Newcastle Brown Ale

It was a cool summer evening. A t-shirt, jeans and my Teva's were the attire for night. A fellow beermigo and I were looking for a beer and a new scenery at the bar Villard Street Pub that we had never been to but had only heard positive things about. Unfortunately to our dismay that bar had closed early for the night. We continued our pursuit while talking of life, changes, the future, friends and of course...beautiful women.

We then came to a for in the road in the night. Continue on to the right to the familiar McMennamen's or go left to Tom's Market to grab a beer and go to a local park that we don't regularly use for recreation. Tom's and a park bench was the decision. While in Tom's I was thinking about how their selection would appease my appetite. When choosing a beer I usually make sure to look at all the options rather than what just first jumps out to me. After a thorough run through I decided on a simple choice and one that I hadn't had in a while, Newcastle Brown Ale. It had been a couple of years since this particular brew so it was a different choice than usual.

As we sat on the bench perched at the top of the park, looking at the dark night casting its shadow on the light green field, blocked off from the street by the surrounding bushes and shrubbery I couldn't help but think about how surprisingly delicious this beer was. I had always remembered that Newcastle Brown Ale was good but with each sip it got better and better. It had a sweet malty taste but was not too overpowering. There weren't many hops so this beer is all about that perfect malt balance. The nutty brown flavor that is standard with this beer also gives a great compliment to the malty flavor. Overall you get a flavorful beer that is not too filling to slug down a generous portion of. This is the type of beer that yo could drink just one of and be pleasantly surprised or you could drink multiple of over the long haul of a merrymaking night without being disappointed. This beer's celebrity profile is Tina Fey. It's not the first choice when choosing but when you drink it all in you are pleasantly surprised. With each sip it grows on you more and more and you find yourself thinking, "Why don't I choose this beer more often? I really like this beer a lot." So next time you're out drinking and nothing jumps out to you right away, try a Newcastle Brown Ale and see what you think.

- Doug