Brown Ale Recipe, what do you think?

[wjjohnson]

I havent brewed a brown ale and came up with this off the top of my head, so let me know whats up, should I add or take some stuff out? Thanks all!

9lbs 2-row Malt
1lb Munich Malt
.5lb chocolate malt
.5lb biscuit malt
.5lb cara munich
.5lb crystal 120
.5lb rolled oats

1oz Northern Brewer 60min
1oz Spalt 15min
1oz fuggels 15min

1 pack of notty yeast

How does it sound for a brown???

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

I don't know if I would put oats there, but it depends on close you want to follow the style guidelines. Seems like the OG might be a bit high, what are you shooting for?

 

[wjjohnson]

Well, I dont want too high of a gravity, I can leave out the oats thats not a problem. I would like a normalish brown ale that my wife can actully drink, she like new castle. Something close to that as possible. Thanks!

 

[Bob]

You want Newcastle? BierMuncher's Aberdeen Brown Ale is Teh Awsum.

Unfortunately, it means you're going to have to change everything about your recipe.

Feedback on your recipe, in no particular order of importance:

- I wouldn't add Munich and Biscuit. I'd opt for Munich.
- Choose Spalt or Fuggles, but don't use both. I prefer Fuggles in Brown Ale.
- A half pound is far too much 120L Crystal, especially since you're also including CaraMunich. Reduce to 4 oz.
- That much oats won't harm anything, but I don't think it's going to do much at all. I'd swap it for at least a half-pound of wheat malt. Matter of fact, I recommend dropping the oats and Biscuit and replacing them with a pound of wheat malt. Won't screw with your clarity and will positively impact foam formation and retention.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Without doing the math i would say that grain bill would give you around 1.070 OG in a five gallon batch. 1.055 is about the max for the style, according to Ray Daniels anyway. I brew my Brown to 1.050 and have the IBU's at about 20, I used about an 1.5 oz total of Hops(Sterling,Cascade & Yakima Goldings) Here's what I would do...

7 lbs 2-Row
.5lb Cara Munich
.25lb Chocolate
.25lb Crystal 120
.5lb Biscuit

1oz Northern Brewer 60 min
.5oz Spalt 15 min
.5oz Fuggle 15 min

That should get you within the style. I haven't had Newcastle in a long time so I'm not really sure how it would compare.