Newest Threads

**TexLaw** · 01-16-2008, 02:09 AM

I was playing with my staple recipe tonight, and I thought I would tap into the collective creativity and genius of HBT. This is a morph of the very first recipe I ever brewed (an IPA at the time). I played around with it here and there until I came up with the beer I always wanted but couldn't find anywhere else. I call it a Brown only because of the color, but it's really somewhere between a brown and an AIPA. I'm starting to play around with it again, and I didn't know if any of you folks had some fun ideas. Here it is:

Indian Summer Brown Ale

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 12.50
Anticipated OG: 1.062 Plato: 15.12
Anticipated SRM: 23.4
Anticipated IBU: 71.2
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 1.50 Gallons Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 7.38 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG 11.43 Plato

Hop IBU Formula Used: Tinseth
Tinseth Concentration Factor: 1.30

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.0 3.25 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
24.0 3.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
24.0 3.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
24.0 3.00 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britian 1.034 55
2.0 0.25 lbs. Carafa Germany 1.030 400

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.00 oz. Perle Pellet 7.60 53.8 60 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 10.5 15 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 4.2 5 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 2.6 3 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 0.0 0 min.
1.00 oz. Perle Pellet 8.25 0.0 Dry Hop
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.00 0.0 Dry Hop

Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP051 California Ale V

Water Profile
-------------

Profile: Burton On Trent
Profile known for: Strong Pale Ales

Single infustion mash at 152F.

I have a half pound of Ahtanum hops, so I was thinking about subbing some or all of the Cascade with that. I was also thinking about replacing the U.S. 2-row with more Marris Otter, or maybe throwing some Victory malt in there. Does anyone have any better ideas than that? The sky's the limit.

TL

Professor Frink · 01-16-2008, 02:18 AM

I would recommend dropping a pound or two of the Crystal and use the Victory. 3 pounds of crystal malt might give you an overly sweet taste. For the Marris Otter, I wouldn't bother using it in this recipe, especially with 3 pounds of munich already in there. I've never used Ahtanum, so I can't help you there.

**the_bird** · 01-16-2008, 02:31 AM

Theee pounds of crystal? Is that right?

What about bumping the Carafe up a bit and making this into a black IPA?

I've been meaning to brew something called "Creeping Death" for a while. Drop the crystal (or at least most of it), keep the Munich for backbone, mash it real low... maybe a pound of simple sugar for gravity while staying dry... keep the hops huge, maybe show off the Ahtanum (never used them). OG around 1.080 or so, pretty big but not so big you can't dry it out. Get some malt balance from the Maris Otter and Munich without necessarily adding too much sweetness. Chico ale yeast or something like that.

**TexLaw** · 01-16-2008, 02:50 AM

Yeah, three pounds of medium crystal.

I know it's waaay up there. I started with one pound but wanted more. I kept adding, and I kept liking it. Finally, when I got to 3#, I just said "enough is enough!" I guess I'm just a nut or something. However, it really isn't too sweet, and I've had a lot of people blw a lot of kegs. Maybe we're all nuts. I like that idea about swapping some of it out for Victory, though.

I also like that idea of upping the carafa for a black IPA, Bird. I hadn't thought of that before. That could be fun!

I like the sound of that Creeping Death, but I don't think I'll do that. This started out as drier with Chico yeast, and I liked it better when I moved to something maltier with the California V yeast.

Thanks for the ideas, guys!

TL

**EdWort** · 01-16-2008, 02:54 AM

I'd call it a Texas Tan!

jdoiv · 01-16-2008, 05:00 PM

How about replacing the carafa with pale chocolate? I would also switch up some of the cascade with something different. Not all of it, but maybe sub one addition for simcoe or amarillo or something. With all that crystal, you should try using the pacman yeast.

**pjj2ba** · 01-16-2008, 06:38 PM

How about substituting Vienna malt for both of the pale malts. This would up the maltiness and body a little bit and give you something on the far sweeter end of a Marzen - if it were a lager and had less hops.

ohiobrewtus · 01-16-2008, 06:44 PM

A nice brown ale that comes in at 70+ IBU. Looks good to me. My first thought was also why so much crystal malt, but that's been discussed already.

Just for my own curiosity, why have both British and American 2 row?

**TexLaw** · 01-16-2008, 06:46 PM

Hmmm . . . pale chocolate and Vienna. Those sound like some options I could really play with. Thanks, guys!

I am going to review the yeast, too. However, I am very happy with the California V, and I am not looking to switch to a cleaner yeast. I like fermentation character in most of my beers.

TL

**TexLaw** · 01-16-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohiobrewtus

Just for my own curiosity, why have both British and American 2 row?

That's just how it turned out. The first time I ever made it, it was extract with specialty grains. I added the Munich during that period, since I could get a Pale Malt/Munich extract blend from DeFalco's.

The first time I converted it to AG, I started with all U.S. 2-row and some Munich, but it wasn't quite right. I replaced half the U.S. 2-row with Marris Otter, and it had just enough of that character to make me happy and not switch it. As I mentioned, I've thought about going with all British malt, but I just haven't come around to trying that, yet.

As I think about yeasts, I wonder if I'll do something completely wacky, like pitch a saison yeast and see what happens.

TL