than a fresh palate sometimes.

Sometimes I feel like a nut (hoppy) sometimes I don't.

ha see what I did there!

 

I enjoy a malty brown ale, but damn, I loved Smuttynose's Durty, which was hoppy as hell! Wish Sierra Nevada didn't discontinue Tumbler.

 

Same here, it doesn't have to be "hopped up" but I do want some hops to break up the cloying sweetness most brown ales present. I had a more traditional brown ale by a local brewery that was pushed through a randall full of hops and loved it!

 

I prefer dark beers with less hops myself. You will never find me buying hopped up beer on purpose. I buy only dark ales, porters, stouts, etc.. and If I end up with one that has more hops than I care for I just don't buy it again. Used to buy 4 packs and 6 packs of untried beers until I realized that just because it was a porter or a stout didn't mean it would have a low hop profile. I now limit my "experiments" to single bottles, preferably 12 ounce ones.

 

it shows a lack of imagination or appreciation for the style. "ooh, look, let's double the hops!" is a stupid position to take.

 

The brewer's changing the substyle of the beer but not the name seems to be a separate issue here.

American Brown Ales have been around and quite popular for a while now; the original Pete's Wicked Ale had a generous helping of cascades, and was a very nice beer when fresh. Brooklyn Brown, though darker and more balanced, was also a classic example.

I think the concept works as long as the hops follow the general rule laid out by Domingo above. If your house yeast is pretty neutral, I'd prefer that there be some hops to balance out the crystal malt flavorwise.

English brown ales are also great- probably better in overall design- but not too many brewers in the US get the yeast signature right, unfortunately, and they tend to be too one-dimensional.