American Brown Ale American Winter Brown Ale

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Coastarine

We get it, you hate BMC.
HBT Supporter
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
2,515
Reaction score
33
Location
New Bern
Recipe Type
Extract
Yeast
2 packets US-05 or 1056
Yeast Starter
no
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
no
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.083
Final Gravity
1.021
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
47
Color
20
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14-21 @ 67F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
optional
Tasting Notes
It\'s effin good.
AG 5.5 gallons 80% brewhouse efficiency:

14lbs 14oz Rahr 2-row (US) Extract brewers, use 10lbs 5.5oz of DME.
14oz Crystal 60
2oz Black Patent
2oz Chocolate (US)

Mash 154 for 60 with a tbs of 5.2 stabilizer, two batch sparges at 170.

1oz Newport 10% 60min 28.5 IBU
1.5oz Willamette 4.4% 20min 10.1 IBU
1.5oz Willamette 4.4% 5min 3.3 IBU

I used a small amount of gypsum and epsom salt to adjust my water post-mash, but that's completely up to you. It has only been in the keg for two and a half weeks now and I bottled a bomber and brought it home. It was tasted by my dad who is an extract brewer with similar tastes to me, by another extract brewer who only likes big beers (this one works out to 8.1% and he likes beers more around 10%) and by his son who is a BMC drinker who has a craft brew now and then but doesn't know anything about it. All three really liked this one, but the guy who only likes big beers declared it as absolutely awesome, incredible, etc. He was gushing about this beer. I have since pulled it from the keezer to let it age at room temp. The alcohol is imperceptible but it can only get better.

It has a nice dark tan head and a clean but rich flavor. Some people say they taste the chocolate and nutty flavors, while I taste more of the dark fruit flavors. Really great depth of flavor. If I were going to change up the hop schedule I'd go up, not down. It would be really good with 10 more IBU's or so and a more pronounced hop flavor and aroma, but then again it would be a different beer. If you wanted to take it a different direction, it would take very nicely to some mulling spices like cinnamon, clove, etc, just go easy. It does not fit a style precisely, but don't let that stop you!

Someone else has got to brew this!
Brown1.JPG
 
I'm thinking when I brew this again I'll up the black patent to 4oz and pull back the crystal to 10oz maybe.

edit: scratch this, I wouldn't change a thing.
 
This one absolutely must be served at 50F or warmer. I am enamored with this beer. At the warmer temps the dark fruit is still present with bitter dark chocolate. I even found the perfect glass for serving after trying everything from a snifter to a pint glass. It is just the right size (about 7oz) while the shape helps your hand warm the beer. Shown here with my homemade reuben and cream ale.
DSCF0912.JPG
 
You sold me with the Kieran... this is on the list. My only dilemma now: Wait until fall to get started on this, or just brew it "out of season." I'm not sure this is going to sound nearly as palatable in the middle of August. :)
 
I'm not sure this is going to sound nearly as palatable in the middle of August. :)

Meh, its a matter of personal preference. I enjoy drinking beers that are in season, and then I don't enjoy them any less when they aren't. It may be winter but it's still florida here.
 
Ahh yes, it has been brought to my attention that while this can be either an AG or extract beer, I do not recommend attempting this with less than a full size boil. At the very least 3 gallons on a turkey fryer (not indoors) and use your fermcap-s. Also, if you must do a less than full size boil, consider substituting some LME for the DME as it will dissolve easier in the high concentration.
 
This beer was declared "world class" by the head brewer of our local brew pub! It was a very proud moment for me, as he apparently tastes a lot of homebrew that he sees as mediocre.
 
Since this popped up yesterday it has made it to my list of "next to brews" - I love the idea of an imperial brown...
 
Call me crazy, but what about a 0.25lb Aromatic added to the grain bill? Over the edge, or does it hit a sweet spot?
 
I'm having trouble trying to imagine what that would be like...I'm not an expert on aromatic but I see it as a way of giving big malt flavor/aroma without actually elevating the gravity much. I vote nay but you're welcome to experiment.
 
It just occurred to me as I was listening to the Jamil Show today that instead of using the Aromatic, switching the base malt to Marris Otter, or 50/50, would beef up the malt in an unobtrusive way. (english pale malt extract for extract brewers)
 
I'm savoring the last pint of the first keg of this beer right now, and I can't believe I'm about to say goodbye to it. In case you can't tell, I'm almost emotionally attached to this beer. No time to be sad though, I've never been more excited to tap any keg than I have been about my bourbon barrel porter.
 
I had really poor efficiency brewing this one with my OG at 1.070. But, it went down to 1.016 so it's still above 7%. Tasted great at secondary transfer, will update after it's bottled. Thanks for the recipe.
 
This is a solid beer. Nice and malty, but some dark fruit comes through also. The head quickly disappears on mine, but leaves nice lacing down the glass. Color is a nice dark red - black.

Thanks again for the recipe, gonna bottle a bunch up and distribute to friends for their reactions.
 
Brewed this today with some tweaks. Some I don't even remember why I changed it, but I'm sure I had reasons.

Mashed using 1.5qt/lb @ 152 for 60min:
13lb 10oz Marris Otter
13oz C60
2oz Simpson's black malt
2oz Simpson's choc malt

90min boil:
1oz Northern Brewer hops 8.9% @ 60min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 25min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 10min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 5min

OG 1.084. I bought a pound of willamette months ago and I have no plans to use it in any upcoming beers so I decided to polish it off in this one. IBU's got a bump on this one, although I must have changed what IBU formula I'm using in beersmith since I first posted this recipe. Beersmith shows that this had 58 IBU the first time I made it, and 69 IBU this time.
 
I jumped the gun and made a yeast starter with White Labs London Ale before I knew which beer I was brewing, so I'll English-ify this and see how it turns out. Looks great!
 
I'm sure it will be good, the batch I brewed on 10/03/09 is not currently enjoyable because I tainted a keg and a tapline with birch beer. I have replaced the tap line and the beer ball lock connector. I will replace the o-rings in the keg and possibly the o-ring on the perlick. Lesson learned: don't put soda through your beer kegging system. PITA.
 
Brewed this one today!
I came up way short on the OG @ 1.070. My boil off rate was much lower than expected, and I think I forgot a pound or two of grain.
But it tasted great! I cant wait to tap this bad boy right around christmas...
 
Kegged today! Tasted very good. FG was 1.016, giving me a 7.1% ABV beer! Going to definitely make a nice winter warmer in a couple of weeks...
 
Just pulled a sample pint, and wow, great beer! its going to be excellent come christmas day :tank:
Coastarine, thank you for sharing this recipe!
 
I just finished brewing this recipe tonight. The main differences were, 7# of domestic 2-row and 5# of Bries light DME. I also bumped all the grains up to whole numbers. I am using 1056 with a starter. This is only my 3rd partial grain and I don't think I got the boil off quite right, but right now my OG is looking like 1.076 or so. I am pretty excited on this batch, I'll let you know how it turns out!
 
I brewed this a few months ago and it turned out to be the best beer I've made yet. I'll definitely be brewing this one a few times a year. thanks
 
Awsome Beer Man! Brewed it a couple weeks ago and im about to blow the keg.

I copied the recipe from screen to scale..

Then of course I tried it and its fantastic!!

I didn't have a single note written down. Been scowering HBT now for a week!
 
Brewed this today with some tweaks. Some I don't even remember why I changed it, but I'm sure I had reasons.

Mashed using 1.5qt/lb @ 152 for 60min:
13lb 10oz Marris Otter
13oz C60
2oz Simpson's black malt
2oz Simpson's choc malt

90min boil:
1oz Northern Brewer hops 8.9% @ 60min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 25min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 10min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 5min

OG 1.084. I bought a pound of willamette months ago and I have no plans to use it in any upcoming beers so I decided to polish it off in this one. IBU's got a bump on this one, although I must have changed what IBU formula I'm using in beersmith since I first posted this recipe. Beersmith shows that this had 58 IBU the first time I made it, and 69 IBU this time.



What boil volume are you starting with to finish a 90-minute boil at 5.5gallons?
 
gona try a tweaked version tomorrow, just put the bill together and now its time to get ingredients together. Wish me luck:mug:
 
Brewed this today with some tweaks. Some I don't even remember why I changed it, but I'm sure I had reasons.

Mashed using 1.5qt/lb @ 152 for 60min:
13lb 10oz Marris Otter
13oz C60
2oz Simpson's black malt
2oz Simpson's choc malt

90min boil:
1oz Northern Brewer hops 8.9% @ 60min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 25min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 10min
2oz Willamette 4.4% @ 5min

OG 1.084. I bought a pound of willamette months ago and I have no plans to use it in any upcoming beers so I decided to polish it off in this one. IBU's got a bump on this one, although I must have changed what IBU formula I'm using in beersmith since I first posted this recipe. Beersmith shows that this had 58 IBU the first time I made it, and 69 IBU this time.

Did you ever get a good chance to sample this recipe through lines that did not have your birch beer How long would you recommend letting this bottle condition before it is realy ready to drink?
 
I made a partial mash version of this recipe with a 3.5 gallon boil. I added enough boiled and cooled water to the cooled wort in the fermenter for a 5 gallon batch size. I hit the recommended gravities perfectly. Just cracked open the first bottle this weekend. Very malty and complex flavor. Thanks for the recipe! :mug:

Equipment: 5-gallon brewkettle, BIAB (brew in a bag) single batch sparge.

Recipe Specs - Boil Volume
----------------
Boil Batch Size (G): 3.4
Total Grain (lb): 11.375 (incl. Extracts)
Total Hops (oz): 4.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.123 (concentrated wort)
Mash Efficiency (%): 77
Mash 60 to 75 minutes at 154 degF
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Recipe Specs - Into Fermenter
----------------
Batch Size (G): 5.0 (add make-up water for 5 gallons total)
Original Gravity (OG): 1.084
Final Gravity (FG): 1.021
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 8.2
Colour (SRM): 17.4
Bitterness (IBU): 58.8 (Rager)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 75

Grain Bill
----------------
4.250 lb American 2-Row (37.36%)
0.875 lb Crystal 60 (7.69%)
0.125 lb Black Patent (1.1%)
0.125 lb Chocolate (1.1%)
6.000 lb Dry Malt Extract - Light (52.75%)

Hop Bill
----------------
1.00 oz Newport Pellet (11% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.50 oz Willamette Pellet (7.1% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.50 oz Willamette Pellet (7.1% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
 
I will be doing a 1 gallon batch of this soon. I'm subbing the Newport with Sorachi Ace because thats the closest thing I could get at the time. I'm using all organic grains except the black malt.

This beer seems to fit in the Strong/Old Ale (19A) style according to the BJCP.
 
This looks really good, I think I'm going to brew it this weekend. My LHDS doesn't have Newport so I think I'm going to use Chinook instead for bittering. That oughta work okay right? Also, anyone else have some tasting notes on this beer? Thanks!
 
Brewed this AG recipe last Saturday....looks like it should be great !! It is showing signs of activity already ! I'll get back with more observations later !
 
Made the extract version of this already. But it's going so fast I need to start an all grain batch this weekend.


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Started this today, all grain recipe. OG was 1.082. We pitched one rehydrated packet of S-04, then I saw you recommend 2 packets of S-05. Can anyone tell me the alcohol tolerance of S-04?


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Started this today, all grain recipe. OG was 1.082. We pitched one rehydrated packet of S-04, then I saw you recommend 2 packets of S-05. Can anyone tell me the alcohol tolerance of S-04?

I'm pretty sure S-04 is more alcohol tolerant than S-05, but I could be mistaken. Depending on the fermentation temp, 04 should be a bit more estery and in my opinion would go better with this beer.
 
Allrightythen! We started at 1.082 and a week later it's come down to 1.022. Go, S-04, go!! :)


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