Ales: Brown Ale

Brown ales are...well...brown. Okay, there's more to it than that, but the style is definitely named for the color of the beer, which is...brown! Generally brown ales are lightly hopped and have a slightly nutty flavor to them. The craft beer industry has gotten more creative in naming their beers the last few years, so you'll often see brown ales called something else, because "brown ale" just doesn't have the zip of "Mahogany Autumn Ale" or some such. Occassionally a brown ale will have coffee notes, or even have coffee or chocolate added. A prominant example of a brown ale is Newcastle, likely the best known and granddaddy of brown ales. Brown ales are usually light enough that they don't trigger the "I don't like dem dark beers" reaction, but with enough body and flavor to differentiate from the run of the mill lagers.