British Brown Ale Nut Brown AG

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Lil' Sparky

Cowboys EAC
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
3,952
Reaction score
107
Location
Honolulu, HI
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Nottingham
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.054
Final Gravity
1.012
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
22.7
Color
16.3 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14
If you like nut browns, you'll love this one!

Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 76.6 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.5 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 8.5 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4.3 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.1 %
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50%] (60 min) Hops 14.7 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 8.1 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

Mash Profile
Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Mash Grain Weight: 11.75 lb
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 4.21 gal

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 14.69 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min

** Based on 70% brewhouse efficiency
 
I'm just taking my first swig. It's only been a few days on the gas and needs more carbonation, but dang, sir! This is one mighty fine Nut Brown!! This is going to be a staple on my tap. Good job.
 
Thanks. I'm glad it turned out for you.

I've brewed this a few times with minor variations. It's been great every time.
 
I agree I give this one a 5 star rating... Very tasty.. As I sit here sipping one I can say I love the silky smoothness that the oatmeal gives this one and the hearty nut brown flavor. Very easy and very tasty recipe Lil' Sparky! Thanks for sharing!
 
Question on ingredients... A great deal of Nut Browns I have tasted have a fruity quality about them, I know this comes from the munich malt that is added. My question is I have seen a great deal of recipes that don't added the Munich Malt, is it necessary to have that fruity quality?
 
Hmm. I've brewed variations of this using some munich or vienna malt. I don't know that I'd describe the difference as fruity. I'd say it probably adds a little residual maltiness/sweetness and can add to a fuller/thicker mouthfeel. It really depends on what you're shooting for I guess.
 
Oh ok. Great! Yea I brewed a Nut Brown a few months ago, but didn't added any Munich and just a tad too much Chocolate malt. It was very roasty toasty and nutty, a little too chocolaty and definitely there was a small lacking in residual sweetness and body. I see you have Flaked Oats in yours, is that for body?
 
I brewed this up about eight weeks ago and it is very delicious. I've received many compliments on it. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
 
Can anyone help me convert this to a partial mash? I might have to order another oz. of hops for a different recipe and it seems a waste to not take advantage of the flat rate shipping.
 
This is what Beersmith came up with. I've never done a partial mash, so I can't speak from experience how close it is. I would've guessed the specialty grains wouldn't change and you would just substitute the bulk of the pale malt for extract. I bet either way would be fine.

5 lbs 3.8 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
13.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
14.2 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM)
6.6 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM)
3.3 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)

The hop schedule shouldn't change. If you brew this, let us know how it turns out.
 
This looks awesome, I think I'm going to brew it up next week. I was thinking about using East Kent Goldings for both hops additions. In the yeast department my choices are WLP002 and packets of coopers dry. Any experience with either in this recipe? Thanks!
 
Kudos to you Lil' Sparky. I just tapped your recipe (redubbed Monkey's Butt Brown Ale) and it's the first of my beers (since returning from a long layoff) that In can say is commercial quality, in that someone could tell me it was a commercial micro and I'd believe it. I couldn't get Fuggles when I went to brew this, so I used Willamette and Goldings, but otherwise it was your recipe exactly. I've got 5 taps. and this one earns a permanent spot. Well done.
 
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 14.69 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min

Just want to clarify something about the above. My mash water should be 165.9 F when it hits the grain bed, meaning it will lose/absorb ~12 degrees and i should mash at 154 F for 60 minutes before batch sparging at 168 F.

Is that right?
 
That's correct (for my system). Your system may vary, depending on what kind of MLT you use, and if it's preheated before you add your mash liquor. +12' should put you pretty close. Take good notes and that'll help you dial in your system where you can hit your mash temps easier. Brewing s/w like Beersmith, Beer Tools Pro, or Pro Mash can really help, too.
 
I've got beer alchemy, but i'm still learning to brew, so knowing if the program is telling me the right thing or not isn't easy to figure out.

I brewed the PM version of this today. Everything went okay, but the recipe might suffer because of the new system and getting used to doing PMs and the late addition method.

I'll let you know how it turns out in a few weeks.
 
Okay, so i racked to secondary today after my reading came back at 1.012. My OG was 1.053, so .001 off my target wasn't too bad.

The recipe i used was
0.20 lbs Chocolate malt
2.00 lbs pale malt 2-rows
0.40 lbs victory
0.80 lbs crystal 60l
0.80 lbs flaked oats.
5.00 lbs muttons LME - light (late addition)

1 oz Arg. Cascade 3.2AA (pellet) 60 min.
1 oz Goldings (pellet) 15 minutes.


I managed to get and keep my mash temps in the ball park of my target, but i must not have stirred enough because the temp varied by 2 - 3 degrees depending on where the probe was placed.

I subbed the Arg cascade for the fuggles because last time i was in my LHBS they ended up giving me arg. cascade instead of cascade and i didn't notice until i got home. It wouldn't have been a big deal but home in this case is 7 hours away so there wasn't much to be done. I don't know how this will change things since i've never made this with fuggles but the sample tonight didn't taste too bad, but more on that later.

I boiled 3 gallons on the stove and added my LME, hops and irish moss with 15 minutes left using the late addition method. This hopefully will keep my color in the correct range and also made up the difference in IBUs that i'd lose doing a 3 gallon boil.

Fermentation lasted less than a week (i'm assuming) in the 70 degree range.

The hydro sample tasted good. It was malty to start, but had a pronounced hop flavor at the end, with a bit of hop aroma. I am hoping the hop flavor at the end of the taste will mellow a bit more because it was a touch sharp, but nothing overly aggressive.

I'll give another report in a few weeks when it's done clearing.

How much carbonation should this beer have? Also, can anyone name a commercial beer that this is similar to? I am only curious since i want to get better about placing styles with what i taste.
 
Gentlemen.... Lil' Sparky's Brown Ale recipe won an award...

Lancaster County Brewers Showdown Results - Lancaster County Brewers Club - Pennsylvania beer sampling homebrew microbrew

My version of Sparky's recipe got first for category 4 (which seems to be a combination of the BJCP's (BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Index) categories 10 and 11, encompassing American Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, American Brown Ale, English Mild, English Southern Brown Ale, and English Northern Ale.

Just wanted to give proper credit and let people know that this recipe is AWESOME!!! Thank you Lil' Sparky!!!
 
donner - the cascade hops will provide a different hop characteristic and result in a different tasting beer. Not that you won't be pleased with it, it'll just have a different flavor, that's all.

I haven't had a commercial beer that's really close to this. I've been looking for one I can point to. Anyone else?
 
Dude, that's awesome! I'll have to tell my buddies I'm a famous brewmaster now. :D

Ha! I'm entering it into The Land of the Muddy Waters homebrew contest in November. I had to alter the hops (Willamette/Goldings) but the grain bill is yours. It's really a nice brown ale.

My only problem is that it's a bit under-carbed. I think it's perfect out of the tap, but when I bottled a few as a test and let them sit a few days they seemed a bit flat for bottle pouring. I'm sort of running out of time to alter the carbonation and bottling some more. So if you're not a double winner, it'll be my fault. :D
 
I haven't had a commercial beer that's really close to this. I've been looking for one I can point to. Anyone else?

I haven't had a Bell's Best Brown in about 5 months, but as I was drinking Deez Nutz last night, I was feeling the Bell's. Just because this is a slightly hoppier brown ale... Might be way off though.
 
donner - the cascade hops will provide a different hop characteristic and result in a different tasting beer. Not that you won't be pleased with it, it'll just have a different flavor, that's all.

I haven't had a commercial beer that's really close to this. I've been looking for one I can point to. Anyone else?

Yeah, i knew the different hops would change the taste a bit. I went with this recipe in part to use the Arg. Cascades i had in the freezer. The guy at the LHBS said that the Arg. Cascades were more like fuggles and should sub well. I'm excited to see how it all turns out as this was my first successful solo brew.

***For those who don't know what to expect from Arg. Cascades (i didn't before now), this is what northern brewer has on its site***
Argentina Cascade

These Argentinian-grown Cascades are not like American Cascade - they have a very mellow and sweet character that reminds us of lemon grass, with herbal, peppery, and spicy undertones. A versatile hop to use for ales and lagers - strangely, with its sweet/spicy aroma this hop would make a good substitute for Hallertau-type and Goldings-type hops, but not a good substitute for American Cascade!
 
I brewed this as my first brown ale all of 19 days ago and am enjoying my second pint out of the keg. It is green, I can tell, but as it mellows this is going to be fantastic. I had some problems with my boil, but got it to where I needed to be volume and number wise. As I drink the hops aren't readily apparent, but linger helpfully in the background. The note I'm getting the most of is coffee. There's a coffee aroma, clean taste, dryish finish, and a strong coffee after-note. This after-note is what I think will subside after another week or so. Then it will be a nearly perfect brown in my estimation.

I have another, unrelated, question on procedure. When I make this beer or any beer someone else came up with, is it bad form in generally to adopt it and name it whatever you want? I'm relatively new to this fantastic hobby and, as a former English major, feel a strong inclination to site sources and give proper credit. I can see that you don't have a problem with it, but I didn't know about the general consensus.

Thanks for the recipe. I'm enjoying it already.
 
I think most of us make up our own names for beers to put on our bottles so I think your OK. By the way I'm making this recipe tomorrow but I'm going to put juniper berries in it for a special holiday brew. Originally I was going to do a juniper pale ale but I think the profile of a nut brown will support the juniper very well.
 
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