Thoughts on my American Brown Ale recipe???

Well, I've never tried to do my own recipe... but I've got some malts and hops lying around begging to be used & I decided to play a bit in Beer Alchemy. So, Here' goes:

Any feedback would be great. "Too much this..." "Too little that..." "THAT? Oh no...no....NO!"

Boosh's American Brown Ale

Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.050 SG
Expected OG: 1.057 SG
Expected FG: 1.013 SG
Expected ABV: 5.9 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 28.8 IBU
Expected Color (using Morey): 23.2 SRM
Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 67 degF
Fermentation Time: 30 days

Grain/Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) - 9lb 0oz (81.8 %)
US Caramel 60L Malt 1lb 0oz (9.1 %)
US Roasted Barley 6.00 oz (3.4 %)
US White Wheat Malt 6.00 oz (3.4 %)
US Chocolate Malt 4.00 oz (2.3 %)

Hops
German Northern Brewer 8.0 % 1.00 oz 28.8 Loose Pellet Hops 60 Min

Other Ingredients
Whirlfloc Tablet

Yeast
White Labs WLP001-California Ale

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (68C/154F)
Step Type Temperature Duration
Rest at 154 degF 60

An American brown has to have some late hops. "moderate to strong hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties," " moderate to high hop flavor" says the BJCP.

Personally I'd stick with just Chocolate malt but the Roasted will probably work fine. I might add more crystal to balance that roasted astringency.

Ahh... good call... What hops would you use for aroma?? I have some whole leaf cascade...???

Two oz Cascade at five minutes will work. I'd probably go with one oz at 15 and another at flameout.

Quick bump for any other ideas/thoughts??

Conroe is right. I'm not sure I'd add more crystal though. It looks good! Be sure to check your Lovibonds in BeerAlchemy, I had to adjust them from the default to match my supplier. It can make a big difference with chocolate malt.

Well, this morphed a bit before I brewed it due to the replies received here. I'm much obliged to the help that's provided to new homebrewers like myself on this forum.

I decided that I didn't want to add more Carmel-60, BUT, did have some home-toasted 2-row that I figured might add a little sweetness and complexity... and it did so, quite well.

I'm really, REALLY happy with the results. In truth it was a bit of a "junk" beer, as i made it with what I had in inventory... BUT, it's far from junk as a final product. Maybe I'm just feeling proud of "my" first beer, but I honestly think it turned out VERY good.

Side note: It's "technically" pushing the limits of an American Brown Ale in both color and ABV categories. So calling it such might be pushing the boundaries. Truth be told, I don't care. At this point, the beer is for me only. lol.

Here's the final iteration (for round one at least):

Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.050 SG
Expected OG: 1.061 SG
Expected FG: 1.017 SG
Apparent Attenuation: 72.0 %
Expected ABV: 6.0 %
Expected ABW: 4.7 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 34.3 IBU
Expected Color (using Morey): 24.2 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.56
Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 67 degF


Grain/Fermentables:
UK Pale Ale Malt - 10lb 0oz
US Caramel 60L Malt - 1lb 0oz
US 2-Row toasted - 15.00 oz
US Rice Hulls - 8.00 oz
US Roasted Barley - 8.00 oz
US White Wheat Malt - 8.00 oz
US Chocolate Malt - 4.00 oz
US Flaked Barley - 4.00 oz


Hops:
German Northern Brewer - 8.0% - 1.00 oz Pellet Hops - 60 Min
US Cascade 4.5 % - 1.00 oz - Loose Pellet Hops - 15 Min
US Cascade 4.5 % - 1.00 oz - Loose Pellet Hops - 1 Min
US Cascade 4.5 % - 2.00 oz - Whole Hops - Dry-Hopped


Other Ingredients:
Whirlfloc Tablet 1.00 oz In Boil
Yeast Nutrient 0.25 oz In Boil


Yeast:
White Labs WLP005-British Ale - 1L starter

Crappy Pics:
(note, looks darker in this picture than it actually is)

(thanks to the flaked barley and wheat for lacing)


Tasting notes:

first gravity sample - Prominent carmel flavor. Interesting mix of Northern Brewer and Cascade. First you're hit with carmel, then the bitterness comes on mid-tongue, and both mellow out. Think C60+toasted 2-row = slightly too much sweet... Mouthfeel is just a little "dirty"/grippy. (edit: I am FAR from an expert in mouthfeel. that's just the best description I could come up with)

Initial Finished Beer - Sweetness from C60 and toasted have mellowed a bit to reveal more hopiness. Very interesting balance between Cascade, toasted and Carmel. Toasted is relatively dominant up front, then backs away and lets carmel and Cascade come through. Toasted malt seems to mask the bitterness of the hops, but lets the flavor of the hops come through. May try again with somewhat less toasted so the Roasted and Chocolate can come through a bit more.