Critique my Nut Brown Ale extract recipe please

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Needsanamebrewery

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36.00 oz Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 32.43 %
60.00 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 54.05 %
6.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.41 %
5.00 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4.50 %
4.00 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 3.60 %
1.25 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 20.9 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 4.6 IBU
1 Pkgs Ringwood Ale (Wyeast Labs #1187) [Starter 125 ml] Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.39 %
Bitterness: 25.5 IBU

I played around with Beersmith and came up with the above recipe for a Nut Brown Ale. The Est FG is just a little higher for the style but I couldn't figure out how to get it down. I'm sure it will make drinkable beer; question is, does anybody see any glaringly obvious mistakes in the recipe? I realize that Victory should be mashed, but I plan to steep it. Will any flavor be extracted or am I just throwing grain into hot water for nothing?

Thanks in advance.
 
I've steeped Victory before and had good results. The recipe sounds pretty tasty!

I plugged the ingredients into ProMash and came up with:

OG: 1.049
IBU: 28.2
SRM: 15

The SRM is in-style for Northern English Brown Ale. Maybe another ounce or two of Chocolate...?

I think you're on to a pretty tasty beer! Ringwood can be a real pain, though it can be dealt with if you pay attention. It produces quite a lot of diacetyl, and has a bad habit of quitting before the fermentation is complete. Keep an eye on it; when the krausen starts to fall, take a gravity. If you're not at least 65% attenuated, gently swirl the carboy to get Ringwood back into suspension.

I love the flavors Ringwood provides. Prost! to you for trying it!

Cheers,

Bob
 
Wyeast says diacetyl rest is recommended with Ringwood and they are not kidding. I would say at least a couple of extra weeks in the bottle after using that yeast.
 
Thanks guys for the advice, and especially for the heads up on the diacetyl rest with the Ringwood yeast. I think the plan will be to do a not-quite-thorough-diacetyl-rest; I'd like to retain just a tiny hint of diacetyl flavor. I'll be sure to let you know how it comes out.
 
Believe me, even with a good, long diacetyl rest, you're gonna have more than a tiny hint of diacetyl. If you want an commercial example, try a bottle of a Shipyard beer if you can get it.

But don't let that frighten you! I love Ringwood! My advice would be to design your procedure as though you didn't want any diacetyl in the finished beer at all; that ought to tame Ringwood to "barely-discernible" diacetyl levels.

Bob
 
Thanks, AZ. I worked waaaay too long in a Ringwood microbrewery to not have learnt something. ;)

Ringwood has a very unique and wonderful flavor profile which I adore, but there's a reason even Wyeast calls it "notorious".

Bob
 
Thanks again Bob for the heads up. I'll be brewing this on Saturday. I plan to ferment it @~65* and keep a close eye on it. When it ferments out, I'll bring the temp up to ~74* and let it sit for a week to ten days. Then an extra couple of weeks in the bottles. I'll be sure to report my results.
 
UPDATE: After a month in the primary, we bottled this baby last night. OG was 1.052 and FG was 1.015. Bob, I took your advice and added another 2 oz chocolate.

The Ringwood behaved quite admirably. After week one in the primary I gave the bucket a little swirl lest the little buggers were thinking of going to sleep. After week two I took a hydro: 1.015. Dead on target. Hopefully during the last two weeks they did their job with the diacetyl.

In honor of the bottling, my brewbuddy and I were drinking Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale. "Wow", my brewbuddy said as he was sampling the hydro, "these taste just about the same". I wouldn't go as far as just about the same, but it was damn sure tasty!

The only (minor) issue is that it will be a little more carbonated than I wanted because I planned on five gallons going into the bottle but got just over four because I wasn't paying attention when we were racking and left more beer on the trub than I intended.

Look for another update in about a month. :mug:
 
Well last night I finally popped the top on the first of these puppies. They have been conditioning away for > 2 months at about 55*.

The bad news is that when I popped the top, it was a gusher.

The good news is that the half of it I got to drink was ABSO-FREAKIN-UNBELIEVABLY-GOOD. It was chock-full of flavor. I couldn't detect any any butterscotch from the diacetyl, but I could definitely detect the slick mouthfeel. It was very smooth and well balanced. This is the first beer I've ever made that didn't taste homemade, if you know what I mean.

I wouldn't be afraid to pour one for anybody. I just wouldn't want them to see me have to pour two of them to get 12 ozs in the glass.......
 
I'm gonna revive this thread because brown ales are my fav and I'm wanting to research several recipes before I make my next batch.
So if you can remember that far back, tell us how the rest of your bottles were.
Were they all gushers?
What would you do different if you made this recipe again?
You ended up using 6 oz choc malt correct?
 
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