Mikey and I made the Newcastle Brown Ale a few weeks ago and it’s finally ready for tasting.
This was a 23 litre kit that we bought. It was a little bit more than a standard can of wort and a kilo of malt, but pretty similar. Nice easy kit to make and it made a pretty decent beer as well.
Pouring it, the beer looked good. Head retention was good, as was carbonation.
The nose was very crisp. Floral and fruit smells were there, most likely from the Fuggles hops. These were mostly melon and citrus smells. This was mixed in with more earthy smell. Generally though, the smell was mostly just bitter and crisp smells with a hint of sourness.
Drinking the beer, it’s notable how “standard” this beer is. This isn’t a bad thing: it’s a good tasting British style brown ale. It’s not trying to be anything it’s not, just an enjoyable beer. Of course this makes for very easy drinking. It would be easy to knock back a few of these.
Everything is very balanced. There’s nothing terribly interesting about the hops; bitter and sour flavours throughout. The earthy feel continues at the end. In the middle, there is a hint of sweetness and malt which is where the body comes out. Other flavours included burnt chocolate and citrus peel.
i would have liked a little more body, it just seems a little thin for me. Checking back over the recipe, it seemed like there was a good amount of malt added: a can of liquid malt, some dry malt, and whatever was in the wort can. Oh well…
I’d like this beer with some pizza I think. Any food that is about medium in density – not heavy, not light. Avoid a seafood pizza though.
-Chas
We make home brew 