Beer of the Weekend #905: Newcastle Brown Ale
The beer of the weekend is something I have not drunk in a long, long time: Newcastle Brown Ale, brewed by Heineken Nederland B.V. of Zoeterwoude, Netherlands.
That’s right: Newcastle Brown Ale is now brewed in the Netherlands. According to the beer’s Wikipedia page, “Brewing moved in 2005 from Newcastle to Dunston, Tyne and Wear, in 2010 to Tadcaster, and in 2017 to the Heineken Brewery in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.”
The color is medium brown with a reddish tint. A finger of light tan, buttery, bubble-spotted head leaves a skim and collar of foam.
A skunk-like aroma is immediately noticeable, likely the result of being lightstruck (that’s what happens with beer in clear bottles). It reminds me of a Czech pilsner, like Staropramen and Pilsner Urquell. The skunk aroma sticks around and is prominent. There are also scents of toasted malt, caramel, and light chocolate. Fittingly, it smells Dutch, also reminding me of the Dutch lagers available at Trader Joe’s.
The flavor is smooth and very pilsner-like. It’s like pilsner with brown food coloring. The skunk aroma from the smell is noticeable, though I can’t tell if it’s from being lightstruck or Saaz hops. Maybe both. It’s grassy and metallic (it reminds me of red ale too) with caramel and light notes of licorice, toasted malt and chocolate. It’s tasty, drinkable, and smooth—but it’s not brown ale anymore. I don’t remember it being like this, so I assume the recipe has changed a lot.
Fun facts about Newcastle Brown Ale:
• Style: English brown ale—apparently.
• Price: $8.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.7 percent ABV.
• Calories: 131 per 12-ounce bottle, which is the exact number listed on the back label:
I think this is the first time I have seen calories printed on a beer label.
• Newcastle Brown Ale was the first beer I bought legally. I stayed up the night before my 21st birthday, and after midnight, when it became my birthday, I drove to the North Dodge Hy-Vee in Iowa City and purchased a six-pack of Newcastle Brown Ale.
• Newcastle Brown Ale was a staple of my early beer-drinking years, but I stopped drinking it after a certain point. There was no specific reason other than the fact it was something I tried already (many times).
I can’t remember the last time I drank Newcastle Brown Ale before this weekend, but I think it may have been one night in 2003 or 2004 in downtown Iowa City. I was at Brothers for the first and so far only time and ordered a pint of Newkie Brown. It cost around $5, so I decided that the nonick glass was included in the price and took it home ;-).
• Newcastle Brown Ale was the beer of choice for the guy I think was the manager of my apartment complex on Alabama Street in Huntington Beach. I always saw him drinking a bottle, and remember empties on top of the mailbox in the entrance the day after a party.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+/B-.
That’s right: Newcastle Brown Ale is now brewed in the Netherlands. According to the beer’s Wikipedia page, “Brewing moved in 2005 from Newcastle to Dunston, Tyne and Wear, in 2010 to Tadcaster, and in 2017 to the Heineken Brewery in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands.”
The color is medium brown with a reddish tint. A finger of light tan, buttery, bubble-spotted head leaves a skim and collar of foam.
A skunk-like aroma is immediately noticeable, likely the result of being lightstruck (that’s what happens with beer in clear bottles). It reminds me of a Czech pilsner, like Staropramen and Pilsner Urquell. The skunk aroma sticks around and is prominent. There are also scents of toasted malt, caramel, and light chocolate. Fittingly, it smells Dutch, also reminding me of the Dutch lagers available at Trader Joe’s.
The flavor is smooth and very pilsner-like. It’s like pilsner with brown food coloring. The skunk aroma from the smell is noticeable, though I can’t tell if it’s from being lightstruck or Saaz hops. Maybe both. It’s grassy and metallic (it reminds me of red ale too) with caramel and light notes of licorice, toasted malt and chocolate. It’s tasty, drinkable, and smooth—but it’s not brown ale anymore. I don’t remember it being like this, so I assume the recipe has changed a lot.
Fun facts about Newcastle Brown Ale:
• Style: English brown ale—apparently.
• Price: $8.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 4.7 percent ABV.
• Calories: 131 per 12-ounce bottle, which is the exact number listed on the back label:
I think this is the first time I have seen calories printed on a beer label.
• Newcastle Brown Ale was the first beer I bought legally. I stayed up the night before my 21st birthday, and after midnight, when it became my birthday, I drove to the North Dodge Hy-Vee in Iowa City and purchased a six-pack of Newcastle Brown Ale.
• Newcastle Brown Ale was a staple of my early beer-drinking years, but I stopped drinking it after a certain point. There was no specific reason other than the fact it was something I tried already (many times).
I can’t remember the last time I drank Newcastle Brown Ale before this weekend, but I think it may have been one night in 2003 or 2004 in downtown Iowa City. I was at Brothers for the first and so far only time and ordered a pint of Newkie Brown. It cost around $5, so I decided that the nonick glass was included in the price and took it home ;-).
• Newcastle Brown Ale was the beer of choice for the guy I think was the manager of my apartment complex on Alabama Street in Huntington Beach. I always saw him drinking a bottle, and remember empties on top of the mailbox in the entrance the day after a party.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+/B-.
