Beer Style Guide: Get to Know American Brown Ale with Em Sauter
American brown ale comes from, ahh you guessed it, an evolution of brewing methods and taking a fair amount from the British brewing tradition. The American brown ale first came on the scene in the 1980’s during the original microbrewery boom. Anyone above 40 in the U.S. remembers Pete’s Wicked Ale, an American brown ale that defined the category when it was first made in 1986 and was once one of the larger beer styles sold in America until the early 2000’s. One of the first beers I bought when I turned 21 in 2004 was a Pete’s Wicked strawberry blonde. Also- fun fact, Pete Slosberg, the actual “Pete” is an awesome guy and from my home state of Connecticut! He’s also an Alcohol Professor contributor.
American brewers like Pete’s Wicked took English brewing tradition and Americanized it, using American ingredients, hops and American ale yeast to create an American style of beer. Although brown ales have come to be synonymous with drab, the American brown ale is anything but and does not deserve this type of degradation. It’s sad that this style is not more popular today as it’s a great year-round beer style that complements foods well and is easy to drink. It’s particularly good in fall when football is on, and the leaves are starting to change.
How American Brown Ale is Made
American brown ales are brewed with pale, crystal and usually chocolate malts. Hops tend to be American or southern hemisphere, but you can use European hops as well. This beer is more assertive than its English counterpart. I like when the hops are American because of that orange tangy flavor from hop varieties like Cascade that can contrast the light cocoa flavor of the beer for a chocolate orange style harmonization. For yeast, American ale yeast is typical for this style.
Tasting Notes & Pairing
An American brown ale can have light flavors and aromas of caramel, dark toast, cocoa, walnuts, pear, tropical fruit, or citrus. All of these flavors should be in balance as the brown ale is all about balance between the malt and hop. No ingredient should overwhelm the other parts of this beer.
Brown ales are the ultimate tailgating beers and are great with brats, burgers and other football fare. The light chocolate and caramel flavors will help temper any spiciness from foods like nachos or hot sauces. Put this in your tailgating cooler to break up the routine of light lagers.
Beers to Try
Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale
Colorado based Avery makes a year round brown ale and they’ve been doing that for years. Available in a 12 oz. can, the Avery website has a host of information about the beers and are very transparent about their ingredients including a homebrew recipe if you are so inclined to brew this tasty beer at home!
Bell’s Best Brown
Bell’s beers are frequently mentioned here and for good reason, because they do classic styles unbelievably well. They make brown ale that’s 5.8% and is a classic example of what an American brown ale should be.
There’s something about Montana that has a soft spot for malty beers like scotch ales, amber ales and the very popular Moose Drool, which is easy to find on draft around Montana and other Western states. Easy to drink and a great blank slate beer for all manner of cuisine.