Best of the Browns: Newkie
Brown ales aren’t known for being at the top of the charts among Northwest beer geeks (now that this has been said maybe a new trend will emerge?) but one thing is for sure, it’s hard to beat a good English nut brown. Newcastle Brown has for years been a staple of pub goers across the Pond. With today’s ever-growing craft beer market, such a well crafted brew is oft forgotten by those in search of the next imperial barrel-aged sour bomb, but anyone who enjoys a favorable session brew, Newkie is where it’s at.
Granted, you might say that Newkie sold out to the man when they moved out of Newcastle upon Tyne under the conglomerate swoop of Heineken International in 2005. This is a sad fact of the multinational world we live in, but in looking at the bottom line, Newkie is one hell of a brew. Further, the beloved brown ale at least moved to John Smith’s Brewery in Tadcaster (also under the greater Heineken umbrella), themselves known for their impeccable example of the style.
While sites like RateBeer and Beer Advocate may never acknowledge the full scope of craftsmanship involved in producing such a historic lighter recipe, we tip our hat to Newkie’s caramel body, signature nutty, bready yeast character, bready toffee notes, and mild hops snap. A mild carbonic mouthfeel and wonderfully smooth finish makes the stuff extremely quaffable. If you haven’t experienced one recently, go give it a try. Cheers!
About The Author
Angelo
Angelo grew up in Maine and is proud to call New England his original home. Cascadia is now his home. He fell in love with great beer in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. He has been a correspondent for the Portland Tribune's Guest on Tap column, LivePDX.com, and has been featured in publications such as Beer Northwest and PDX Magazine. Angelo also has a great interest in independent music, and has been a booker and organizer for shows around the Portland under the name Pop Tomorrow! Angelo garnered much knowledge regarding beer from his experiences homebrewing, working at Belmont Station, Pyramid Brewing, Upright Brewing, By the Bottle, Beer Revolution, Olde Depot Public House, Falling Sky Brewing, Cascade Brewing, and from many many knowledgeable, passionate, and loving people along the way. It is Angelo's mission to bring "infotainment" and "edumation" to the readers of this website. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute, please contact me at angelo@brewpublic.com
I’m really disappointed that the brown ale never took off here in the pacific northwest because it is really one of my favorite styles. I think Randy Mosher’s reasoning for its unpopularity summed it up best: the name “Brown Ale” just sounds really unappetizing. While the name “India Pale Ale” conjures up imagery of a legendary brew making its epic journey from England to India, the name “Brown Ale” only paints a mental picture of turds.
Perhaps we should rename it Cascadian Bark-Colored Ale. I’m with you, though, Matt, browns are great. It’s a bit of a florid brown, but Kona’s new Koko Brown with coconut is really knocking me out. And I used to love Buzzsaw, which Deschutes–perhaps owing to the fact that they couldn’t sell it–sadly dust binned.
A preferred brown is certainly good to have in the ol’ arsenal when you need a change of pace. I’d love to see a rundown of some great domestic browns. I’ve got a few I like, but new recommendations are always needed!
Deschutes has a good new one on right now.