In reply to RX Reven' :
I've got nothing against IPAs, they're most of what I drank when i started drinking beer. The reason I stopped drinking them is because everybody went to those berkeleying grapefruit/citrus style hops. I don't want to suck on a grapefruit, I didn't want to when my aunt would try and feed it to me for breakfast, I don't want to now.
So I stay away from IPAs
In reply to Mr_Asa :
I totally agree…can’t stand clutter.
Server - “Sir, would you like to try a Shock Top, it has orange peels and stuff mixed in.”
Me – “Sure, and while I’m drinking it, could you please spray paint random stuff all over my car because purpose and order really bothers me.”
Anyway, sorry for the distraction, back to the search for a good brown ale.
Gearheadotaku said:Bells Best Brown is my recommendation..
Beat me to it, one of the the better parts about being in Michigan
Woody, next time you're up in NH, hit the Backyard Brewery on the south end of Manchester. Hopefully they'll have some of his #8 Nut Brown on tap. It's an old family recipe the brewmaster polished up to a higher scale of the brewery. If there was ever any truth to the adage of there truly being a beer for everybody, sounds like this might be the one for you.
If he's there, you can ask golfduke about it.
I wasn't aware that Newcastle was being brewed domestically now. It's been a while since I've had it, but it used to be one of my favorites. Low hops. When I do drink beer now, it's usually something malty and with IBU's under 40. I'm sick of the multitude of IPA's out there with IBU's above 70 developed for woke soy-boys with man buns, flannel shirts and high-water skinny jeans. Anyway, I'm happy these days with red wine. Fewer carbs.
Sorry, Woody, I can't offer a comparable alternative to the original Newcastle. But I can understand your angst. Do you want a recommendation on a good red wine?
Another vote for Bell’s Best Brown.
Legends Brown Ale out of Richmond, VA is great, though draft at the brewery is the way to go, the bottles have a weird aftertaste.
Woody said:Mr_Asa said:Woody, I've started to transition to local places and bringing a growler home. Gotta support local as much as possible.
I support Black Hog. They are so local that there is a sign nailed to a tree on the mountain bike trail that leads me to the brewery.
Wait, you can mountain bike to Black Hog?! I wish I still lived in your neck of the state. I just picked up their variety pack the other day and liked the brown ale.
Mr_Asa said:I've started to transition to local places and bringing a growler home. Gotta support local as much as possible.
This is what we do too, but CO2 pressurized growlers are the only way to go!...It's awesome to have local brew on tap in my fridge any time I want a glass, but also with no rush to drink it, and it's easy to justify as paying for itself in beer saved from going flat.
Flynlow said:Another vote for Bell’s Best Brown.
Legends Brown Ale out of Richmond, VA is great, though draft at the brewery is the way to go, the bottles have a weird aftertaste.
Ha! Forgot all about Legend. Been a while since I've had one, even longer since I've been to the brewery.
I love The Dudes' Grandma's Pecan Brown Ale.
CJ said:Not sure if you might be interested in veering toward a red ale, but I really like Smithwick's Irish Ale when I can get it. Don't find it often behind the Redwood Curtin, though.
Looks like some stores in Connecticut carry it.
I wear a Smithwick's t-shirt to bed when all my GRM shirts are in the wash.
The way I look at it, there are three types of brown ales:
Malty (sweet)
mid range
Hoppy
There is also regular beer that's just had some caramel color thrown in. We're not going to count that at all, since it obviously isn't worth a damn.
Finding a good brown ale on a national level is going to be a bit of a chore. Brooklyn Brown is worth a taste.
While not a brown ale, if you liked Newcastle, give Anchor Steam a try. I've got those two kind of riding the same beer memory area for some reason.
If you can find it up near your way, Sweet Josie Brown is a mid range brown that balances the malt with a bit of hops. Not IPA style hops, mind, just the traditional balance of sweet malt and hop bitter that makes beer delicious.
Oh, snap. You can probably find Unibroue up that way, too. Their brown ale might be a bit stronger than you're looking for, but it's freaking DELICIOUS. They also have a dark Belgian style, called Three Pistols that pairs so well with broiled scallops in butter that it's like some benevolent deity decided it should just work like that.
Brotus7 said:Wait, you can mountain bike to Black Hog?! I wish I still lived in your neck of the state. I just picked up their variety pack the other day and liked the brown ale.
Yes, from my house. That's why I have a rack on the back of one of my bikes.
bluej said:Woody, next time you're up in NH, hit the Backyard Brewery on the south end of Manchester. Hopefully they'll have some of his #8 Nut Brown on tap. It's an old family recipe the brewmaster polished up to a higher scale of the brewery. If there was ever any truth to the adage of there truly being a beer for everybody, sounds like this might be the one for you.
If he's there, you can ask golfduke about it.
I'll have to check that out. I have family up there.
Also from New Hampshire, but much further north, you can get Pig's Ear from Woodstock Brewing. I like that one very much.
I will admit to enjoying an occasional IPA, but I guess that my big issue with them is that once microbrewing took off, they seemed to push everything else aside.
I hate walking into a store that has a sign advertising "Over 400 Kinds of Beer!", only to find that they have 380 IPAs, plus Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, etc...
codrus said:
As for brown ales, "Downtown Brown" by Lost Coast Brewing in Eureka CA is pretty good. Dunno how available it is outside of CA though. https://www.lostcoast.com/beers#Downtown-Brown
I would try Downtown Brown just based on the name alone.
I was a big fan of Simon & Simon when I was a kid.
Of course,, I'd also try a brown ale called Venus Flytrap if I could find it.
Woody said:bluej said:Woody, next time you're up in NH, hit the Backyard Brewery on the south end of Manchester. Hopefully they'll have some of his #8 Nut Brown on tap. It's an old family recipe the brewmaster polished up to a higher scale of the brewery. If there was ever any truth to the adage of there truly being a beer for everybody, sounds like this might be the one for you.
If he's there, you can ask golfduke about it.
I'll have to check that out. I have family up there.
Also from New Hampshire, but much further north, you can get Pig's Ear from Woodstock Brewing. I like that one very much.
I'll second the recommendation for Pigs Ear, definitely an easy drinking brown ale.
Woody said:CJ said:Not sure if you might be interested in veering toward a red ale, but I really like Smithwick's Irish Ale when I can get it. Don't find it often behind the Redwood Curtin, though.
Looks like some stores in Connecticut carry it.
I wear a Smithwick's t-shirt to bed when all my GRM ones are in the wash.
I've never been able to figure out why Smithwick's is pronounced with a "d" sound
RX Reven' said:Beer’s that wimp out on hops are the zinfandels of wines…wishy-washy little cowards that really don’t have any values or principles, pretty much just going along to get along.
I, for one, would much prefer to be offended than bored; Prove me wrong.
You used an unnecessary apostrophe in the plural of beers. Your argument is invalid.
MTN already pointed out the original need for IPAs. They were the export version of actual Pale Ales, born out of necessity so they wouldn't spoil on the ship journey to the colonies. The English kept the actual Pale Ales at home and drank them all themselves because Pale Ale can be a really satisfying, delicious beer to drink. HOWEVER, IPAs have followed the hot sauce trend. Just like hot sauces escalated past taste* into "how hot can we get it?", IPAs have gone down a rabbit hole where they went from being hopped just enough not to skunk and turn rank on the journey to India into an arms race where brewers cram as many IBUs and aromatics as they can into the beer and... that's all you get. A one note beer.
I want a complex beer, with multiple flavor and aroma notes. I want the malt, I want the yeast and yeah, I want some hop bitterness and some aromatics, too. But I want them in balance. I want the fruity esters of the yeast, I want the sweetness of the malt, I want to maybe feel the alcohol on my tongue. You don;'t get that with IPAs any longer. I've literally *chewed* on some aromatic hop cones while brewing beer, and the actual hops are less bitter and more enjoyable than some of the ridiculous IPAs that are out there.
So, no, I won't say you're wrong. You're just cheating yourself.
*Carolina Reaper based sauces manage to have plenty of taste, but are super freaking hot. This is a case where a dab will do ya.
All my ideas have been said already (Brooklyn Brown, Dos Equis Amber, Negro Modelo).
Is Sam Adams Boston Lager too hoppy? Dundees Honey Brown Lager is pretty good for a mass produced brownish ale..
Like JKB said, it may be too regional, but since they're fairly large/famous, Anchor Brewing sometimes does a nice brown called Brekle's Brown Ale. It may be semi-seasonal or occasional, and I can't always find it merely 600 miles north of S.F...
Dangit, looks like Anchor Steam is the only Anchor beer you can get in CT... You can find the porter if you're willing to go to NY or MA... 
In reply to Ransom :
Nothing wrong with Anchor Steam. I'm in RI. It was one of the "alternative" beers I discovered in the eighties. I couldn't find it everywhere, but a few local liquor stores carried it. I was thankful. At that time I had made my first business trip to the UK in 1981 and learned a lot about real beer there. The UK was in a beer renascence ... long before us. Consequently, my beer life was changed forever. I came back home looking for alternative brews. I only found Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada on the shelves. Good stuff, but not enough. With the help of Charlie Papazian Charlie Papazian, I started brewing my own beer. That was fun but a hell of a lot of work. Today, I don't drink much beer, but do appreciate excellent beer.
Again, Woody, I hope you find something comparable to the original Newcastle. (Currently I'm drinking a very nice Bordeaux. Come over to our side, because there's a lot of great wine options for you).
For where you live, see if you can find Woodstock Inn Brewing Pig's Ear Brown Ale. It's a decent English style brown ale from NH. It can be a bit hard to find. I have friends in NJ who love it so I'll get it when I find it in NH for them (or I'll stop by the brewery when I'm passing on upper I-93).
edit: 3rd recommendation
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