Yea or Nay my Northern Brown Ale recipe

[IRmeterman]

I made this up for my next brew. The extensive list of malts is so that I can clear out my specialty grains. Out with the old, in with the new!

Style: Northern Brown Ale
Name: Don't know yet
Batch size: 10 gallons
Color: 16 SRM
Bitterness: 15 IBUS
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.010
Alcohol: 5.0 %

Grains:
9 lbs 2-row
2 lbs Biscuit malt
2 lbs Amber malt
1 lb 40 deg crystal
1.5 lbs 90 deg crystal
2 lbs carapils

Mash @ 152 for 60 minutes.

Boil 60 minutes
1.0 oz Goldings 60 minutes
1.0 oz Goldings 15 minutes

Wyeast 1098 1 gallon starter.

What say you HBTers? Yea or Nay! What would you change? In addition to what's in the recipe I have Chocolate, Vienna, 10 deg crystal, and a little wheat malt on hand. Aside from EKG, the only hops I have are Saaz, but I can get some fresh hops if the EKG is way off base.

 

[BeezBrew]

I would up your IBU's a bit, a little low for the style. Get it up to at least 20 IBUs.

 

[Beerrific]

That is a lot of biscuit and a lot of crystal malt.

I would use like 8oz of the biscuit. I don't know much about Amber malt. The 40L is OK. Cut the 90L back, a lot. Maybe 8oz of that. You need some chocolate (something highly roasted) in a brown. Maybe 2oz. I think that will get you closer.

 

[IRmeterman]

Maybe I'll put some of the amber in the toaster oven for 30 minutes... I do love the smell of roasting malts.

 

[svraines]

Yea!

+1 to up IBUs a touch to balance the sweetness

 

[david_42]

I'd push the IBUs to 30-35 and add 1/2 lb of chocolate. With all that crystal, it will be too sweet otherwise.

 

[IRmeterman]

I think I will add more hops, but only up to 20-22 IBUS. Over 30 and it's off-style. Problem is, I only have Saaz on hand.

Figure add 0.5 oz saaz for 60 mins?

Adding choco might make it darker than I want, plus I'm gonna save it for a porter .

 

[permo]

cut the biscuit in half, cut the carapils to 8 oz and you have a very tasty brew. I would personally leave hop schedule right where it is, if you cut the pils and biscuit. You will end up with something very similar to new belgiums fat tire actually.

 

[jmo88]

Your biscuit, amber, c-90, and carapils is double what it should be. Maris Otter as a base malt is also a better choice. Throw in a few ounces of chocolate, like 4oz tops, otherwise it's not really a brown. I like the hop schedule but I'd sub challenger or target for the bittering to raise the IBU if you have that option, 15 is lower than I'd like. You'll find it a bit too malty and unbalanced, especially with the original grain bill..... And why such a large starter? If you want it to taste English than make a 1 liter starter. Hope that helps

 

[david_42]

American-Style Brown Ale
American brown ales range from deep copper to brown in color. Roasted malt caramel like and chocolate like characters should
be of medium intensity in both flavor and aroma. American brown ales have an evident hop aroma, medium to high hop bitterness,
low to medium hop flavor and a medium body. Estery and fruity-ester characters should be subdued; diacetyl should not be
perceived. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.
Original Gravity (ºPlato):
1.040-1.060 (10-15 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato):
1.010-1.018 (2.5-4.5 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume):
3.3-5.0% (4-6.4%)
Bitterness (IBU): 25-45
Color SRM (EBC): 15-26 (30-52 EBC)

 

[Freezeblade]

Grains:
9 lbs 2-row (51.4%)
2 lbs Biscuit malt (11.4%)
2 lbs Amber malt (11.4%)
1 lb 40 deg crystal (5.7%)
1.5 lbs 90 deg crystal (8.6%)
2 lbs carapils (11.4%)

(percentages added)
Ok, so lets look at percentages here. starting with crystal malts (carapils is a crystal malt as well) 11.4 + 8.6 + 5.7 = 25.7% crystal

This is WAY too high, I would not exceed 12% crystal in any recipe. The percentage of pale malt is far too low, and you're missing chocolate malt. Here is what I'd do with that in mind and keeping to the spirit of your original recipe. (10 gallon recipe still)

10# 2row (UK) [66.7%]
1.5# Amber Malt [10%]
1# Biscuit malt [6.7%]
1# Crystal 90 [6.7%]
.5# Crystal 40 [3.3%]
.5# Chocolate Malt (UK) [3.3%]
.5# Flaked Barley [3.3%]

I dropped the carapils because I really think it's not a needed ingredient, as with 10% crystal this recipe now has, it will do the same thing, and I threw in the flaked barley (although flaked wheat would do the same thing here) just in case, for head thickness and foam retention. I have found a little bit of flaked grains work wonders instead of carapils, which I really dislike, but this is preference of course. The chocolate malt was added because you really do need it in a brown malt, and the UK chocolate in particular just gives it that "English" taste, IMHO. Depending on what you get for efficiency you could up the base malt a little.

Granted, if this were completely my recipe, I wouldn't have nearly as much biscuit/amber malt, but you seem to want that so I left it in. This thing's going to be super toasty-biscuity, and if that's what you're shooting for, awesome.

YMMV

 

[IRmeterman]

Thanks everyone for the input!

OK I've revised the recipe. Here is the new one.

Style: Northern Brown Ale
Name: Don't know yet
Batch size: 10 gallons
Color: 17 SRM
Bitterness: 22 IBUS
OG: 1.047
FG: 1.010
Alcohol: 4.8 %

Grains:
12 lbs 2-row
1 lbs Biscuit malt
1 lbs Amber malt
1 lbs 90 deg crystal
6 oz. Chocolate Malt

Mash @ 152 for 60 minutes.

Boil 60 minutes
1.0 oz Goldings, 0.75 oz Saaz 60 minutes
1.0 oz Goldings 15 minutes

Wyeast 1098 1 litre starter.

I think some ppl thought I was going for an American Brown Ale. This is a Northern Brown Ale, an English Ale.

I know, I know I should be using MO instead of 2-row. But this is what I have. Same goes for the Saaz.

Time to fire up the grain mill!

 

[IRmeterman]

Follow up. Drank the last bottle of this yesterday (it was hiding in the back of the fridge). It was really good. Lots of malt character and biscuitiness.