Bambrick’s Brown Ale

Brewery Name: Ballykilcavan Brewery
Beer Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Brewed In: Stradbally, Co. Laois, Ireland

Tasting Notes

Today’s beer is a proper Irish brown ale — rich, smooth and full of malt character.

• Appearance: Deep chestnut brown with ruby highlights when the light catches it. A creamy tan head sits neatly on top.
• Aroma: Toasted malt, milk chocolate, lightly roasted nuts and a hint of caramel. Soft notes of dried fruit and gentle earthy hops in the background.
• Flavour: Smooth layers of chocolate, toasted grain and nutty malt, with touches of caramel and biscuit sweetness. A light roastiness balances the sweetness, and the hop character stays subtle and earthy. Rounded, comforting and beautifully balanced.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and silky with soft carbonation. Smooth, full and warming on the palate with a clean, gently drying finish.

This is the definition of a winter-evening ale — rich enough to feel indulgent but easy enough to enjoy any night of December.

About the Brewery: Ballykilcavan Brewery

Ballykilcavan Brewery sits on a working family farm just outside Stradbally, Co. Laois, where the Walsh family has lived for over 13 generations (since 1639). The brewery is tucked inside beautifully restored stone farm buildings surrounded by woodland, heritage machinery and the farmyard itself.

What makes Ballykilcavan so unique is their commitment to brewing with barley grown on their own land. Their beers are almost fully “estate brewed” — grain to glass within a few hundred metres — giving them a real sense of place.

Their brewing style leans towards traditional, malt-forward beers with balance, finesse and a soft, rounded character. Bambrick’s Brown Ale is named after a long-serving farm worker and is one of their most loved beers, showcasing everything Ballykilcavan does best: rich malt, gentle sweetness, subtle roast and a beautifully clean finish.

If you want to explore more small-batch Irish favourites, take a look at our
Irish Craft Beer collection.

Style Spotlight: Brown Ale

Brown Ale is a classic malt-led style built around smoothness, nutty flavours and gentle roast. And honestly? I’ve always felt that brown ales get a bit of a bad rap — mostly because the name brown ale doesn’t sound as fun or glamorous as the beer actually is. It’s a pity, because when they’re done well, they’re incredibly comforting, flavourful and easy to enjoy.

Origins: Brown ales developed in England as a softer, maltier alternative to pale ales and porters. They were especially popular in the Midlands and the Northeast, where local malt varieties shaped their toffee-like character.

Key Characteristics: Expect chocolate, toasted nuts, caramel, biscuit and light roast, with very low bitterness. Colour ranges from deep amber to dark brown, always with a focus on malt richness and smooth drinkability.

Modern Takes: Some lean sweeter and smoother, others tweak the roast or hop profile. Bambrick’s sits right in the perfect middle — rounded, balanced and a lovely reminder of how good a brown ale can be when it’s brewed with care.

If You Like This Beer, You Might Also Enjoy…

If Bambrick’s Brown Ale has won you over, here are some great places to explore next on TheCru.ie:

• Browse more malt-forward, toasty beers in our Red & Brown Ale section
• If you like dark malt with a crisp finish, explore our Dark Lagers
• For something clean with a gentle fruitiness, check out our Kölsch-style beers
• Keep exploring small Irish breweries with our Irish Craft Beer collection
• If you like malt depth with expressive yeast character, you may enjoy our Belgian & Trappist beers

These are perfect if you enjoy smooth, toasty, subtly sweet beers with loads of character.

Share Your Experience

Enjoying Day 6?

Snap a photo of your Bambrick’s Brown Ale and share it with us — tag @TheCru.ie and use #TheCruIE on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube.
We love seeing where everyone is enjoying their Advent beers throughout December!