Thoughts on this Brown Ale recipe?

All opinions welcome...



Method: Extract Style: American Brown Ale
Boil Time: 60 min Batch Size: 5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 6.5 gallons Efficiency: 35% (steeping grains only)
Boil Gravity: 1.044 (recipe based estimate)



Original Gravity:1.057

Final Gravity:1.014

ABV (standard):5.62%

IBU (tinseth):26.74

SRM (morey):29.48


Fermentables

Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
2 lb Dry Malt Extract - Light 42 4 21.6%
5 lb Liquid Malt Extract - Dark 35 30 54.1%

Steeping Grains

Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
1 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 20L 35 20 10.8%
0.5 lb American - Chocolate 29 350 5.4%
0.25 lb American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) 33 1.8 2.7%
0.25 lb American - Aromatic Malt 35 20 2.7%
0.25 lb Belgian - Special B 34 115 2.7%

Hops

Amount Variety Time AA IBU Type Use
1 oz Fuggles Pellet 4.5 Boil 60 min 18.07
0.5 oz Tettnanger Pellet 4.5 Boil 30 min 6.94
0.5 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 5 min 1.72

Yeast

Wyeast - London Ale 1028

Attenuation (avg): 75% Flocculation: Med-Low
Optimum Temp: 60 - 72 °F Starter: Yes
Fermentation Temp: 65 °F Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / ° P)



Generated by Brewer's Friend - http://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2013-11-24 19:47 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2013-11-24 19:46 UTC

 

Try brewing the dark extract with the hops. Less ingredients makes less muddled flavours and it usually just tastes better.

 

top

 

ok use 1/4 # choc and 1/2# crystal malt
drop the other steeping grains

 

I would actually say use all light extract and get your color and flavor from the steeping grains. It would be more reproducible in the future as different dark extracts have who knows what percentages of malts. I like the strategy of using 2 different L crystal malts for complexity, although the 20 seems a little light. I think I'd swap that out for 40L or 60L, then with that plus the special B your don't really need the carapils. The aromatic I think technically needs to be mashed, but I see recipes calling for steeping munich all the time so I think that's probably okay. The only other thing I notice is the last 2 hops seem kinda unusual choices, maybe not bad I just wouldn't have thought to use them is something like this.

 

+1 I think .5# of chocolate will make it too dark for a brown. I think you are trying to do too much with steeping grains. Try to keep it simple. I would use crystal 40, .5# to a pound. Brew it and see what you think. Then adjust. Like others have said, too many grains makes it taste muddy.

 

I have to disagree with the others. Dark extract likely has at least 3 specialty malts - for example Briess has C-60, munich, and black malt. So yes, using dark extract plus steeping grains you are double dipping and may be muddying things. My point is use all light extract and get the color/flavor from steeping, you're probably actually using less overall specialty grains. It will also be easier to tweak for future brews because you know exactly what percentages of what you used.

A half lb of chocolate is probably the upper limit for a brown but at about 5% in this recipe certainly not out of range, especially if it's the only dark roasted malt. It's actually pretty common to do something like 2 different L crystals, a dark roasted malt (or two) and one or more character malts like biscuit victory, munich, etc. so I don't see this being muddy. Most good brown recipes I have seen or brewed have at least 3-4 specialty malts (looking at the 2012 AHA winner's recipe now - he had 6).

 

If it were me, I would want a tried and true recipe. This seems like a mishmash. English yeast & hops for an American brown ale- huh?
Anyways, it is my suggestion to go to the recipe section or look at a book and copy that one. Tasty's Janet's Brown Ale is one of the most respected homebrew brown ale recipes out there. cheers.

 

+1 to this post.

 

This looks like a leftover recipe. If you just want to use it all up, go for it. I've done this a bunch of times: sometimes it's 5 Gallons of heaven and more often it's 5 Gallons of "hmmmm......I'll let it age... hmmm.... not too bad.... who wants to try this?.... arggh... still don't like it.... hmmm... I need bottles so it's time to dump it."

 

Edited

Method: Extract Style: American Brown Ale
Boil Time: 60 min Batch Size: 5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 6.5 gallons Efficiency: 35% (steeping grains only)
Boil Gravity: 1.040 (recipe based estimate)



Original Gravity:1.053

Final Gravity:1.014

ABV (standard):5.1%

IBU (tinseth):28.23

SRM (morey):19.73


Fermentables

Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
3 lb Dry Malt Extract - Light 42 4 36.9%
3.3 lb Liquid Malt Extract - Light 35 4 40.6%

Steeping Grains

Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
0.75 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 40L 34 40 9.2%
0.33 lb American - Chocolate 29 350 4.1%
0.75 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 60L 34 60 9.2%

Hops

Amount Variety Time AA IBU Type Use
0.5 oz Centennial Pellet 10 Boil 60 min 20.71
0.5 oz Willamette Pellet 4.5 Boil 15 min 4.63
0.5 oz Cascade Pellet 7 Boil 5 min 2.89

Yeast

Wyeast - American Ale II 1272

Attenuation (avg): 74% Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 60 - 72 °F Starter: Yes
Fermentation Temp: 65 °F Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / ° P)

 

It looks like an American brown now if you were aiming for style. I think you're pushing the limit on the total crystal at almost 19% so I'd personally back that down a bit but other than that looks pretty good to me. I think the darker crystal would have been okay too (as long as total not too high).

 

I agree with Chicky.
How about .25# of each of these: chocolate malt, crystal 60, roasted malt, and biscuit malt.
That is a good grain bill for a brown ale.
Another idea: dry hop with 1 oz of Amarillo!
Holy crap would that taste good.