First AG brown ale attempt. HELP

[tjohn]

I just started doing all grain about two months ago, I've done an imperial chocolate stout that turned out great and now I want to go for a brown ale. I wanted to see if I could get some suggestions on my recipe, I like the ingredients but im not totally sure about the percentages yet. Any feedback will be helpful. Thanks.

Hopville has me at:
5 Gal
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.019
SRM: 21
IBU: 25
ABV: 5.5

Grain Bill:
60% 2 row pale malt
13% american victory
11% english crystal 50-60L
9% flaked oats
6% american chocolate 127L
2% special roast

Hop Bill:
.75 oz norther brewer @ 60 min
.5 oz willamette @ 10 min

Im worried I may have to much victory or crystal, or maybe just too much of the two combined but I like where my srm, ibu, and gravities are sitting right now. Any suggestions will help, thank!

 

[GlenF]

Should be pretty rich/ malty with all that specialty malt. If you like a specialty malt-heavy beer go for it.

 

[dkm11b]

soooooo 40% of your grist is specialty malts, that cant convert themselves (flaked oats, can they convert themselves? im not sure)...i would cut it down a bit, maybe simplify the malt bill. one thing this place has taught me is to ask why im putting in that specific ingredient. maybe do a .75lb of crystal 60, .25lb victory, and .50lb chocolate malt. that, along with 10lbs of 2 row, and you should have a nice brown ale, the hops look good, if its an american style, you can go a little heavier on the hops. what yeast were you going to use?

 

[tjohn]

I was planning on using wyeast 1968 London ESB ale.

I've played around (on hopville) with lowering the specialty malts but it takes my srm wayy down. Im going for a Cigar City maduro brown clone so thats why im shooting for that color, abv, etc. I agree that almost 40% specialty is probably to much but I just cant decide what to move around. I'm new to all grain so I'm not to sure what ingredients will give what flavors and things like that.

 

[dkm11b]

im a big fan of 1968 yeast, all my darker beers use it, helps with making a nice sweet malty beer. i used beer calculus too, and that recipe i put up gives you 22 srm for 5.5 gallons. by no means am i saying that your recipe is going to make a bad beer, or mine is going to win competitions, just trying to simplify things. i made a winter beer a while back with 8 different malts, and it turned out bad, my rookie mistake. research each grain your putting in, and if it all still sounds good, then brew on, but one of my main problems with brewing, is to put too many spices into the gumbo.

 

[tjohn]

what program do you use? I just plugged everything in and came out at 15 srm. It's very possible that im getting to caught up in the color, but I feel like the srm somewhat indicates how the flavor will turn out? I could be wrong. Another thing you might could help me with, I've read that victory gives a biscuit/nutty flavor and crystal gives more of a caramel sugary type flavor. I think i want a pretty even flavor between the two or possibly even more of the nutty flavor so would you flip the amounts of the two malts or does one give off a more distict flavor that may throw it all off?

 

[dkm11b]

12oz C60
4oz victory
8oz chocolate malt
10lbs 2row
That gave me a srm of 22, using beer calculus. yes you are correct about the color dictating a style, a brown ale has to be brown,lol. Your discription of the two malts is correct, and they go together very well, but i have heard that its easy to over do a recipe with victory malt, and 8oz is maximum usually.