With the exception of The New York Times, it seems no one is talking about brown ales.

For many early adopters of the independent beer culture, brown ales are the OGs. For me, they began appearing at a friend’s house or at a random party. Someone would bring a six pack of “good beer” and it’d be sweeter and much heavier than what I was used to. In short, it was stronger and would get you drunker faster.

That said, the style is considered a classic and it’s probably a little romanticized. We remember them a little more fondly than we appreciate them. It’s kind of like hearing an old album, thinking you’re really going to enjoy this waltz down memory lane, getting a few songs in before realizing there a reason why you don’t worship the album anymore.

There are excellent versions of brown ales and then there are those that all kind of blend together somewhere amidst the mediocrity. There’s little in-between, and there are no bad browns.