Style: British Brown Ale

All Styles

Style Profile based on 593 recipes

BU:GU

0.47

Hops

3.3 g/L

Mash pH

5.45

Style Guidelines BJCP 2015 Beer
OG
1.04 1.052
1.052
FG
1.008 1.013
1.013
IBU
20 30
25
ABV
4.2% 5.4%
5.2%
SRM
12 22
Description

A malty, brown caramel-centric British ale without the roasted flavors of a Porter. History: Brown ale has a long history in Great Britain, although several different types of products used that name at various times. Modern brown ale is a 20th century creation as a bottled product; it is not the same as historical products of the same name. A wide range of gravities were brewed, but modern brown ales are generally of the stronger (by current UK standards) interpretation. This style is based on the modern stronger British brown ales, not historical versions or the sweeter London Brown Ale. Predominately but not exclusively a bottled product currently. Style Comparison: More malty balance than British Bitters, with more malt flavors from darker grains. Stronger than a Dark Mild. Less roast than an English Porter. Stronger and much less sweet than London Brown Ale.

Examples: Maxim Double Maxim, Newcastle Brown Ale, Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale, Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Wychwood Hobgoblin

Typical Grain Bill

% of total grain weight across all recipes · sums to ~100%

Common Additions

% of British Brown Ale recipes using each malt category (addition % in brackets)

Hop Usage by Addition Type

g/L · median with IQR range

Bittering
0.35 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.97 g/L
Flavour
0.33 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.73 g/L
Aroma
0.39 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.75 g/L
Whirlpool
0.27 g/L 1.28 g/L
0.74 g/L
Dry Hop
0.3 g/L 1.21 g/L
0.66 g/L

Common Hops

% of British Brown Ale recipes using each hop

Typical Water Profile

Ca²⁺ 80 ppm
Mg²⁺ 5 ppm
Na⁺ 25 ppm
Cl⁻ 71 ppm
SO₄²⁻ 75 ppm
HCO₃⁻ 100 ppm

median across recipes with a declared water profile

Similar Styles

Ranked by similarity across OG, IBU, ABV, hop rate, and grist composition.