I was reading the BJCP guidelines for Brown Ales, and was wondering if any one knows of any good commercial examples that are readily available in the US. The guidelines lists examples that I do not get my area:
Mann’s Brown Ale (bottled, but not available in the US), Harvey’s Nut Brown Ale, Woodeforde’s Norfolk Nog.
The description of “Malty-sweet, often with a rich, caramel or toffee-like character”, sounds like it would really hit the spot with the cold months coming on. I am also hoping to understand the difference between the Southern and Northern versions of a brown ale so that I can develop a good recipe for one.
The late Ant Hayes did a presentation at NHC, I think it was Cincinnati, about Southern Brown Ale and brought with him a couple cases of Mann’s. It was back sweetened with an unfermentable, possibly artificial sugar if I remember correctly. It tasted more like a cola than a brown ale to me.
Here’s a link to the presentation (from the bjcp site):