Brown ale ales range from beers such as Manns Original Brown Ale, which is quite sweet and low in alcohol, to northeastern brown ale such as Newcastle Brown Ale, Double Maxim and Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. North American examples include Sam Adams Brown Ale and Brooklyn Brown Ale. They range from deep amber to brown in colour. Caramel and chocolate flavours are evident. Brown ales from northeastern England tend to be strong and malty, often nutty, while those from southern England are usually darker, sweeter and lower in alcohol. North American brown ales are usually drier than their English counterparts, with
Old ale of winter warmer, similarly strong in alcohol content and usually spiced. The United Kingdom is most commonly associated with the term, winter warmer, where the United States mostly refers to them as a Christmas or Holiday beer. Some brewers will make a strong old ale for bottling. Some of these can mature for several years after bottling, and may or may not be bottle-conditioned. The "October" keeping ales are thought to have formed the basis for India pale ales shipped by the British East India Company. Another historic version was so-called "majority ale", a strong ale brewed on or around