Tasting & Pairing Notes: Debut #5 Maple Brown Ale

With cooler nights and crisp mornings, Fall is just around the corner. As the days grow darker, so does your beer. We decided to brew a Maple Brown Ale for the 5th installment of our Debut Series to ring in the season.The base beer is a standard English Brown Ale - albeit a dark brown - brewed with five different malts and hopped with East Kent Goldings. The body is smooth with the addition of Golden Oats, creating a rich mouth feel. We also dose a small amount of vanilla to help round out the beer. Brewed without artificial flavorings, this beer's maple character comes from natural ingredients and brewing techniques alone."The maple aroma really opens up as the beer warms and it smells like a pancake breakfast," says Brewmaster Robbie O'Cain.There is a slight chocolate character, which comes from the chocolate malts. This also makes our Maple Brown Ale perfect for pairing with some of our favorite Fall foods.Start with cheese (of course): an aged gouda makes a great pairing with this dark brown ale due to its caramel and nutty flavor notes.For the main course, a stew of lamb or beef with fall root vegetables would perfectly complement the dark malt notes in the beer. Chili is another option; the spiciness of the chili is balanced by the subtle maple sweetness of the beer. You could even braise meat in a slow cooker and use the beer as the braising liquid.Finally, any dessert with nuts, or even maple in it would work well - perhaps the classic maple walnut cake, just don't forget to use the beer in the cake batter!Cheers and enjoy!