Newcastle Brown Ale Review

Newcastle. More mainstream a beer than I usually tend to drink, much less review. But as common as this English ale is, I just had to put in my $0.02 for the sake of fairness. You see, I had this beer before on several occasions, but that was many years ago and I didn't like it much then. Now, with my wider knowledge of beer, my more refined palate, and my newly gained fondness of brown ales, I felt it was time to give it another try and reevaluate it.

The problem with that is that I'm leary of any beer in a clear bottle. Exposure to light, specially UV rays, can cause slight chemical changes in the beer, possibly affecting the taste and, more importantly, giving it that 'skunky' smell. That is the reason clear bottles are so uncommon. This may not be a big deal to most people (like Corona drinkers - Lime, anyone?) but my aim is to sample this beer at its best and I just can't trust a clear bottle that has been sitting in a cooler under bright lights for who knows how long.

Because of that, I had been putting off picking up some Newcastle for quite some time. That was until the other day when I saw the 12 packs on sale for $12.99 at my local supermarket. I actually had a different type of beer in mind for that day but I couldn't pass up the deal, considering that the 12 is a sealed box where the bottles are exposed to very little light, if any at all. The time had come.

So, after all these years I find myself once again with a Newcastle in my hand. Upon pouring it into my plain ol' pint glass I notice that this well known English brew is of a rusty brownish-reddish color and it gives a decent amount of fizzy head that receedes rather quickly into near-nothingness.

The smells aren't much to write home about. Tame malt and tame hops with maybe a touch of fruit in there somewhere. Overall a weak nose, clean and lager-like, which is never a good sign.

Things did not improve with the taste. All I got was watery (toasted?) malt, a dash of something almost nutty and a ghost hint of hops at the end. This is a brown ale, you're kidding right? For such a famed brew the flavors are all weak, bland and pedestrian. It's unoffensive and it's balanced but it's blah.

The mouthfeel is thin and crisp with a watered-down caramel aftertaste. It is easier to put down than an adjunct lager and highly drinkable if you're not interested in taste but if you want a tasty, flavorful beer than I'm sorry buddy, you're in the wrong place.

I hadn't bought Newcastle in years and after today I will not be buying it again. There are dozens of better English ales out there and hundreds of better brown ales out there. A glass 1/2 EMPTY teetering on completely empty. It's only saving grace is that it's unoffensive and easy to put down but it's still a complete disappointment for me. Your mileage may vary but proceed with caution and don't be afraid to let me know what you think of this one. Cheers!