I’m not a huge of fan of brown ales. I remember when I was younger and had a few extra dollars in my pocket I would splurge on a six pack of the famous English brown ale (the one that rhymes w/ New-tassel) . Before the wealth of riches that has become the American craft beer scene today, that was a splurge worthy beer. Now…not so much. There are some worthy English browns, but there have been excellent examples of this style made a little bit closer to home. Hale’s, Maritime Pacific, Georgetown Brewing, and the old Winthrop brewery have all churned out some fine brown ales. However, the brown ale has never really taken off in Seattle. It is one of those in between styles. Not hoppy enough for the IPA folk, too dark for the casual drinker, and not dark enough for the stout/porter people. Where does that leave the brown ale? Luckily the two guys at two beers Brewing were undaunted by the brown’s low profile, and made a damn good unfiltered brown ale, that evokes the tradition of English brewing (Samuel Smith’s), but is also bold and unique. Classic nutty and cocoa powder flavors are present, a little hint of vanilla, and just enough hops to offset those sweet flavors. This is not a brownish beer. The SoDo Brown Ale (named after the brewery’s location in Seattle), this is a baby step down from a porter in both color and body, but approachable, and definitely drinkable.
Let go of what you think brown ales are, take a break from the hops, and enjoy this great beer from the guys at Two Beers. SoDo Brown is an excellent food beer and would go well with anything from a burger, fish and chips, or foie gras. Nice job Joel and Mark!
