Brown Ales (2025)

Revisiting this old fave after lifting my 6yr boycott on Smutty.

Still great. 3 left in 12pk.

Absolutely agree with this. Reviewed in 2016, never seen again.

4.3/5 rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

"On second try with clean palate, the flavor matches my aroma description. Great stuff - maybe my new favorite of the style."

 

Figuroa Mountain Davy Brown ale is available to me. I have yet to pull the trigger on it. BA has it at 87. Have to seek out Abita Turbodog now too. I used to be able to get that locally at Bevmo.

 

Dogfish IBA was one of the gateway beers for us right after college. It’s almost better that it was retired so it could live on as a legend in my mind.

 

Brown Ale is my most revisited style, this is because there's so few of them.

I see Old Brown Dog, Brooklyn Brown, Granola Brown, all around town. There are a few others that pop up.

Blizzard of 78 is my favorite English Brown, a solid winter seasonal.

I prefer clear, lighter bodied version and the occasional English Dark Mild. Big Brown Ales are great also, I like the malty ones that hide the booze, adjuncts are okay if used in moderation.

I belive ABA should be given an Imperial style category. This would allow the more traditional, lower ABV/bodied version to shine; the way Old Brown Dog does in front of flame and the big boys can battle for supremacy amongst themselves.

Cheers.

 

Hell yeah!

Brown ale is definitely a style that gets swamped by high abv and heavily flavored examples that don't have very much relation to the spirit of the style.

It's great if you enjoy a 12% Brown ale with coffee and hazelnuts, but that doesn't really help me decide if it's gonna scratch my itch for a Brown ale.

Not a lot of examples available to me, probably just Samuel Smith. The ever reliable Redwood Curtain puts one out every so often and it's solid. I'm waiting out Humphrey before I buy anymore Samuel Smith so I'm just gonna have to wait for redwood curtain to put there's on again

 

I'm not sure that they distribute much to California anymore, but Caldera (Ashland, Oregon) has some nice browns. Love their Hemp Seed Brown Ale! We used to visit at least once a year on our way up to Washington to visit my son. Time for another road trip!

 

I'm just like, more interested in like, real beer, ya know? All you new money pastry bois with your colonizer mindset and your imperial beers are just like, totally, ruining the beer scene bro.

Beer that doesn't taste like it did during the war, is basically Jamba juice. Ya know?

fuck I need a beer

 

I don't see much Caldera on the shelves these days except some big cans of some kind of fruited sour series with a stupid name like "Oops I Tarted!" or some other nonsense.

They were definitely a staple back in the day.

 

Civil life American brown is the greatest

 

Truth

 

Cabin Fever Brown ale by New Holland Brewing- a solid every day Brown i get every year-very tasty!

 

Sorry for your loss.

 

Brown bread, caramel, almond candy. Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Tasty.

 

In this area, Legend Brown and Midnight's Not My Job are great English style browns, and Alewerks Tavern Brown is a solid American style.

 

Drinking a Bravura brown ale at Bissell Brothers in Maine right now. Delicious.

 

Short’s Bellaire Brown. 7% abv and on the shelf 365. My goto brown ale.