(AG) Brown Ale

So yesterday I went about making up a Brown Ale and all the while getting obliterated by my past homebrews. It was a great day filled with homemade sausage, pizza, bread and much too much drinking. I decided to fall off a ladder and in all, I don't need to do that again.

To the point, made up ten gallons and the recipe to follow. It is in the fermenter right now trying to avoid the cold snap we are having right now (22*f outside).

Brown Ale

OG 1.065 / FG 1.016 / 20 SRM / 40 IBU

19 lbs British Two Row
3.75 lbs Victory Malt
1.5 lbs Brown Malt
1 lb Crystal 60L
.75 lb Chocolate Malt

1oz each Cascade and Amarillo (90min)
1oz each Cascade and Amarillo (20min)
1oz each Cascade and Amarillo (10min)

Wyeast 1968 British Yeast

It is in the fermenter in the guest room and hopefully will be cranking when I get home later on today. It was in my garage last night and got to about 30*f, so I will give it a quick shake when I return home to make sure it is fermenting. If not, I am going to add a packet of S-04 for security.

Sounds like a great brew day minus the ladder! The brown beers are right up my alley and that recipe looks tasty! My buddy has used Willamette in the finish / dry hopping along with cascade of his "C" hopped APAs and they take on a nice finish. I keep thinking I'll do that with my next American Brown.

So did the yeast wake up or did you pitch the S-04?

Wayne.

It seems to be going, though it is sitting at 62 ambient (don't want the overly fruity flavors from a warm ferment) and I decided not to add the S-04. After all is said and done I figure that it will be beer in the end and I really did do enough to get the yeast going and I am sure that it will work out fine. It isn't like I pitched one Wyeast pack for ten gallons. I made up a 1.5L starter and used a cup of slurry.

I will test the gravity in the next day or so.

Add some flaked oats and drop some 2 row, and that is darn near the same grain bill as my house brown that gets rave reviews:

17.1 4.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
62.0 14.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
6.4 1.50 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britian 1.034 55
6.4 1.50 lbs. Home Toasted Malt(2-row) America 1.033 30
4.3 1.00 lbs. Flaked Oats America 1.033 2
3.7 0.88 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350

I do a much different hopping schedule, but did make it once with all Simcoe. I really like the simcoe version, almost an india brown, but the willamette or willamette/target hopping is much more common at my place.

I have a lot of hop brews right now and wanted this guy not to be overbearing with hops, but bitter enough that over the next few months will mellow nicely and still be balanced. I like the idea of Flaked, why didn't I think of that. Oh well, next time I can do that with it. I also like the Munich idea, though wanted the bready of the Victory. Sounds like a winner to me there Ryan.