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ALEXJAZZ008008 · 10-17-2012, 09:47 PM

3kg Brown sugar
0.050kg Crystal 45
0.100kg Crystal 60
0.050kg Crystal 80
0.050kg Amber
0.050kg Chocolate
0.005kg Roasted Barley

25g Admiral 60mins
10g Fuggles 30mins
10g East Kent Goldings 5mins

Wyeast West Yorkshire 1469

**chickypad** · 10-17-2012, 09:55 PM

Sorry, but YUCK! 91% brown sugar and a spattering of specialty malts? I'm not sure this could be classified as beer.
Back to the drawing board I think. Have you seen the recipe database?

ALEXJAZZ008008 · 10-17-2012, 09:58 PM

The problem is is that whenever I've made partial mash brews before I've used more speciality malts but its always ended up tasting like cold coffee... When making these i also used spraymalt rather than sugar... Help!

**chickypad** · 10-17-2012, 10:04 PM

My issue isn't with your specialty malts, its the sugar. Spraymalt is malt extract, right? That would be fine - replace the sugar with that and make beer.

Do you mean that your previous batches were too roasty, bitter, etc? Maybe there was too much roasted malt, like roasted barley, chocolate, black patent, etc. What is your steeping technique?

Sorry, I can't think well in metric so without plugging the specialty malts into a calculator, so not sure if that would get you in range for a brown. I would peruse the recipe database and see if you see something you like.

ALEXJAZZ008008 · 10-17-2012, 10:08 PM

I mean that it honestly tasted like cold coffee! XD
By the way out of intrest... What difference does it make using sugar to dme?

**chickypad** · 10-17-2012, 11:26 PM

Malt is typically the main fermentable ingredient in beer - malted barley, wheat, rye, etc. Various refined sugars/syrups can be used to boost alcohol or dry out the beer (as in a big IPA or belgian triple), but usually you don't want to use more than about 20%. At 90% I would think you'd get something quite thin, probably cidery, and generally un-beer like. And maybe with a bad kick of molasses from the brown sugar.

What was an example of a recipe from one of your "coffee" brews?

ALEXJAZZ008008 · 10-18-2012, 03:58 PM

1kg Extra light DME
1kg Sugar
0.250kg Crystal 45
0.500kg Crystal 60
0.250kg Crystal 80
0.400kg Amber
0.100kg Brown

25g Bullion 60mins
10g East Kent Goldings 15mins
10g Fuggles 5mins

**JollyIsTheRoger** · 10-18-2012, 04:04 PM

That is still alot of sugar. Try something like this for Partial Mash (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/nut-brown-partial-mash-221959/)

or this for extract with steeping grains (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/english-brown-ale-kit-309202/)

ALEXJAZZ008008 · 10-18-2012, 07:17 PM

The problem is is that I can't afford a £10 can of LME and £12 of DME plus yeast and grain etc each week for a new brew... To be honest im trying to keep my hobby as reasonably priced as possible... Thus considering a balance between flavour and price do you think this is any better?

2.500kg Brown Sugar
1kg Maris Otter Pale
0.100kg Carapils
0.050kg Crystal 45
0.100kg Crystal 60
0.050kg Crystal 80
0.050kg Amber
0.050kg Carared
0.050kg Chocolate
0.005kg Roasted Barley

25g Admiral 60mins
10g Fuggles 30mins
10g East Kent Goldings 5mins

**AMonkey** · 10-18-2012, 07:31 PM

I know for sure that roasted barley will give a coffee flavor, and I think the chocolate will as well. If you don't want coffee flavor get rid of those. Your first recipe wasn't a partial mash as there wasn't anything to offset the specialty grains, the second is better with the maris otter. I honestly don't think you will have very good beer with that much sugar. Add a can of of LME or a bag of DME and cut back on the sugar. I think the rest looks ok. But I didn't check the style so not sure if it would be considered a brown ale.