Beerista: Brown leaves and amber ales

You’ve got to love trees at this time of the year, with all those rusty brown and orange leaves. But do you want to drink a beer the same colour?

Being seasonal is a good thing when it comes to apple pies and hearty stews. But with beers, autumn means amber and brown ales (aesthetically speaking, anyway) – styles that are a little bit unloved these days.

Why? Mostly because in the craft beer world, the hoppy IPA has been king since it emerged on the scene and is set to continue as such by the looks of things.

Brown ales, by contrast, have been around for much longer, though nobody knows quite how long. In England, the story goes that before the word porter was introduced just about everything was called a brown ale.

Modern-day brown ales tend to be subtle, easy-going and malt-driven, though you will get plenty of variations; in the US, they can be hoppier and more bitter, for example, while Irish brewery Eight Degrees has just released a smoked brown ale on draught.

Generally speaking, the traditional English brown ale is never going to rock your flavour world. Being called a “brown ale” is probably enough to put some people off.

An amber ale, on the other hand, sounds a little more alluring. Black Donkey's Buck It Hybrid Amber Ale has a malty character with a hint of citrus and it has a great coppery colour.

Dot Brew’s Amber Ale is more hop-forward with tropical flavours, a light biscuit base and a warm, slightly hazy marmalade hue.

Rustbucket is a rye ale by Kinnegar and it has a spicy, nutty character with a burst of juicy hops. It's a good one for autumn – with its russet glow – though I remember having a particularly delicious glass of it while on holidays this summer in Westport, when the leaves were still green.

Twitter: @ITbeerista. Email: beerista@irishtimes.com