Brown ale

The term was first used by London brewers in the late 17th century to describe a lightly hopped ale brewed from 100% brown malt.

In the 18th century, British brown ales were brewed to a variety of strengths, with original gravities (OG) ranging from around 1.060 to 1.090.

Pale malt, being cheaper because of its higher yield, was used as a base for most beers, including porter and stout.

[3][4] The term "brown ale" was revived at the end of the 19th century when London brewer Mann introduced a beer with that name.

In the 1930s some breweries, such as Whitbread, introduced a second weaker and cheaper brown ale that was sometimes just a sweetened version of dark Mild.