Thoughts on my oatmeal brown ale?

[rhys333]

Hey Everyone,

I thought I'd brew an oatmeal brown ale this weekend and I'm wondering what you guys think of this grain bill:

OATMEAL BROWN
80% MO
9% C70
6% Quick oats (lightly toasted)
4% Chocolate (50/50 regular/pale)
1% Black Patent (for colour contribution)
WY 1469
1.058/1.018, 5.2% ABV, 22SRM, ~30-35 IBU

I'll probably bitter with magnum and use centennial at 15 and 2 mins. I could also add some nuttiness with victory malt, but I do like to keep the mix down to 3 or 4 grains if possible. I appreciate any input on this. Also, does anyone knows how to plug oats into EZ water or Bru'n? It doesn't seem to fit in any of the categories.

 

[skunkfunk]

Looks good. I don't think you need the victory with the MO base and that particular yeast strain (I've heard it is nutty and fruity.) What ferm temp do you like for that yeast, I wanna try it some time in a brown ale.

 

[rhys333]

Thanks skunkfunk. I ferment around 70 and find its relatively neutral, but i give it plenty of time to clean up as well. It performs reliably and drops super clear. Great top cropper too.

 

[rhys333]

Well this turned out really well. Almost porter-ish and the oats add a great silky smooth dimension. I just stumbled across the NB Surly Bender recipe and see its not far off. Their addition of aromatic malt sounds really nice. Will have to give that a try next time.