Brown Ale - Recipe Help

[KozHops]

I want to try to make a moderately hoppy brown ale for the fall. I have brewed a few complex beers lately and want to do something simple. I'm starting to find that beers that fall in right around 6% are where I like them to be. Enough of a malty backbone to support the beer but abv low enough to indulge in a few.

Estimated OG: 1.066
Estimated FG: 1.016
IBU: 43
SRM 26
BU:GU - .65


10# 2-Row
1.5# C-60
1# Brown Malt
1# Flaked Oats
.5# Chocolate Malt

1 oz Centennial @ 60
1 oz Cascade @ 15
.5 oz Willamette @15
1 oz Cascade @ 5
.5 oz Willamette @ 5

Yeast: Safale S-04
Mash @ 154 for 60 mins. Ferment 21 days and then bottle.

I guess the question here is with 43 IBU, will I still get the chocolate, coffee and caramel notes from the malt. Are the cascades a good choice for this? I have goldings I could use to give it a less citrus hop profile.

Also, will the brown + chocolate malt provide too much of a roast?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[permo]

I would cut the brown malt in half and leave everything as is. You may want to mash just a hair lower to encourage the WLP002 to attenuate to get your beer in that 1.014 or so range....just what I would do.

 

[PantherCity]

I would cut the C-60 down to .75# or 1 #

 

[jfr1111]

I would cut the brown if it were me and reduce the crystal too. Brown malt can be used in a brown, but it tastes like dirt and dry crackers to me: amber or special roast are way better alternatives. A pound of oat might also be pushing it. Half a pound or even a quarter of a pound will be enough to get some silkyness in the mouthfeel.

 

[KozHops]

Ok - thanks guys. I'm actually thinking about completely cutting the brown malt out at this point. I use it in a porter I do so I think I'll just save it for that. I'll cut the crystal and may get rid of the oats completely.

Do the hops look ok?

 

[jfr1111]

To me the late hopping looks a little bit intense, but I have little to no experience brewing or drinking American styled ales. It depends on how hoppy you like it. Goldings are my favourite finishing hop, but I don't think they would mesh all that well with the Cascade. I've tried it once in an amber and its floral qualities were overwhelmed by the grapefruity/citrusy cascade both in taste and in aroma.

Willamette I like a lot too. A combo of Willamette and Goldings would be tasty since the Willamette has that tree bark, earthy, spicy thing going on. I'm trying to picture myself drinking a lush, malty brown ale with citrusy hops and it doesn't "click" in my head, but what do I know ?

 

[KozHops]

I'm kind of with you. The ideas for the cascade came from the "Old Brown Dog" from Smuttynose (my favorite brown ale).

I think I'll go 1 oz of Willamette @ 20 and 1 oz of Goldings @ 10 and hopefully let the malt come through in the finish.

Here it is:

10# 2-Row
1# C-60
.5# Chocolate Malt
.5# Torrified Wheat

.25 oz Warrior @ 60
1 oz Willamette @ 20
1 oz Goldings @10

Yeast: Safale S-04
Mash @ 152 for 60 mins. Ferment 21 days and then bottle.

 

[jfr1111]

I'm kind of with you. The ideas for the cascade came from the "Old Brown Dog" from Smuttynose (my favorite brown ale).

I think I'll go 1 oz of Willamette @ 20 and 1 oz of Goldings @ 10 and hopefully let the malt come through in the finish.

Here it is:

10# 2-Row
1# C-60
.5# Chocolate Malt
.5# Torrified Wheat

.25 oz Warrior @ 60
1 oz Willamette @ 20
1 oz Goldings @10

Yeast: Safale S-04
Mash @ 152 for 60 mins. Ferment 21 days and then bottle.

Simple and elegant if I say so myself. I just hope I didn't scare you out of using Cascade. I know a lot of breweries use them in their American Brown ales as you said.

 

[KozHops]

Nah, it makes sense. I was shooting for simple and as always I get these ideas that I need to throw in the every ingredient that "might" work. I think this is pretty simple. Goldings will give a little floral quality at the end?

 

[jfr1111]

Nah, it makes sense. I was shooting for simple and as always I get these ideas that I need to throw in the every ingredient that "might" work. I think this is pretty simple. Goldings will give a little floral quality at the end?

Goldings are very fragrant and floral. Move your addition to flameout if you want more aroma, but 10 minutes should be a good compromise between flavour and aroma. Fuggles would also be a nice hop to use next time if you want something more woody, earthy and grassy.

 

[KozHops]

That is great to know. I might knock them down to 5 mins or flameout.

Last question, I wanted to a little coffee to come thriugh in this beer. Will the chocolate do that or should a iadd a little amber malt or something? The wife loves the choco/coffee mix.

 

[jfr1111]

That is great to know. I might knock them down to 5 mins or flameout.

Last question, I wanted to a little coffee to come thriugh in this beer. Will the chocolate do that or should a iadd a little amber malt or something? The wife loves the choco/coffee mix.

Roasted barley will give you coffee notes. Chocolate malt, especially the UK version, has a nutty, roasty, bitter cocoa thing going on, but no coffee (or chocolate for that matter). Amber malt also has some cocoa and dryness to it, but is way more bready. Roasted barley would make the beer flirt with the stout style, but you could certainly try it. A few % of it (2-3?) might be enough.

Don't forget to lower your level of choc malt accordingly, both for color and flavour though.

If I were you, I'd brew as is though. That recipe looks tasty.

 

[KozHops]

Yeah, I think I'll save the coffee flavors for another brew and go at this as-is. Thanks for the help jfr, you've been a great help.