Double Maxim Review

500ml Bottle of Double Maxim Premium Brown Ale 4.7% ABV

Reviewed: 4th February 2024

Double Maxim carries far more history than you might expect from a modest 500ml supermarket bottle. It was once one of the best-known beers produced by Vaux Brewery in Sunderland and, when Vaux closed in 1999, there was a real danger that it would disappear with it. Thankfully, former members of the Vaux team established the Double Maxim Beer Company, preserving the brand and its recipes before brewing eventually returned to the North East.

Maxim Ale was introduced in 1901 and renamed Double Maxim in 1938 after its strength was increased. That makes it older than Newcastle Brown Ale, the beer that would eventually become almost synonymous with brown ale in Britain.

I’ve always liked Double Maxim. Where I live, many pubs and working men’s clubs served Newcastle Brown Ale during the 1980s, and I remember it as a rich, satisfying and distinctive beer. The Newcastle Brown sold today doesn’t seem to have the same substance or smoothness it had in my youth. Whether that is down to changes in the beer or simply changes in my palate is open to debate, but Double Maxim now gives me more of the experience I remember.

So, is Double Maxim better than Newkie Brown? Let’s find out.

A little about brown ale

It disappoints me that when people in Britain think of brown ale, they tend to think of one beer. Worse still, I don’t believe the modern version of that beer shows the style at its best.

Brown ale is broader than its reputation suggests. Traditional examples can range from relatively sweet southern English brown ales to the stronger, drier and nuttier beers associated with the North East. Their flavours can include caramel, toasted bread, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and gentle roasted notes.

This isn’t a style built around huge hop aromas or aggressive bitterness. The attraction comes from malt depth, balance and drinkability. A good brown ale can be flavoursome without becoming heavy, sweet without becoming cloying and dark without drifting fully into porter or stout territory.

The bottle:

The red, black and gold label gives the bottle a suitably traditional appearance, although the clear glass is less welcome. Clear bottles don’t offer much protection from light, which can react with compounds from the hops and create the unpleasant aroma commonly described as skunking.

Thankfully, this bottle appeared to have been stored properly and there were no signs that it had become skunked.

Appearance:

Double Maxim pours a deep chestnut brown with attractive ruby-red highlights, particularly when held towards the light. It looks like polished mahogany in the glass, exactly the sort of appearance I want from a traditional brown ale.

An off-white to light beige head forms on the pour. It isn’t enormous, but it is creamy and hangs around long enough to soften the darker colour beneath it.

Aroma:

The aroma is led by malt rather than hops. There are warm notes of digestive biscuit, toasted bread and caramel, supported by a pleasant nuttiness suggesting hazelnut or walnut.

As the beer warms, more complexity appears. I picked up hints of brown sugar, dried fruit and perhaps a touch of liquorice. There is also a light earthy and spicy hop character in the background, but it never competes with the malt.

Taste:

The first mouthful is smooth, rounded and slightly sweet. Caramel and toasted malt arrive first, followed by brown bread, biscuit and a gentle roasted edge. The nutty character found in the aroma carries through nicely and gives the beer much of its identity.

There is also subtle fruitiness beneath the darker malt flavours. I found hints of plum, raisin and perhaps a little peach, although none are strong enough to make the beer taste overtly fruity.

The sweetness is well controlled. Double Maxim doesn’t turn sticky or syrupy, because a measured bitterness builds through the middle of the drink. The finish becomes dry and bittersweet, with toasted grain, caramel and earthy hops lingering after the swallow.

At 4.7% ABV, it has enough strength to give the flavour some weight, but it remains very drinkable.

Mouthfeel:

The body is medium and smooth, with a gently creamy texture. Carbonation is present but restrained, lifting the flavours without making the beer sharp or fizzy. It is substantial enough for slower sipping but easy enough to drink without becoming tiring.

Double Maxim versus Newcastle Brown Ale

For me, Double Maxim wins this comparison comfortably. Newcastle Brown Ale remains an iconic brand, but the current beer feels lighter and less expressive than I remember. Double Maxim has more malt flavour, more body and a more satisfying finish.

It offers caramel and sweetness, certainly, but also toast, nuts, fruit, bitterness and dryness. It feels complete rather than merely familiar.

Of course, nostalgia is a powerful ingredient. Someone tasting both beers without memories of smoky clubs, little half-pint glasses and bottles of Newkie Brown might reach a different conclusion. Even allowing for that, Double Maxim simply tastes like the better beer to me.

Other brown ales worth trying

Brown ale deserves more attention than it receives, especially from drinkers who enjoy traditional British beer but want something a little richer than a standard bitter.

Two others I would recommend are Black Sheep Riggwelter and Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale. Riggwelter is the stronger and more robust of the two, with dark fruit, roasted malt and a warming richness. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale is smoother and gentler, offering caramel, nuts and an easy-going malt character.

They aren’t identical to Double Maxim, but all three show how much variation and substance can be found in this often-overlooked corner of British brewing.

Overall:

Double Maxim is a classic brown ale done properly. It isn’t an adventurous hop bomb and it isn’t trying to reinvent beer. Instead, it offers a balanced combination of toasted malt, caramel, nuts, subtle fruit and a dry, bittersweet finish.

There is real history in the bottle, but history alone doesn’t make a beer worth drinking. Double Maxim earns its place because it still tastes good. It is comforting without being dull, flavoursome without becoming heavy and traditional without feeling like a museum piece.

If you enjoy classic British ales, or you only know brown ale through the modern version of Newcastle Brown, Double Maxim is well worth seeking out. It offers more depth, more substance and, for me at least, a much clearer reminder of how satisfying this style can be.

Score: 7/10

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your beers, cheers!