Ale: Brown Ale

Brown ale is the quintessential British ale style. It evolved from the original crude brews concocted for home consumption. There is some anecdotal evidence that this lighter-than-normal brew was developed prior to 1300 in Britain. What made this brew unique was the color, not the specific grains used to brew it. The earliest, most primitive version of this brew ranged in color from amber to rich brown with an alcohol content ranging between 2.6 and 3.3 percent by volume.

Eventually two types of British brown ale developed. The “London style” developed into a full-colored brew, related to dark mild, porter, and stout. A slightly different brown ale, very dark in color, almost opaque, sweet and low in alcohol content, developed a far greater following and became popular with brewers and imbibers all over England.