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Over the past few years ale has become a fashionable drink. Its seems like almost everyone in England has a micro-brewery producing hoppy and fruity ales which can be enjoyed by the young and trendy crowds which would have usually cowered closely to their wine bars at the mention of an IPA.
Brown ale is not one of those drinks. Brown ale is a traditional beer, and one that demands respect as the flagship drink of the working man of the North East. Sometimes it is referred to as Dog, Newkie Brown, or ‘Broon Ale’ in the local Geordie dialect. Its name says it all as it is a dark ale of subtle taste.
The label has always proudly introduced the Tyne Bridge to many drinkers around the world. However, it is the export of the beer to the US which has caused the recipe to change in recent months. With fears that the chemical which made the beer its characteristic colour may contain carcinogenic food colouring the American food association has forced the change. All we can say is that it never did our Grandad’s any harm, and they drank gallons of the stuff.
As we take a sip the smell conjures images of working men’s social clubs and the feeling of a well-deserved beer after a hard days graft. It tastes crisp, refreshing and delicious.
Despite the rise of the trendy beers, Brown Ale still remains the number one bestselling bottled beer in Britain and is regularly voted in the top 10 in America. Sitting under the Tyne Bridge it’s easy for us to bask in the pride of the North East and its world famous drink.