Tag Archives: brown ale

Sweet Josie

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My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

Sweet Josie Brown Ale, from LoneRider Brewing

They say:

A temptress who will seduce you, Sweet Josie is crafted in the American Brown style. This is a complex beer balancing a nice hop bitterness with a generous amount of chocolate and aromatic malts. 6.1% ABV.

Medium chocolate brown and clear. Less than a fingers-width of head. Roasty maltiness in the aroma, which is light; maybe a little caramel. I’m not getting any hops at all. Body is light, but there’s a good bit of roasty bitterness in the flavor. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like this much, but I rather like it quite a bit.

Newcastle Keg & the Geordie Schooner

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These new kegs are pretty cool and they are certainly very convenient for a party. We took this on a vacation to the shore and being able to fill up half-way, or all the way, was great. My kids were really attracted to it, too. They kept reminding mom & dad that whenever we wanted more to let them know and they would fill up for us. (is that wrong?)

I have to note that the tap broke on us and made mess. (no, we didn’t blame the kids)

As for the Newcastle Brown, I just don’t love this. They call it the lighter side of dark. I would call it, the weaker side of strong. This beer is insipid, despite its nice brown color. It is a great gateway beer… something that might help bring the masses closer to real craft beer.

My wife commented that the new style pub glasses are completely awesome! They take a lead from the Sam Adams glass and add a nucleation area to the inside with etchings. I admit, they are study and easy to hold; a very good beer glass.

Newcastle Brown Ale

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Beer-a-Day #308 Newcastle Brown Ale

It’s the color of weak coffee and clear. I get a little caramel aroma and maybe a little chocolate. Balanced sweetness with no bitterness in the finish. In spite of being imported in a clear bottle this is fresh and delicious (unlike the one I tried for O-fest 2009). This is really good, and I wish I had more than the one.

Newcastle Brown Ale (UK)
Newcastle Brown Ale (US)


RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown Ale

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RJ Rockers Bald Eagle Brown AleBeer-a-Day #226

A traditional English-style brown ale, but with more body. Its deep brown color comes from a combination of Chocolate and Black malts. Tall, dark and smooth – the perfect cure for the domestic beer blahs.

A craft beer out of South Carolina? Cool. And the owner is from Jersey.

A dark golden brown, with some ruby highlights. Smells rather sweet, with aroma of vanilla and caramel. The taste follows, with medium body. I don’t normally go in for brown ales, but this one is pretty darn good.

RJ Rockers


Smoky Mountain Black Bear Ale

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Beer-a-Day #110

The fifth beer from Smoky Mountain Brewery given by my good friend Ellen. The label proclaims it be an American Brown Ale.

The color of iced tea, with an off-white head. Big malty aroma with a bit of roastiness. Medium body with significant malty profile with some roastiness in the finish. Browns aren’t generally my favorite but I like this one.

Brooklyn Brown Ale

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Brooklyn Brown AleBeer-a-Day #41

This is the start of six different offerings from Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn is one of my favorite brewers and several of their offerings I count among my favorite beers. The next six, though, I’ve never had before.

Nice deep brown with an off-white head. Coffee and green tea in the aroma. More coffee and some cherries in the flavor, with a good malty balance and just enough hop bitterness. I kinda like it.

Brooklyn Brown Ale


Samuel Adams Brown Ale

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Samuel Adams Brown AleBeer-a-Day #35

Samuel Adams week continues.

It seems so…mundane. The label is…brown; there’s no crazy graphics. No hugely imaginative name, like “Big Bad Leroy Brown Ale” or “Burnt Sienna”. Okay, sure, it’s part of the “Brewer’s Collection”, but still.

It’s no wonder I’ve never picked it up before now.

Yep, it’s brown. Some reddish highlights. Half-a-finger of head which settles out fairly quickly. I’m getting a little caramel in the aroma, as well as a bit of sharpness from the hops. Pleasantly mild, with a bit of bite from the hops. It’s good; I’d drink this again.


Session #13: Wolaver’s Brown Ale

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This edition of The Session is sponsored by Chris O’Brien at Beer Activist.

The Session - Beer Blogging Friday

Only beers verified by independent certifiers as meeting the legal organic standards are allowed to bear the USDA Certified Organic logo (the one up there to the left). Lots of brewers use Certified Organic malt and/or hops but have not had their facilities and processes certified. Legally and in practical fact these beers are not organic and are prohibited from being marketed as organic. But for this Session, it’s up to you to decide what to count as organic. Feel free to comment on beers that someone just tells you are organic, but be aware that just because someone has good intentions and seems trustworthy doesn’t mean that their beer is in fact organic.

USDA Organic seal

Busy, busy, busy. Wife going to school at night. Lots of work. Children with obligations. Scurry, scurry, scurry. Quick! Get to beer store for something organic.

On the very first shelf I looked at were three six packs of Wolaver’s, one each of the Pale Ale, IPA, and Brown Ale. Well, it’s been a while since I had a brown ale. So I picked one up.

They say it is…

…mild and creamy, deep amber in color, with a smooth and luscious taste. A soft beer, slightly malty and well balanced with hints of cherry and black currant. Perfect with light foods.

Wolaver’s Brown AlePours a nice, clear brown, nearly the same color as the bottle it was in. A modest, off-white head, which slowly descends into a thin layer of foam. Aroma is malty, nutty, and slightly spicy. It has a medium body, full malt character, and more of that spicy nuttiness. I am reminded of nothing so much as the roasted soy beans I had last night.

I’m all for being a little more “green” in my life, but this beer just didn’t do it for me. Oh, it’s okay, but probably not something I would choose on a regular basis. Maybe I just don’t like brown ales. (That would explain why I don’t have them very often.)

Update: Session #13 Roundup

Some of our other organic coverage: