British Brown Ale Aberdeen Brown Ale (NewCastle Clone) AG

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BierMuncher

...My Junk is Ugly...
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
12,440
Reaction score
952
Location
St. Louis, MO
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Whitbread Ale (Wyeast Labs #1099)
Yeast Starter
Yes
Batch Size (Gallons)
11
Original Gravity
1.038
Final Gravity
1.007
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
22
Color
17.4
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7 at 69 degrees
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
5 at 69 with gelatin
Additional Fermentation
Kegged and chilled to 37 degrees for 5 days
I got the base clone recipe from BYO. Problem was that their clone recipe called for brewing two separate beers and then blending them in the same tradition that the NewCastle brewery uses. To make things more complicated, it called for a 3 gallons of one of the beers and two gallons of the other, so simply mixing the ingredient lists and dividing in half wasn’t an option.

So I modeled both beers in BeerSmith and scaled them to the right levels of 60/40 and then blended the two recipes to create a single batch recipe…keeping the IBU, gravity and SRM at target. Kind of a pain, but much less of a pain than brewing two separate beers.

As far as comparison, pretty damn close. Color (as you can see below) is spot on. Clarity is identical (using gelatin in the secondary). Aroma is right on and the taste is close…but the original has a real plum-like taste/aroma that hasn’t come though in mine yet. I used the Whitbread yeast and that put a nice fruity aroma in the air, so I think with time that mellow fruitiness will come through. Mine has just a bit more roast flavor to it because of a touch of Roasted Barley, but that will mellow.

As I said, there were a few things for which the commercial version is criticized, namely lack of head or lacing in the glass. The addition of Cara took care of this and my version actually has a better “slightly creamier” mouth feel.

All in all, a pretty darn good brown ale and at 4.1%, just right for a few pints without remorse.

This is a 10 gallon batch but it can be scaled back to 5 gallons very easily:
New_Caslte_HopsRatio.jpg

Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.69 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 17.4 SRM
NewCastle_Color.jpg
Estimated IBU: 22.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item
12.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
0.10 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Target [11.00%] (60 min)
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min)

Whitbread Ale (Wyeast Labs #1099) with starter.

Mines the one on the left...the cara really added some body to this beer.
NewCastle_2.jpg

NewCastle_3.jpg

NewCastle_3.jpg
 

Attachments

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Good job Beermuncher!!! I will brew this one for sure. I have a neighbor that loves this stuff. I made him some Northern Nut brown in hopes that he would like it but we will see if this is closer to the Newcastle.
 
It's a darn good beer. The Whitbred yeast is key. Makes it nice and mellow. If you want it just a bit more mellow, cut out the roast barley and take your IBU's down to 20 and mash at around 157-158. It will really fit the Northern Brown and be a bit maltier than the recipe below.

That is what I have in my notes for any tweaks I'd make.
 
I think I am going to convert this to PM and give it a shot. What mashing temp(s) did you use?
 
I must be attracted to your recipes BM, because when I'm searching I always come across your's. The Centennial Blonde has turned out very nicely so far- still conditioning in the fridge. To the point, however: can I bother you for an extract with grains conversion? I've never done a PM but I have the capability, so that could work too. Let me know. Thanks a lot.
 
Ok, thanks BierMuncher. I build up from RO so I spent an hour searching the web and found nada. Then I found a profile in Designing Great Beers, pg. 227. One interesting thing I found in that book is that it says Newcastle is 8 SRM. Yours looks good at 17 SRM.

Also, my roasted barley is 500 SRM. I'll just cut the amount in half. I'm also going to try S-04 yeast for the first time so wish me luck. I have no Target hops, so I guess I'll sub Willamette.

Edit: I subbed Fuggles instead of Willamette. Brew session went well.
 
Brewed today... omitted the roasted barley and cut the IBU's to 20 as suggested by Biermuncher. Missed the higher mash temp he suggested by a few degress (I averaged somewhere around 154-155). Also used wyeast 1098 rather then 1099 since I had a pack that I ordered for another recipe that I decided not to do. Everything seemed to go well. I will definately report back when the beer is ready to be consumed.
 
billym99 said:
Brewed today... omitted the roasted barley and cut the IBU's to 20 as suggested by Biermuncher. Missed the higher mash temp he suggested by a few degress (I averaged somewhere around 154-155). Also used wyeast 1098 rather then 1099 since I had a pack that I ordered for another recipe that I decided not to do. Everything seemed to go well. I will definately report back when the beer is ready to be consumed.

How did it go?
I can't find Targets either (damn this hop shortage). Beersmith sez EKG as sub but that's half the AA. Any ideas Biermuncher? Twice as much EKG's at 60 minutes or some other high AA bittering hop?

Thanks

Rudeboy
 
Rudeboy said:
How did it go?
I can't find Targets either (damn this hop shortage). Beersmith sez EKG as sub but that's half the AA. Any ideas Biermuncher? Twice as much EKG's at 60 minutes or some other high AA bittering hop?

Thanks

Rudeboy
If you can afford the hops, go with the higher amount of EKG, or some fuggles, or even Willamette. I've used Mt Hood before as a sub. It's got the right "nose" for this beer too.
 
Rudeboy said:
How did it go?
I can't find Targets either (damn this hop shortage). Beersmith sez EKG as sub but that's half the AA. Any ideas Biermuncher? Twice as much EKG's at 60 minutes or some other high AA bittering hop?

Thanks

Rudeboy

My Aberdeen is bottled... i'm currently on vacation but will be putting some in the fridge to cool as soon as i get home as that will have given the beer a little over two weeks in the bottles. will post with pictures as soon as i taste!
 
Brewed this recipe last night. Went pretty well. I too missed my mash temp by a little (154F, forgot to preheat the mash tun, oops) and omitted the roasted barley, but I added a pound of sugar to bump the OG up a little. Came in at 1.053. At 20 hours post brew it's bubbling like crazy. Smells great already.
 
BM,

This recipe looks really good as is - not sure I would reduce IBUs too much or mash too much higher or it may end up with more Southern characteristics. I would agree with you on maybe cutting out the RB.

I just bought ingredients to do a Southern Brown, but almost did a Northern and this would have been a good one. I'll keep it on my list.

Did the plum-like flavor/aroma ever come through in your batch? If you are open to a suggestion, a little Special B might lend a bit of that plum flavor you are looking for. I tend to think of it as more raisin-like, but some people describe it as plum-like (Palmer is one). It possibly depends on what other grains or yeast flavors it is combined with. If you add some Special B (maybe 6 to 8 oz in 10 gal), you may have to take out some of the 80L or 60L to keep the color in balance.

Just my .02
 
Bearcat Brewmeister said:
....Did the plum-like flavor/aroma ever come through in your batch? If you are open to a suggestion, a little Special B might lend a bit of that plum flavor you are looking for. ...
Good suggestion on the Special B. I might swap out a 1/2 each of the darker crystals and replace with the Special.

thanks.
 
Alright, tried a bottle last night! Nearly three weeks in the bottle plus one week each primary/secondary.... BierMuncher hit a home run with this one! I have to believe it will only get better with more time, as well. From what I read it seems that five weeks could still be considered young.

I will do a more proper write up tonight and post, along with some pictures. I had only chilled one bottle last night and sucked it down before I could take any pics.
 
billym99 said:
Alright, tried a bottle last night! Nearly three weeks in the bottle plus one week each primary/secondary.... BierMuncher hit a home run with this one! I have to believe it will only get better with more time, as well. From what I read it seems that five weeks could still be considered young.

I will do a more proper write up tonight and post, along with some pictures. I had only chilled one bottle last night and sucked it down before I could take any pics.
Glad it turned out good.

One tip for serving:

English ales like to be served a bit warmer with some carbonation knocked out. A bit warmer and less fizz will really accentuate the malt tone.

I like to hold my bottle under a hot faucet for about 30 seconds, and then give it a nice aggressive pour (right down the middle) into tht glass. Let it set for about 1-2 minutes and then enjoy.
 
1002896wk9.jpg

1002897vn4.jpg


Finally got some pictures! Had some camera issues... anyways, these photos make the aberdeen ale appear a bit darker then it actually is, although my brew came out a bit darker then what biermucher has pictured on the first page of this thread. mine is probably slightly darker then the real deal newcastle. taste is superb... nice, malty body. head retention is good and the glass has a nice lacing after downing a bottle. What thrilled me the most is the reception this beer got from my coworkers... i took some bottles into work on friday that were thoroughly enjoyed...

i must say i will be brewing this again very soon (like weekend after next). I bottled 51 and i'm currently down to 26:( SWMBO thought my homebrewing shaninigans were a waste of time until she tried one of these... i think i have her convinced it's worth it!

NOTE*** this is also my first batch of homebrew i made and it turned out good, i'm sure some of you seasoned brewers could do a bang up job with this recipe.
 
This is in my secondary right now. I can't believe how much it tastes like Newcastle! I can't wait to keg this one up.
 
I am looking to brew a Newcastle Clone this weekend and this recipe looks good. I am a bit concerned with the amount of Cara-malts in there though. I also like the idea of adding a dash of Special B. What do you guys think of this?

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 90L (90.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Special B
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
0.10 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
1.00 oz Challenger (60 min)
1.00 oz Argentinian Cascade (60 min)

0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min)

Fermented with 1098

Leave everything else the same and mash at 152 degF. I like the dry/thin mouthfeel of Newcastle and am looking for that to quench my thirst in the upcoming hot months. Do you think this will be farther from the original or a little closer?

Thanks for the help,
Justin:mug:

EDIT: I had to tweak my recipe a bit on the fly because of availability. I didn't note the AA on my bittering hops, but I balanced the IBU's to the original recipe.

This turned out to be a good brew. Probably farther from NC that BierMuncher's Aberdeen but it was in style for a Northern Brown. In review, this beer was brilliantly clear with an initial one-finger meringue textured foam that settled nicely to a thin but persistent foam layer. Color was a burnt amber/orange that is more orange/red than a NC. Lacing was constant with occasional crusty splotches. Mouthfeel was crisp in the start and finish with a round middle. The taste was reminiscent of salted sweet bread with notes of mandarin, biscuit, and rich earthy soil. Some notes of dark cocoa were present in the aftertaste.

I was very happy with this beer, but would make a few changes if I brewed it again. Mainly I would take out the Crystal 90 and drop the Special B down to 0.25 lbs. Hops were very good.
 
I just noticed that I used UK Chocolate Malt rather then US (+100 SRM)... that probably explains the darker color of my batch.
 
I brewed my second batch last night... made a few modifications, like adding the Special B. Because of this, I cut out .25 lb each of 40 and 60 (sub'd 40 for 80 to keep the color closer to 17)... Also,had to use Williamette for the second hop addition as I mistakingly thought I had EKG's leftover from a previous brew day. Finally, I used London Ale III yeast since I had some washed from a previous brew session. Will post in a month or so when this it's ready to consume.
 
billym99 said:
I brewed my second batch last night... made a few modifications, like adding the Special B. Because of this, I cut out .25 lb each of 40 and 60 (sub'd 40 for 80 to keep the color closer to 17)... Also,had to use Williamette for the second hop addition as I mistakingly thought I had EKG's leftover from a previous brew day. Finally, I used London Ale III yeast since I had some washed from a previous brew session. Will post in a month or so when this it's ready to consume.
They sound like very suitable substitutions.

Tweaking a recipe is a beautiful thing. A brewers prerogative.
 
Wasn't sure if I should mess with a good thing considering 100% of my first batch is GONE!... very tasty! But, I can always just brew it again.

Fermentation is going good... was little worried as this is the first time i've used washed yeast, but it started quick and was vigourous for 36 hours.
 
Here's my take on a 5 gallon batch extract recipe.

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.12 lb Pale Liquid Extract
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine
0.41 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L
0.41 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
0.41 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM)


0.50 oz Target [11.00%] (60 min) Hops 21.4 IBU
0.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 2.4 IBU

1 Pkgs Whitbread Ale (Wyeast Labs #1099) Yeast-Ale


I haven't made this one, so use it at your own peril, but I started with Biermuncher's recipe and converted it in beersmith. I took out the Roasted barley because it came to 0.04 lb. That's like, 4 grains :p
 
Cant wait to try this recipe!!!!!!! Coming from the North East of England, traditionally, Newcastle brown is served in a half pint glass and topped up frequently and shouldnt be served in a pint glass, it's not a full headed ale. Interestingly, in Sunderland, our 'version' of NBA, Double Maxim, (sadly the brewery is now dead!) would appear to be kissing cousins with Biermuncher's recipe, it was a more rounded ale with a much fuller, longer lasting creamy head. As I said, I cant wait to try this recipe.
 
Has anyone tried some C-120? I'm thinking of going with something like this:

14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) 70.89 %
2 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) 10.13 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel Pilsen (12.0 SRM) 7.59 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 6.33 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt, Pale (225.0 SRM) 2.53 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) 1.27 %
4.0 oz Special B (147.5 SRM) 1.27 % 1.00 oz Target [10.00 %] (60 min) 20.4 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) 1.2 IBU
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)
1 Pkgs Whitbread Ale (Wyeast Labs #1099)

Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Bitterness: 21.6 IBU
Color: 15.0 SRM
 
I'd like to brew this up tonight. Would it be possible to use the Whitbread without a starter? Or does anyone have any suitable substitues for a yeast?
 
They had the smack pack anyway. Thanks though. BM that Centennial ended up a lot better than it started. The Sorachi's took a while to settle down. That's a good beer in this IN heat.
 
How crucial is the 90 min boil on this brew? I have some time constraints. What would be the difference in a 60min compared to a 90?
 
How crucial is the 90 min boil on this brew? I have some time constraints. What would be the difference in a 60min compared to a 90?

I like a 90 minute boil for a cleaner beer...but it you're not using Pilsner malt as your base...a 60 minute boil should be fine.

I'm always a little paranoid about DMS.
 
BM am I reading your fermentation schedule right? You fermented at 69 for a week. Kegged and cooled to 37 for 5 days. Then, you warmed it back up to 69 for a week. Why the flip flop. Why not primary for a week, secondary with gelatin for a week, then crash to 37? I'm a little confused. Also, I brewed this up the other night and got an OG of 1.042 at about 4.75 gallons. But, my efficency was only 60%? Doesn't make sense to me but I can't complain.
 
How much would using Nottingham's yeast mess up this recipe?
I always get nervous ordering liquid yeast online, so I try to use Nottingham for everything :)
 
How much would using Nottingham's yeast mess up this recipe?
I always get nervous ordering liquid yeast online, so I try to use Nottingham for everything :)

If you want to use a dry yeast...go with the safale-04. It attenuates a little less and leave a smoother (slightly sweeter) finish.
 
Has anyone tried using something like S-04, and then -05 or Notty to clean it up late in fermentation? I wanted to use a whitbread but maintain higher attenuation.
 
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