4 minute read
On Tap
from Mankato Magazine
By James Figy
Based on perspectives, the brown ale either resides in a happy medium of many flavors or a “no man’s land.” (James Figy)
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The basics: brown ales
Overall, ales have continued to gain prominence in recent years. But the brown ale tends to be seen as boring, when it’s not simply overlooked.
Maybe it’s the name, which is simultaneously obvious and nondescript. Maybe it’s a perceived guilt by association with Newcastle, which isn’t the coolest brand. Or maybe it’s that brown ales fall into a “no man’s land” — not abrasive enough for hopheads, not dark enough for porter people, not light enough for lager lovers and so on.
There are notable Minnesota browns: Bald Man Brewing’s Tupelo Honey Brown Ale, Maniacal Reality Imperial Brown Ale from Lost Sanity Brewing, the reliable Leaf Raker Nut Brown Ale from Mankato Brewery and Bad Weather Brewing’s Ominous Double Brown Ale, among others. Still, the market’s attitude seems to be summed up best by Venn Brewing Co.’s offering, No One Cares Brown Ale.
Debbie Torgersen, head brewer and COO of Torg Brewery in Spring Lake Park, has a different perspective. The brewery’s Squirrel Nutkin English Brown Ale epitomizes the best features of the style. Our conversation, edited for length and clarity, discusses why brewers and consumers might start to give brown ales another look.
James Figy: What is a brown ale?
Debbie Torgersen: Brown ales are a big category. The style is usually brown in color, malt-forward — with caramel and toffee flavors rather than roast — and varying hopping levels.
Originally, most beers from the British Isles were brown. To kiln their grains, they would roast them over an open fire. It wasn't a very homogenous malting process. Some grains were still pale with plenty of sugars while others were really roasty. People started using the term “brown ale” toward the 1700s with the introduction of paler grains to the brewing process, but it's kind of the grandfather for all British-style beers.
Today’s brown ales primarily include American craft
brown ales and the two British versions. American brown ales tend to be hoppier, more bitter and have slightly higher ABVs. The northern English brown ale tends to have a drier finish. The southern English brown is less attenuated, a little sweeter and has a fuller body.
JF: Where does Squirrel Nutkin fit?
DT: It’s modeled after southern brown ale. I started brewing Squirrel Nutkin when we were still homebrewing. After researching that style and visiting the British Isles, I was really intrigued, so I tried to kind of replicate that. It’s sweeter and maltier, but not heavy like stouts. Some American browns fit that style as well as English Milds. Squirrel Nutkin actually won a homebrew contest, the Minnesota Brew Ha Ha, for that style. It’s a flagship beer and a consistent seller in the taproom.
JF: Is it more popular in fall?
DT: We sell more browns, porters and stouts during the fall and winter months, although we keep them on tap year-round. There is a seasonal association, but those beers are great during the summer because they’re less bitter.
This summer, we brewed an English mild, Red Mare Rye, that’s effervescent and light bodied, just 4.7% ABV and has a little spiciness from the rye. So it's a great summer beer even though it's darker. We also have a really dark Caribbean stout, Selkie Shade, which is mellow and great for warmer weather.
Just like an IBU rating, color doesn't tell you everything about a beer. That's what's fun about the craft brewery scene. You can explain and introduce customers to different flavors.
JF: Do customers perceive brown ales as boring?
DT: Brown ales, and milds, are really overlooked. Often, you don’t even see them on brewery menus. Brewers tend to favor stouts and porters, playing with flavors to make them trendy. But brown ales are great, sessionable and really friendly for new craft beer drinkers.
JF: How do you see breweries innovating in this area?
DT: I don't know about people actively working to reinvigorate the brown ale. But that would be fun to reinvigorate it just by using different American hops or even New Zealand hops. Back in the ’80s, however, early American craft breweries did play with the style. So there's also a cyclical pattern, and maybe it's time to
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Debbie Torgersen, brewmaster and COO of Torg Brewing, focuses on traditional styles at the Spring Lake Park brewery. (James Figy)
come back to browns.
Most experimentation is going on with hazy IPAs, sours and seltzers. But you can do so many different things by switching up a recipe’s crystal grains or adding a little smoked malt — and it's actually more fiscally feasible. Hops are really expensive, and many of us have seen our cost of goods go up at least 30% over the past two years. The best option may be getting back to the basics.
James Figy is a writer and beer enthusiast based in St. Paul. In Mankato, he earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University and a World Beer Cruise captain’s jacket from Pub 500. Twitter and Instagram: @JamesBeered
