Nut Brown IPA - recipe help

[brennanj11]

Good Morning!
I have been thinking of some ways to achieve a nutty/malty backbone and still showcase this citrusy combination of hops I've been using for my pale ales without the two getting overshadowed. Basically fruit and nuts are the combo I am going for. 3-2-1 ratio of Galaxy, Simcoe and Centennial.
Here are some of the questions I am pondering

1. Minimizing residual sweetness
I'm trying to gain both a biscuit and slight roast flavor to this IPA while using MO as a base malt with Munich, Victory, CaraBrown and Pale Chocolate. I read somewhere that this will yield a nutty flavor. I don't want residual sweetness from either the yeast or the malt, so I'll be mashing on the low side and omitting crystal malts. I figure this will allow me to impart perceived sweetness from the citrusy fruity notes of the galaxy and simcoe.

2. Citrus or Earthy Hop Combination
This is my main question, will a biscuity/roasty malt profile clash with the fruity/piney characteristics from the hops. I had remembered a few hoppy brown ales I liked, but couldn't recall if those hops brought across a fruity, citrus or piney notes OR if they were a subdued flavor with earthy, spicy and floral notes.

3. Minimizing Body
I want to get the beer up in ABV, but remain drinkable. I already mentioned I'll be mashing around 152 and may be adding a bit of dextrose to lighten the body further.


Title: Nut Brown IPA

Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.8 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Efficiency: 85% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.061
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV (standard): 6.39%
IBU (tinseth): 67.27
SRM (morey): 17.05

FERMENTABLES:
7.5 lb - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (66.7%)
1.5 lb - American - Munich - Light 10L (13.3%)
1 lb - American - Victory (8.9%)
0.5 lb - American - CaraBrown (4.4%)
0.5 lb - United Kingdom - Pale Chocolate (4.4%)
0.25 lb - Corn Sugar - Dextrose (2.2%)

HOPS:
1 oz - Nugget, Type: Pellet, AA: 14, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 47.09
3 oz - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 14.25, Use: Whirlpool for 30 min at 200 °F, IBU: 11.04
2 oz - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Whirlpool for 30 min at 200 °F, IBU: 6.56
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Pellet, AA: 10, Use: Whirlpool for 30 min at 200 °F, IBU: 2.58
1 oz - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 14.25, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
1 oz - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Pellet, AA: 10, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days

YEAST:
Wyeast - London Ale III 1318

 

[rupert130]

For a baseline of recipe formulation you could turn to the BJCP guidelines and lookup American Brown Ale or Brown IPA. Also do a google search for a Texas Brown Ale/IPA.

Your recipe looks good. It is a similar grain bill to an ESB that I brew. The percentages of the specialty malts are lower though. That beer comes out at about 1.010 FG with no simple sugars added. That is with a mash temp of 152°F.

As far as opinion on hops. I recently made an American Brown Ale with Cascade hops. While I do like the finished product, I prefer the use of earthy, spicy, herbal, woody hops with this sort of grain bill. My friends seem to enjoy it more than I do, so it probably boils down to personal preference.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

For a baseline of recipe formulation you could turn to the BJCP guidelines and lookup American Brown Ale or Brown IPA.

On that note, you will want to note that there an "oh-FFS-this-has-to-be-a-typo" in the BJCP guidelines where they state that the standard SRM for a Brown IPA is 14-19, which....isn't brown. I suggest targeting 18-25, or thereabouts.