Brooklyn Brew Shop's Kentucky Rye Brown Ale - Tips and Advice

Tonight, I brewed a batch of Kentucky Rye Brown Ale from Brooklyn Brew Shop.



I'm cutting it a little close, but if things go the way they should, the beer will be ready just in time for the Kentucky Derby on May 2nd.

I began last night by soaking some charred oak chips in a bit of Jim Beam's Rye Whiskey, letting them steep in Kentucky goodness for a full 24 hours. Then, earlier this evening, I began the brewing process, which took right around four hours. I probably could have gotten it done in three, had I been better prepared, but that's how it goes.

This beer should be quite interesting; using a traditional English brown ale as a base, Brooklyn Brew Shop added rye and a bit of chocolate malt to the grain bill, and utilised Golding hops and Styrian Golding hops for a mellow, rustic accent (at least according to the aroma that I got while brewing). The further addition of charred oak chips soaked in rye whiskey at the end of the boil make this a truly unique ale, and I am eager to see how it turns out.

A couple of notes on what I learned during the brewing: first and foremost, I learned that an enameled cast iron Dutch oven is very, very helpful in maintaining a consistent mash temperature, rather than constantly chasing my tail with a thin stainless-steel stockpot. At 6.5 Quarts, the Dutch oven was also just the right size to hold the mash without having to reach way down to the bottom with the thermometer and a spoon for stirring, the way I normally have to do on the larger stock pots. For the boil, however, I did use an 8-quart stainless-steel stock pot, which performed like a champ.

The sparging, boil and pitching of the yeast seemed to go without a hitch, and the beer is now happily sitting in the fermenter at just about 60 degrees, a blow-off tube sticking out to do duty for the first three days, which seem to be the most active with BBS's mixes. I don't see any problems so far, and am can't wait to get this one made.

These one-gallon batches are just right for me, given my space requirements, consumption rate and general conditions for brewing. I really enjoy brewing with these mixes, and it is a nice pastime that fits into my schedule and other projects. I have several more of BBS's mixes to make in the coming weeks, including a more traditional Chestnut Brown Ale; I will try to get that one brewed as well this weekend, time permitting. If I get it done, I will start a separate thread for it.

More as the project progresses, etc....

Ron

I made the Chestnut Brown Ale a month or two ago, and am down to the last bottle. I added a lot of Citra hops near the end of the boil, and it came out extremely well.

Thanks for the input, Whovous - I am really loving these brown ales. They seem to have a nice balance of everything that I like.

I wasn't able to brew the chestnut brown over the weekend as I ahd hoped, but I will get it started either this coming weekend or next. When I do, I'll start a spearate discussion thread.

The Kentucky Rye Brown seems to be going well; the fermentation is not as vigorous as I expected it to be, but it is happening. My ambient temperatures seem to be where they should be, in the low-to-mid 60s; this worked well with my last two brews, but perhaps the rye whiskey in the beer is affecting the rate of fermentaiton. In any case, we'll chug along and see what happens.

Tonight, I will switch the blow-off tube for the airlock, and will keep an eye on it throught the remainder of the two-weeks of fermentation. I normally go three weeks, but due to the fact that I want to have this ready in time for the KEntucky Derby, I will stick to BBSs stimetable and ferment for two, then bottle for two. It should be fine, but if there are still signs of fermentation after two weeks, I will of course hold off on the bottling and perhaps serve mint juleps instead!

More as it happens, etc....

Good morning, guys - things are moving along pretty well with this, I think!

I checked again last night when I got home from work, and my earlier suspicions were unfounded as things were cruising merrily along where fermentation is concerned. It looks like it started a little slower than expected, but quickly made up for lost time. I'm thinking that it's going to be pretty dang good - the aroma I'm getting is really, really nice.

Since the fermentation still seemed rather active, and it wasn't quite yet officially three days from when I brewed, I held off on switching out the blow-off tube for the air lock - I'll get it tonight, and keep an eye on progress from there.

With luck, I'm on schedule for the Kentucky Derby, but if not, it isn't the end of the world - I should have started it at least a week sooner than I did, and two would have been better, but all is good....

More as it happens, etc.

On another note, for anyone interested, this is a great time to take a look at what Brooklyn Brew Shop has to offer; incommemoration of National Beer Day, much of the inventory is on stock, including a new line of American ales and my personal favourite so far, Chocolate Maple Porter. All-grain, small-batch brewing works great for me, and fits my life perfectly. You can take a look at http://brooklynbrewshop.com and see if it's right for you, too!

Not much to update - I did replace the blow-off tube with the airlock on the evening of 7 April, and as far as I can tell, we're moving along just fine. Ambient temperatures are in the 62- to 68-degree range, and when I checked this morning, It looked like the beer was clearing up nicely. Thanks to @JINKS, I'll have two or three awesome options for labels, so all is right with the world, so far.

This coming Friday eveing, I'll need to decide whether or not to bottle, if I want the beer finished in time for the Kentucky Derby on May 2nd. If there are still signs of active fermentation, I'll have to wait, but it's no big deal. That's the price I pay for not starting this beer at least two weeks before I actually did, in order to leave a comfortable margin for time.

I'm looking forward to giving this a try, and am reasonably sure that it will turn out quite well ~

Well, tomorrow night would be "bottling day" (day 14), but when I checked the fermenter this evening, there was still a ring of small bubbles clinging around the top, indicating to me that fermentation is still taking place. Ambient temperatures were about 67 degrees, which is pretty much what they have been all along.

I'll check again tomorrow night to be sure, but it looks like my "Kentucky Rye Brown Ale" won't be ready in time for the Kentucky Derby. No one to blame but myself; I should have started at least a week earlier, and if I would have been truly serious, I would have started much earlier than that.

I'll leave it alone for another week (3 total) and then bottle. It will still be good, for sure - an excellent beer for this time of year - but I must confess that I am disappointed with my laziness in getting this started on time....

Alright, I checked tonight, and there is definitely a little fermenting left to be done. I decided to let it go for an additional week (three total, one more than the instructions say is required), and will bottle next weekend, after cold-crashing.

No worries - the resulting beer should be quite good, and that's what matters!

Surprisingly, there is seems to still be quite a bit of fermentation going on at three weeks. Earlier this week, I jostled the Kentucky Rye Brown Ale fermenter while tending to my Smoked Wheat. This apparently kicked up some yeast, and they found something in there to ferment; the beer that had been quite clear with just a few tiny white bubbles rising to the top is now cloudy with fermentation and a pretty healthy cap of bubbles.

No worries, I'll give it a few more days; It's just that the irony of this batch is incredible: I started it hoping that I could somehow have it ready by the Kentucky Derby (4 weeks), and it is beginning to look like I might not even be able to bottle it by then!

Are you able to find an ingredients list for their recipes anywhere on their website like you can with Midwest and Northern? Do they at least provide ingredients and amounts listed somewhere in the kit you receive in case you want to remake/tweak it again later?

I added a lot of Citra hops near the end of the boil, and it came out extremely well.

IDoBleedBrew said:

Are you able to find an ingredients list for their recipes anywhere on their website like you can with Midwest and Northern? Do they at least provide ingredients and amounts listed somewhere in the kit you receive in case you want to remake/tweak it again later?

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I won't be home for more than week, so I cannot check for you, but Brooklyn Brew Shop sells a beer recipe book that includes a number of the recipes for their brewing kits. They provide both one and five gallon versions. You can always scale them to other sizes, of course.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check those out.

IDoBleedBrew said:

Are you able to find an ingredients list for their recipes anywhere on their website like you can with Midwest and Northern? Do they at least provide ingredients and amounts listed somewhere in the kit you receive in case you want to remake/tweak it again later?

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IDBB - I can't swear to it, but I believe that this Kentucky Rye Brown Ale is essentially Brooklyn Brew Shop's Chestnut Brown Ale without the chestnuts, but with charred oak chips and Kentucky Rye Whiskey added. I believe the recipe for Chestnut Brown Ale is in their first book, the BEER MAKING BOOK, so it should be easy to tweak or re-attempt. If you're interested, I can see about getting more information to you. Another option might be to pick up their Chestnut Brown Ale mix, if you want, and substitute the whiskey and oak chips in place of the chestnuts. It might not be a perfect cross-over, but it should be darned close.

The great thing about BBS's books is that they are written for 1- or 5-gallon batches, so when one "dials in" the sweet spot, one can ramp up production. I have both books, with a total of nearly 90 beer recipes; all look very interesting, and most I would like to try.

The current plan is to bottle it this weekend, and then sample it two weeks after that. I missed the Kentucky Derby, but no worries - it should be a good one! This was really a nice-smelling beer as I was brewing it, and I'm looking forward to actually trying it.

Just bottled Brooklyn Brew Shops warrior double ipa last night. I dry hopped with more warrior hops and cold crashed it the night before bottling.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430150706.065430.jpg

Looking great!

TasunkaWitko said:

IDBB - I can't swear to it, but I believe that this Kentucky Rye Brown Ale is essentially Brooklyn Brew Shop's Chestnut Brown Ale without the chestnuts, but with charred oak chips and Kentucky Rye Whiskey added. I believe the recipe for Chestnut Brown Ale is in their first book, the BEER MAKING BOOK, so it should be easy to tweak or re-attempt. If you're interested, I can see about getting more information to you. Another option might be to pick up their Chestnut Brown Ale mix, if you want, and substitute the whiskey and oak chips in place of the chestnuts. It might not be a perfect cross-over, but it should be darned close.

The great thing about BBS's books is that they are written for 1- or 5-gallon batches, so when one "dials in" the sweet spot, one can ramp up production. I have both books, with a total of nearly 90 beer recipes; all look very interesting, and most I would like to try.

The current plan is to bottle it this weekend, and then sample it two weeks after that. I missed the Kentucky Derby, but no worries - it should be a good one! This was really a nice-smelling beer as I was brewing it, and I'm looking forward to actually trying it.

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Awesome. I grabbed both of their books (on the way from Amazon). Let us know what you think when it is ready. I'm really interested in trying it. I may do a double-batch of the chestnut brown but do as you suggested... on the second one substitute the soaked chips for the chestnuts and see how they turn out. Thanks again.

The chocolate maple Porter is fantastic too!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1430175169.882776.jpg

Interesting that nearly every recipe I've read in their first book... they prime with honey with a few calling for maple syrup or agave nectar (3 tablespoons for the 1-gallon batches). I've never primed with honey... I've only primed with cane sugar. Is there anything special to note when priming with honey? With cane sugar, I created a simple syrup and then racked ontop of the syrup in the bottling bucket and then used a very gentle stir to incorporate before bottling. Honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc... are typically pretty thick and viscous. When priming, do you boil it with water as well to create a "simple syrup" like you do with cane sugar, or do you just rack right on top of the raw honey and gently stir?

You make a simple syrup like you said. Wish I'd known that when I tried simply stirring. Some bottles were barely carbonated, and some geysered when I opened them. Just stirring will not apportion the honey evenly.

IDoBleedBrew said:

Interesting that nearly every recipe I've read in their first book... they prime with honey with a few calling for maple syrup or agave nectar (3 tablespoons for the 1-gallon batches). I've never primed with honey... I've only primed with cane sugar. Is there anything special to note when priming with honey? With cane sugar, I created a simple syrup and then racked ontop of the syrup in the bottling bucket and then used a very gentle stir to incorporate before bottling. Honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc... are typically pretty thick and viscous. When priming, do you boil it with water as well to create a "simple syrup" like you do with cane sugar, or do you just rack right on top of the raw honey and gently stir?

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The above Chocolate Maple Porter was primed with maple syrup. It turned out great and I preferred it to carb drops. I'll be sticking with honey and other natural syrups from now on.

whovous said:

You make a simple syrup like you said. Wish I'd known that when I tried simply stirring. Some bottles were barely carbonated, and some geysered when I opened them. Just stirring will not apportion the honey evenly.

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Thanks. That made the most sense to me. I didn't want to assume though so I thought I would ask.

Per Brooklyn Brew Shop, 1/2 cup water with 3 Tablespoons of honey or Maple syrup devolved for a gallon of beer.

MadHomebrewer said:

The chocolate maple Porter is fantastic too!View attachment 274204

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That Chocolate Maple Porter is the first beer that I brewed, and I truly enjoyed it! Very good stuff, and I have already purchased the mix to make another batch, which I will allow to mature until about November....

IDoBleedBrew said:

Interesting that nearly every recipe I've read in their first book... they prime with honey with a few calling for maple syrup or agave nectar (3 tablespoons for the 1-gallon batches). I've never primed with honey... I've only primed with cane sugar. Is there anything special to note when priming with honey? With cane sugar, I created a simple syrup and then racked ontop of the syrup in the bottling bucket and then used a very gentle stir to incorporate before bottling. Honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc... are typically pretty thick and viscous. When priming, do you boil it with water as well to create a "simple syrup" like you do with cane sugar, or do you just rack right on top of the raw honey and gently stir?

Click to expand...

I don't boil any water, but I do warm it up, adding an equal amount of water to honey/maple syrup. I stir them together thoroughly in a pot, then rack the beer into that pot and give it a gentle swirl. It seems to work well, as all bottles have been carbonated; in fact, my problem seems to be a bit of over-carbonation. For a 1-batch gallon, they recommend 3 tablespoons of honey/maple syrup - but I tend to use 2 instead of 3 in order to prevent gushers.

I put the Kentucky Rye Brown Ale into the refrigerator yesterday morning in order to cold-crash until Saturday, when I will bottle it...while watching the Kentucky Derby!

I bottled this beer tonight, after almost a week of cold-crashing. I used two tablespoons of pure maple syrup as a priming sugar, and things went fairly well. Thanks to @JINKS, I've also got some great labels:



In a perfect world, a one-gallon batch will yield 10 bottles of beer, but my average has been about 9. This one had quite a bit of trub, and the yield was 8 bottles, with a half-bottle left for sampling.

This beer is quite good! medium-dark, malty and with a healthy kick from the rye malts and Kentucky rye whiskey. I'm looking forward to seeing how it is after bottling, when I expect that the charred oak will come out a bit.

We'll find out in about three weeks!

Well, it took a little longer than three weeks, due to things going on here and there, but I was finally able to sample this beer on Saturday; I may have missed the Kentucky Derby with it, but I was able to enjoy it as a new Triple Crown winner was crossing the finish line.

Impressions were great all-around. My previous beers from Brooklyn Brew Shop had been a bit over-carbonated, but I cut the priming sugar (maple syrup, in this case) down to 2 tablespoons (rather than the 3 tablespoons in the instructions), and it seems just about right. There was good carbonation, a well-represented head and a nice, toasty-looking brown colour to the beer. When I tasted it, I could definitely appreciate the spicy rye malt as well as the rustic quality of the Golding hops and Styrian Golding hops. The rye whiskey came through very nicely, as well, providing just a bit of a satisfying bite and a very nice warmth to the finish. The charred oak chips were there, but in a very subtle way.

My Chocolate Maple Porter and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Stout were both very good, but I was able to detects little signs here and there of my lack of experience. This beer was my first creation that - in my estimation - could have been made and sold by someone who actually knew what s/he was doing. All-in-all, I found this one to be my most successful beer yet, and regret that it was a limited run from Brooklyn Brew Shop; luckily, it should be easy to replicate in the future. My yield for this batch was 8 bottles; I had one and so did my dad, and I'll be saving the remaining 6 for special occasions.

As I type this, I am enjoying the last bottle from this batch.

I must say WOW ~ this beer has really come into its own! It was good before, but three months of bottle conditioning have certainly made it even better, with nearly every quality showing huge improvement over an already-nice result. A creamy, long-lasting head that beautifully laces the frosted mug; a warm, nut-brown colour, somewhere between caramel and coffee; a malty, toasted, toffee-like flavour highlighted by a bright spiciness from the rye and a comfortable, outdoorsy bitterness from the hops and finished with a warm kiss of velvetine smoke, brought by the charred oak and Kentucky whiskey.

Too bad it was a limited run, but hopefully, I can recreate it one day. It is definitely worth it.

I've paid a lot for much worse, and can't recall any better - I'll call it a success!