A style of beer with a dark amber or brown colour. The term was first used by London brewers in the late 17th century to describe their products, such as mild ale, although the term had a rather different meaning than it does today. 18th-century brown ales were lightly hopped and brewed from 100% brown malt.

The term  was revived at the end of the 19th century when London brewer Mann introduced a beer with that name. However, the style only became widely brewed in the 1920s. The brown ales of this period were considerably stronger than most modern English versions. The introduction of these beers coincided with a big increase in demand for bottled beer in the UK.

Today there are brown ales made in several regions, most notably England, Belgium and America. Beers termed brown ale include sweet, low alcohol beers such as Manns Original Brown Ale, medium strength amber beers of moderate bitterness such as Newcastle Brown Ale and malty but hoppy beers such as Sierra Nevada Brown Ale.