Critique my brown ale recipe

[masterjw]

Hello everyone!

Hoping to get a little feedback on a batch of Brown Ale I'm about to brew. This is only my second batch that I've put together from scratch and I'm still kind of learning as I go. I've already purchased everything, so I don't think I'll be changing anything from an ingredient standpoint for this round (it's raining today so it's a perfect day to brew). But I've never done a Brown Ale before so I'm a little unsure what to expect. I'm hoping for something like a Nut Brown.

3.3 lbs. Pale LME
2.0 lbs. Dark DME

Specialty Grains (steep @ 155 F for 30 minutes):
1.0 lbs. Special B
0.5 lbs Caramunich III
0.5 lbs Gambrinus Honey
0.25 lbs. Chocolate

Hops:
1.0 oz. Fuggles @ 60 minutes
1.0 oz. Fuggles @ 15 minutes

Irish Moss @ 10 minutes

Yeast:
WLP005 British Ale Yeast

Does this look alright, or is it way off base for the style? I tried to do some homework beforehand, but was somewhat limited by what my LHBS had in stock. Any thoughts on how much of a nutty flavor I can expect? Any input on grain choices, hops and addition times, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks, and happy brewing!

 

[Fedora]

If it were me, I would halve the amount of Special B and double the chocolate. But thats just me. Did you use any brewing software to formulate this recipe? Seems like it's gonna be quite dark. Sounds tasty nevertheless. Happy brew day.

 

[masterjw]

Yes, I used BeerSmith to put the recipe together. It had me pegged somewhere around the middle of the road on color for the style, but the result does look quite dark in my carboy. Guess we'll see how it looks once it's ready.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Yooper]

I'd ditch the dark DME, and go with all light, as the dark DME has other ingredients like crystal malt and black malt(?) but you don't know what, and you are probably doubling up on some items.

I'd use far less special B, as it has a distinctive flavor that is nice but too much is just too much, if that makes sense.

Unless you have quite a sweet tooth, I would not use that much special B, caramunich III, AND that much honey malt. That, combined with the dark extract, will make a very 'thick' and cloyingly sweet beer.

The chocolate can be pretty roasty, but an amount of 4 oz, that's fine.

 

[Yooper]

Yes, I used BeerSmith to put the recipe together. It had me pegged somewhere around the middle of the road on color for the style, but the result does look quite dark in my carboy. Guess we'll see how it looks once it's ready.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Oh, it's already brewed? Kind of late now to change the recipe, I"m afraid!

 

[Fedora]

It always looks darker in the carboy than in the glass. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[masterjw]

Yes, too late to change for this batch. Posting the recipe here was kind of an afterthought. But at least I can use the input to try to make improvements on the second try.