Simple Brown Input Please.

[vance71975]

Simple brown Ale



Type: Extract
Date: 7/19/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Vance
Boil Size: 5.72 gal Asst Brewer: Robyn
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.00 lb Dark Liquid Extract (17.5 SRM) Extract 80.00 %
2.00 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 15.2 IBU
3.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (30 min) Hops 11.7 IBU
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (10 min) Hops 5.5 IBU
5.00 gal Burton On Trent, UK Water
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.92 %
Bitterness: 32.4 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 18.1 SRM Color: Color





Steep grains (30-60 minutes)

[gestyr]

A few suggestions:

1. Since you don't know what all is in the dark LME, why not use Light or Extra Light LME.
2. You are already steeping the honey malt, to get some carmel type flavor try steeping some mid range crystal malt.
3. Steep some chocolate malt to darken the color and add that flavor element.

Just some thoughts. :)

[markaberrant]

That is an insane amount of late hops.

[BrewDog]

+1 on building your dark beer from known specialty grains
Try this instead:

8 lbs pale malt extract
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
1/4 lb Crystal 120
1/2 lb Crystal 40
1/2 lb Victory Malt
1/2 lb Honey Malt

[vance71975]

That is an insane amount of late hops.

im a hophead ill admit it lol

[vance71975]

+1 on building your dark beer from known specialty grains
Try this instead:

8 lbs pale malt extract
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
1/4 lb Crystal 120
1/2 lb Crystal 40
1/2 lb Victory Malt
1/2 lb Honey Malt

thnanks for the input ill give it a try!

[BrewDog]

Yeah, I'd cut the dry hops in half. Roasted malts lend a subtle vegetal component by themselves. Adding that much dry hop will make this taste very "cabbagy".

Oh, and you want to finish your boil with about 5 1/2 gallons so that there is enough wort that you can leave the break material in the boil pot.

IMO, full "Burtonization" of the water is also overdoing it. You don't need to go that far. Half the amount of Burton salts will provide plenty of character and produce a cleaner, less minerally, more enjoyable beer. A tablespoon of Gypsum in our soft water here in Seattle is plenty for a 5 gallon batch.

HTH-

[Beer Martin]

Though, with the amount of hops your using you may not be able to perceive the difference, I'd use London ESB yeast instead of Nottingham. It gives a light fruity character I find pleasant in most English styles of beer.

If you want an intensely hop flavored ale that's fine, but I would remove the 60 minute hop addition all together. You're really only adding bitterness and no flavor or aroma with that addition. Your current recipe would make a beer that I would consider far too bitter. You have enough bitterness with the 30 and 10 minute additions to balance the malt. You'd maintain your intended hop flavor/aroma without it being overly bitter.

*edit* After some review, I guess if you don't do full boils you might be ok on the biterness front. If you intend to boil the whole 5 gallons I wouldn't use the 60 minute addition.
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[HogieWan]

im a hophead ill admit it lol

but you asked about a "simple brown" - this is a brown IPA

[corkybstewart]

but you asked about a "simple brown" - this is a brown IPA
My thoughts exactly. I have a couple of good simple brown recipes, but they only require 2 or 3 malts and a couple of simple hop additions.
I would re-do the hops like this:
2 ozs 60 min
1 oz 20 min
1 oz at flameout
dryhop with 2 oz or less

[nelstrodomus]

Use the lightest extract available - sans pilsner. I'd keep the chocolate, victory and crystal 40, and hop schedules as mentioned above. Simple is generally better. Nottingham is one of my faves for darker ales.