Beer Review - Newcastle Brown Ale

Earlier this year, I was recommended a beer review app called “UNTAPPD” by my friend and was immediately a fan. You get to share the beers you’re drinking, where you are drinking at, who you are drinking with, what your ranking of that beer is (0-5), and a tweet-long blurb reviewing your overall opinion of that brew. Seriously, for any beer drinker who ever had that feeling of “I can’t remember the name of that beer I had last week at [insert pub name],” it is totally worth it. Just go back on your profile and viola!

I think that once you turn 21 you have to quickly alter your way of purchasing and consuming alcohol. Gone are the days of snatching leftover PBRs from the party that just got shut down or rejoicing with your friends when the party’s keg is Keystone and not Natty even though the two are not very different from each other. Noticing that small difference, however, was my first step in becoming the beer connoisseur I am today (slightly sarcastic).

Screenshot I took of my latest “UNTAPPD” entry – Newcastle at the Hard Rock

So last week I went with my friend and her family to a comedy show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Improv Club. The headliner was Ryan Stout (here’s Ryan’s Youtube page), a perpetually sarcastic comedian who repeatedly assured us that he was famous by blurting “I’m famous” in between lines. Needless to say, I found him hilarious and smart, oftentimes pointing out the hypocrisy of the audience when we found one thing offensive but not another. It was great, and only made greater with Newcastles.

When we sat down at the closest table to the stage, my friend’s mom let me know drinks were on her and that there was also a two drink minimum for the show. Well, damn. I’m in. The waiter ran through the boring usuals Bud, Bud Light, Corona Light, Coors Light, Heineken…and then he reached Newcastle and I was a happy camper. I said bring my two upfront so as not to have incessant reminders from him through the show and my decision was a good one.

Newcastle is a brown ale and therefore it has a richer, heavier body than a lot of other brews. It is from Newcastle, England and probably one of my favorite “go-to” beers because it is relatively common in most bars and won’t set you back too much. I’m a brown and red ale kind of guy, the same kind of guy who’d rather drink a glass of tap water than a Corona (Corona is terrible…yes even with a lime and yes even in the summer). I rated Newcastle a 4/5 that night on UNTAPPED and I don’t regret it. Although it is my favorite safe call, I know there are many fish in the sea (beers in the pub?) and I shouldn’t set a ceiling just yet. Similar brews that I would recommend are ones that have “brown ale” and even “amber” or “copper” in their title because they lend themselves to similar taste profiles. That identification method hasn’t steered me wrong yet. These types of beers are not restricted by seasons and taste just fine in most settings, but I’d strongly recommend a Newcastle when out in a sit down environment, perhaps enjoying a burger or steak. At 4.7% alcohol-by-volume, it won’t floor you to have three or so in one sitting. Most liquor stores shelf Newcastle bottled in 6-packs, but my recommendation for a Newcastle first-timer (or any new beer for that matter) is to take a trip to your local bar with some buddies and get it from the tap.