pfooti
Well-Known Member
This is an attempt at an american brown ale. I want something that's darker than amber, and has some good malt roundness, but is a good bit more hoppy than an english brown.
While I like Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale, this is not an attempt to clone it, as I am not wild about the FG on that beer- it is a teensy bit too "chewy" for my taste. I do scotch ales also, and like a higher FG there. This one, I'm shooting for a dryer finish.
Any advice is welcome. I'm hoping to run this very soon, possibly this weekend, to be ready to drink for the Super Bowl.
Bugbear Brown
Batch size 5.5 gallons
Boil size 7.5 gallons
Boil time 120 minutes
Grain weight 13.35 pounds
Efficiency 70%
Original gravity 1.063
Final gravity 1.014
Alcohol (by volume) 6.4%
Bitterness (IBU) 54
Color (SRM) 26.2°L
Yeast WLP001 California Ale w/starter
Grains:
Maris Otter 10 pounds 75%
Crystal 120L 1.5 pounds 12%
Special Roast 1 pound 7.5%
Wheat 0.6 pounds 4.5%
Chocolate 0.25 pounds 2%
Mash 60 minutes @ 150F
Boil 120 minutes
1 oz Simcoe @ 60 min
1 oz Amarillo @ 20 min
1 oz Amarillo @ 5 min
I'm considering taking a gallon of the first runnings and boiling it down to get some real browning via kettle caramelization (maillardization?) similar to how I brew my scotch ale (skotrat's recipe, mostly). Not sure how much that will help, given that there's so much high-SRM specialty stuff in there already. The wheat is to add a bit more head and mouthfeel even if everything else ferments out dry-ish with the 150F mash.
I'm also considering mashing at 148F. I really want this to be a dry, malty brown with a good (but not overwhelming) hop presence.
While I like Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale, this is not an attempt to clone it, as I am not wild about the FG on that beer- it is a teensy bit too "chewy" for my taste. I do scotch ales also, and like a higher FG there. This one, I'm shooting for a dryer finish.
Any advice is welcome. I'm hoping to run this very soon, possibly this weekend, to be ready to drink for the Super Bowl.
Bugbear Brown
Batch size 5.5 gallons
Boil size 7.5 gallons
Boil time 120 minutes
Grain weight 13.35 pounds
Efficiency 70%
Original gravity 1.063
Final gravity 1.014
Alcohol (by volume) 6.4%
Bitterness (IBU) 54
Color (SRM) 26.2°L
Yeast WLP001 California Ale w/starter
Grains:
Maris Otter 10 pounds 75%
Crystal 120L 1.5 pounds 12%
Special Roast 1 pound 7.5%
Wheat 0.6 pounds 4.5%
Chocolate 0.25 pounds 2%
Mash 60 minutes @ 150F
Boil 120 minutes
1 oz Simcoe @ 60 min
1 oz Amarillo @ 20 min
1 oz Amarillo @ 5 min
I'm considering taking a gallon of the first runnings and boiling it down to get some real browning via kettle caramelization (maillardization?) similar to how I brew my scotch ale (skotrat's recipe, mostly). Not sure how much that will help, given that there's so much high-SRM specialty stuff in there already. The wheat is to add a bit more head and mouthfeel even if everything else ferments out dry-ish with the 150F mash.
I'm also considering mashing at 148F. I really want this to be a dry, malty brown with a good (but not overwhelming) hop presence.