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Gordon Strong’s British Brown Ale

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:55:37 +0000

recipe

Gordon Strong’s British Brown Ale

By Gordon Strong | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.009
IBU = 21 SRM = 18 ABV = 4.9%

Ingredients

5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Maris Otter malt
2 lbs. (907 g) Golden Promise malt
1 lb. (454 g) Torrified wheat
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. Crystal malt (65 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) U.K. Crystal malt (45 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) chocolate malt
5 AAU Goldings hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Goldings hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz/14 g at 5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Goldings hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III), Omega Yeast Labs OYL-011 (British Ale V), or LalBrew Verdant IPA yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step

This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash.

This recipe uses an infusion mash. Use enough water to have a moderately thick mash (1.5 qts./lb. or 3.1 L/kg). Mash in the pale malts at 151 °F (66 °C) and hold for 60 minutes. Add the crystal and chocolate malts, stir, begin recirculating, raise the mash temperature to 169 °F (76 °C), and recirculate for 15 minutes.

Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort.

Boil the wort for 75 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.

Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and allow to ferment until complete.

Rack the beer, prime and bottle (or cask) condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Extract With Grains

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.009
IBU = 21 SRM = 18 ABV = 4.9%

Ingredients

5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pale liquid malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) Carapils® malt
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. Crystal malt (65 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) U.K. Crystal malt (45 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) chocolate malt
5 AAU Goldings hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Goldings hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz/14 g at 5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Goldings hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III), Omega Yeast Labs OYL-011 (British Ale V), or LalBrew Verdant IPA yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step By Step

Steep the grains for 30 minutes. Remove and rinse. Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated.

Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and allow to ferment until complete.

Rack the beer, prime and bottle (or cask) condition, or keg and force carbonate.

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British Brown Ale

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:54:07 +0000

article

British Brown Ale

By Gordon Strong | Add to Favorites

English brown ale has a special place in my heart since it was one of the first styles that I discovered when I was learning about craft beer (so long ago, that it wasn’t called craft beer) and was the first beer that I made as a homebrewer. When I became a judge, I often asked to not judge English brown ales because they were often the first beer a brewer made, and as such, were often problematic. I long for those days, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the style.

As a new beer geek, I learned that English brown ales came primarily in two varieties, northern and southern, and the northern English brown ale was the kind I liked best. The most popular example was Newcastle Brown Ale (Newcastle is indeed in the northeast of England, almost to Scotland), but Samuel Smiths also made a delicious Nut Brown Ale that was easy to find. I came to understand that nut brown ale was another name for northern English brown ale. Much later, I tasted a Mann’s Brown Ale on a visit to the U.K. and found it very sweet and dark, almost like a small sweet stout. Certainly, these two brown ales were quite different.

But then the story got more complicated. I kept trying different brown ales, but they didn’t always fit into these two categories. Things like Black Sheep Riggwelter, which was called a Yorkshire dark ale. The more examples I tried, especially while in England, seemed to be less like either of the two exemplars of style. Newcastle and Mann’s seemed to be outliers, while a larger body of beers was generally ignored.

When the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) reorganized the style guidelines in 2015, the northern English brown ale was expanded to include the larger range of brown ales, but the sweeter southern style was moved to the historical category and renamed as London brown ale, which reflects its roots. To show that these beers are not exclusively English, the more expansive British name is used, which also helps signal that the styles had changed between the 2008 and 2015 guidelines.

The BJCP currently categorizes British brown ale as Style 13B in the Brown British Beer category along with dark mild and English porter. These beers are not historically related, but they do have some similar flavors that makes them easy to judge together.

History

In Amber, Gold, & Black, English beer writer Martyn Cornell calls brown ale “one of the oldest styles of British beer.” While that is almost certainly true (recall that Porter replaced brown beer in the London area starting around the 1720s — so, London brown beer was popular in the 1600s), what we think of today as British brown ale is not the same beer. Current British beers have their origin in 20th century United Kingdom, not in the 17th century Kingdom of Great Britain.

Brown beer was originally an urban beer that was the main style in London at the end of the 1600s. It’s helpful to call it a beer at this time since it implies that it was a hopped style, not an unhopped (or lightly hopped) ale. It didn’t exactly have a great reputation, so it was eventually displaced by porter (and later stout) in Britain and Ireland by the 1750s or so. While it was likely sent to colonies in America at the time, it became mostly a dead style in Britain until modern versions resurrected the name.

Around 1902, Mann’s created a sweet, bottled brown ale of low alcohol in London. Nut brown ales started appearing around the 1920s in London with breweries such as Truman’s, Whitbread, and Young’s producing examples. Newcastle began production of a blended, bottled, tan-colored beer in 1927. Despite its light color, it was called Brown Ale. Other good examples followed, such as Vaux Double Maxim and Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale. While sometimes available on draft, these beers were mainly a bottled product. Stronger examples existed as double brown ales, but the style wasn’t immune to reductions in gravity during WWII.

Brown ale in the U.K. declined along with other darker beers like mild in the 1960s. Beer writer Michael Jackson helped introduce the style to the U.S. (and the rest of the world), and it became a popular style made in microbreweries during the early craft era in the U.S. Some breweries made examples that paid homage to the U.K. style, while others began experimenting with a newer, hoppier version. Pete’s Wicked Ale was one of the first of an American brown ale style, but was originally meant as an English brown ale, just with extra hops. It tasted great, and helped launch a style that today has examples such as Brooklyn Brown Ale. A good modern example of a U.S. beer brewed in the English style is Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale.

Ironically, many U.S. brown ales are lighter in hops, so are actually fairly close to U.K. examples, except often higher in alcohol. Hoppier and stronger brown ales in the U.S. are probably better described as brown IPAs. But the original English brown ales can still be found in bars and breweries where customers appreciate a range of styles.

Sensory Profile

The name British brown ale gives some initial clues about what to expect. It should be a brown-ish beer (perhaps lighter, as light as a dark amber), and it should have a British ale character in its malt, hops, and yeast. The color is more typically a coppery brown with reddish highlights, with a low off-white to tan head. The beer should not be opaque, and it should have good clarity.

The malt expresses itself as a sweet, nutty, or toffee-like aroma, sometimes with light chocolate notes, and a supporting caramel quality. Light hops with a floral or earthy character may be present, as can fruity esters be supportive. Both hops and esters should be of lower intensity than the malt.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with a gentle to moderate malt sweetness on the palate. The finish should be medium to dry, with medium to medium-low bitterness giving a balanced or slightly malty impression in the finish and aftertaste. The malt flavors tend to linger and have nutty, toasty, biscuity, toffee-like, or slightly chocolate-y qualities. Similar to the aroma, hops and esters are optional but supportive if present.

There is nothing really remarkable about the mouthfeel. This is a standard strength beer, so it shouldn’t have noticeable alcohol warmth. It has a medium-light to medium body, not something heavy or chewy. And the carbonation is moderate to moderately high, enough to be refreshing as a bottled product, not a lower-carbonation product intended for draft consumption.

I think important qualities are drinkability and balanced flavors. It should not be watery or thin, but also should not be thick or viscous. Flavors should be balanced and nuanced, not aggressive or sharp. But it should have noticeable flavor and aroma. It should not have strongly roasted flavors, and I find chocolate flavors to be mild if present. A wide range of interpretations is possible, so judges should allow for interpretation by the brewer to produce something interesting.

Brewing Ingredients and Methods

Traditional British ingredients and methods are appropriate for this style. British malts, hops, and yeast will produce good results, and brewing sugars and adjuncts should not be frowned upon. Not all British ingredients are readily available to American homebrewers, so some substitution can give similar results as long as proper care is given to their use.

British pale ale base malt is common, although the more dextrinous and highly kilned mild malt is a favorite of mine. Blending base malts can give good flavor results as well. Using a British Maris Otter malt will give a bready and biscuity base, although I’ll happily use Golden Promise as well. If mild malt isn’t available, I’ll often mix a pale ale malt with a Vienna malt to approximate it.

Flaked maize or torrified wheat can be used as starchy adjuncts (up to 10% of the grist). Other flaked grains like wheat or oats could be used in light amounts for body. I tend to avoid amber and brown malts as they can often provide too much of a drying, heavily toasted flavor; this is a personal preference, however. When I have made brown ales using brown malt, they tend to taste too porter-like to me.

I see crystal malts and brewing sugars to be somewhat equivalent in that they are used to provide flavor and color. Darker malts are unusual in higher concentration, although I have found a light amount of chocolate malt gives a nutty flavor without getting too chocolate-y. As this is a 20th century beer, crystal malts are appropriate to use, but darker invert brewing sugars could also be included. Darker malts can be used to adjust color, including ruby highlights, but I don’t find they are necessary. I worry about their flavor contributions, as well as drying effects on the finish.

Hopping should be at a low enough level that there isn’t a major flavor impact, so virtually any varieties can be used. I would avoid citrusy or too trendy a hop, and go with traditional English varieties. Fuggle and Goldings are usually my choice, as they can provide earthy and floral flavors. I would use a bittering addition, and possibly a small flavor/aroma addition. The bitterness level depends somewhat on the flavor profile and the residual sweetness (final gravity) of the beer. More flavor and sweetness can support more bitterness; the perceived bitterness and balance is most important, and that’s hard to express as a single number.

Yeast, likewise, should be English in character. Fruity or malty ale strains would be more preferable than minerally or dry ones. Clean or lightly fruity American strains can be used, but the character malts would have to supply some additional fruity notes. Average to slightly warm fermentation temperatures can be used, but not so high as to start producing off-flavors. I often use the Fuller’s or Young’s strains (Wyeast 1968 or Wyeast 1318), but many choices are possible.

Brown ales typically don’t rely on water to influence character, although I would avoid water with high sulfates. If adding calcium salts, I would prefer calcium chloride to give the beer a rounder, sweeter, wetter malty balance and finish. A single infusion mash is traditionally British, and the conversion temperature can vary. I tend to prefer to mash around 151 °F (66 °C) to give the beer some dryness, but I also tend to use dextrinous base grains and crystal malts, which will give the beer some residual sweetness anyway.

Homebrew Example

I’m providing a relatively straightforward example using mostly British ingredients. The base malt is a mix of Maris Otter and Golden Promise, two of my favorite malts. I’m cutting the Maris Otter because I don’t want the beer to be too biscuity, but it’s certainly possible to use a more generic English pale ale malt. Torrified wheat provides some of the character flavor and a little body. Mid-range crystal malts provide some caramel flavors, and the light dose of chocolate malt gives enough of the nutty flavor without tasting overtly chocolate-like. I prefer to use English maltsters for the crystal and chocolate malt. A single infusion mash is very British, so I’ve used that approach.

The hops are almost an afterthought, but I’ll still go quality and use Goldings. Balancing the malt with a light bitterness is all I’m really after, but a light late hop character is pleasant as well. The yeast is a traditional malty English ale choice. Anything that doesn’t dry out too much is fine, and a lightly estery yeast is also a reasonable choice.

I’ve balanced the beer to be a little large for an English ale, which reflects the beer’s heritage as mostly a bottled product. I keep the IBUs on the low side since I think the beer should have a malty-to-even balance, but that’s my personal drinking preference. The color should come out a dark copper to light brown, but still not opaque. I like being able to see the clarity in this style. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I first discovered this style.

British Brown Ale by the Numbers

OG: 1.040–1.052
FG: 1.008–1.013
SRM: 12–22
IBU: 20–30
ABV: 4.2–5.9%

British Brown Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.009
IBU = 21 SRM = 18 ABV = 4.9%

Ingredients

Step by Step

This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash.

Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort.

Boil the wort for 75 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.

Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and allow to ferment until complete.

Rack the beer, prime and bottle (or cask) condition, or keg and force carbonate.

British Brown Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.009
IBU = 21 SRM = 18 ABV = 4.9%

Ingredients

Step by Step

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated.

Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C), pitch the yeast, and allow to ferment until complete.

Rack the beer, prime and bottle (or cask) condition, or keg and force carbonate.

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Shades of Brown

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:05:58 +0000

article

Shades of Brown

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

I was born in Yorkshire, U.K., and have lived half my life in Newcastle, so brown ale forms a big part of my brewing DNA with Sam Smith’s Nut Brown Ale and Newcastle Brown being two of the biggest beers of my two home counties.

The history of brown ale goes back centuries; before the invention of pale malt in the 1700s all beer was brown, although there are arguments as to exactly how dark the beer from brown malt a couple hundred years ago was. For a little time after the invention of pale malt, brown ales continued to be made with 100% brown malt,¹but soon brewers realized just how much more efficient pale malt was and so brown ales began to be made from blends of brown and pale malt. Before you all go and decide to try and make a historic brown ale using 100% brown malt though, brown malt from that period was quite different from modern brown malt in that today’s version is fired to such a degree that it has no diastatic ability. Historic brown malt was kilned over wood and so had a smoky character with enough diastatic ability to be used at 100% of the grist.

In strives to be even more efficient brewers eventually ditched brown malt almost entirely, shifting to a base of up to 100% pale malt and added color to their beer with either caramel syrups or small amounts of roasted or crystal malts. While solely using caramel syrup to color brown ales has largely fallen out of favor, it should be noted the practice continues to be used by a small number of traditional brewers and even Newcastle Brown Ale was made this way until 2015.²

A pale malt base with crystal malt and roasted malt additions for coloring takes us to our modern understanding of the basics of a brown ale recipe. However, there was a divergence in the style, a divergence caused by the Atlantic Ocean that split the style into the two most common sub styles: The British brown ale and the American brown ale. (For the purposes of this article I’m not discussing London brown ale, as I feel that’s more its own unique offshoot — whereas American brown ales were an evolution of the British or northern brown ale.)

The first beer that described itself as an “American brown” was Pete’s Wicked Ale in 1986, but the style was formally codified in the first Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines in 1997, which actually credits the style as an “adaptation by American homebrewers desiring higher alcohol and hop bittering levels to go along with the rich, malty character of all brown ales. Dark amber to dark brown color . . .” Not much has changed in this guideline over the years except the hop bittering: The current BJCP guidelines have both British and American brown ales at 20–30 IBUs, and while it states that American brown ales can have a medium hop aroma, it’s now an optional interpretation and the super-hopped browns are now categorized as brown IPAs.

It’s a blunt stereotype to say American brewers like their beers bigger, but there’s some truth to it. Give a beer style to an American and they’ll want it higher in ABV, packed with hoppy aroma, and when it comes to dark beers American brewers often make them darker, sweeter, and maltier. The original BJCP guidelines as much as says this outright — American brown ale became a style because of American homebrewers brewing instincts and personal tastes.

The BJCP style guidelines, however, set analytical boundaries and descriptions that brewers and particularly homebrewers gravitate towards following. The names are not a marker of where the beer is made — you get British brown ales brewed in the U.S. and American brown ales in the U.K. I would argue, however, that those same cultural drivers on style divergence have happened again. There is so much leeway in the guidelines that you could (and I will) make the argument that the two styles have effectively split into four: A British-American brown, an American-British brown, a British-British brown, and an American-American brown. Confused? Well come with me as we look at the ingredients set out in the BJCP guidelines and how brewers tend to approach them on either side of the Atlantic. We’ll also get some clone recipes supplied for some of the best examples of these styles.

Grain Bill and Mashing

British brown ales are specified as 12–22 SRM and an ABV of 4.2–5.4%. American browns are to style quite a bit darker and have a range with 18–35 SRM and a bigger ABV of 4.3–6.2%. Technically, then, when you have a beer at 18–22 SRM and 4.3–5.4% ABV it fits into both and could have a bit of an identity crisis, like Ozzy Osbourne when he sings in an American accent. This flexibility in the styles allows for what I’m talking about with the divergent approaches.

British-British browns will usually be the lower end of the SRM range, include 85–90% pale malt, with additions of brown, medium crystal, and Munich malts to make up the rest of the grist. You might even see a small addition of chocolate just to get it to the right color but not enough to impart any roasted character. American-British browns will rarely be the 12 SRM (usually pushing the 18), they’ll also be at the bigger end of the ABV, and chocolate malt is a lot more common and in higher quantities.

American-American browns will be strong, and will tend to push the color to porter levels of brown with higher amounts of chocolate malt (up to 10%) to achieve this. British-American browns will tend to be at the lower end of the American brown ale spectrum color-wise but will still need to use 3–4% chocolate malt or a lot of dark crystal to get up to the lower end of the American brown ale spectrum. All of these styles often use traditional English or American single-infusion mashes, as we’ll see in the following clone recipes.

Hops and Boiling

British-British brown ales tend towards British landrace hops like Fuggle and Goldings, but American-British browns can use American hops with similar earthy and floral aromas such as Willamette or Sterling. There should be just enough bitterness and aroma to balance the sweetness — this is not a hoppy style after all and the BJCP guidelines indicate 20-30 IBUs.

American browns have the same IBU range but hop character can have a lot more influence in this beer. The BJCP style guidelines are flexible on the matter though, saying that “some interpretations” of American brown ales are highly hopped; so Americans can be hoppy or not and still be to style. I’ve found that typically British-American browns tend towards the hoppy interpretation of the style. Any “American-style” for British brewers is associated with citrus-flavored, high-alpha hops so the likes of Citra^®, Simcoe^®, Cascade, or Ekuanot^® would be appropriate whereas American-American Browns tend towards the more lower hop version and focus on malt character, using hops such as Willamette, Sterling, or Nugget.

Yeast and Fermentation

British brown ales should have some fruity esters built into the character. The BJCP guidelines say low to moderate, but for me, I want a characterful British yeast like White Labs English Ale (WLP002) or Mangrove Jack’s Empire Ale yeast. I want lower attenuation to again end with a higher final gravity.

American brown ales have a similar guideline of very low to moderate esters, so you can still use a more characterful yeast but I believe if you’re going for the more hoppy interpretation of the style then a clean finishing yeast such as the Chico strain would be ideal.

To get a clearer picture of all of this, let’s take a look at some clone recipes that came straight from the brewers to better understand ingredient selection and brewing methods for creating these brown ale variations.

Contemporary Brown Ale Clones

I asked my editor for recommendations of American brown ales that are popular in the states and Cigar City Brewing Co.’s Maduro was a suggestion. However when I looked this beer up I saw it was marketed as a “Northwest English” brown ale. So we’re going to slot this into the so-called American-British brown ale category.

I spoke to Wayne Wambles, Brewmaster at Cigar City, who told me when he traveled to the U.K. and tried Sam Smith’s Nut Brown he was disappointed and wanted to make a beer that truly had a nutty character and so he made Maduro. Since then, despite never meaning it to be an American brown ale, it’s been hailed as one of the best examples of the style and at competitions it actually tends to do best if entered as a brown porter.

This is far darker than the BJCP guidelines for an English brown and pushes past the upper limit in terms of ABV, but it shows you cannot contain American brewing culture behind the bars of strict BJCP styles, that irresistible urge to push a beer bigger and bolder will not be stopped.

Cigar City Brewing Co.’s Maduro Brown Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.059 FG = 1.017
IBU = 25 SRM = 32 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients

8.25 lbs. (3.7 kg) Simpsons Extra Pale Ale Malt
1.4 lbs. (0.64 kg) Simpsons Crystal T50^TM malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked oats
15 oz. (425 g) Briess Victory® Malt
11 oz. (312 g) Simpsons Brown Malt*
5.5 oz. (156 g) chocolate malt
5.1 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
3.9 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.) (0.7 oz./20 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1335 (British Ale II), SafAle S-04, or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

*Be careful if substituting, at 170 SRM Simpsons Brown Malt is a lot darker than other brown malts. Coffee malt is an appropriate substitute.

Step by Step

Wayne suggested to mash a little higher than normal, so I’d mash in at 154 °F (68 °C); this will give you a higher final gravity and thicker mouthfeel. Mash the pale malt and oats for 40 minutes then stir in the crystal, Victory®, brown, and chocolate malts. Begin recirculation and slowly raise to mash out temperature of 168 °F (76 °C), hold for 5 minutes before beginning sparging.

Collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) wort in the kettle and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes adding the hops according to the ingredients list. After the boil, give a long stir to create a whirlpool then let the break material settle. Chill down to yeast-pitch temperature, about 66 °F (19 °C). Aerate if using a liquid yeast strain and then pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until terminal gravity reached, about one week. Condition for an additional week then transfer to a keg and force carbonate or bottle and prime to 2.4 v/v.

Partial mash option

Replace 6 lbs. (2.7 kg) of the extra pale malt with 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) of extra light dried malt extract. Place the extra pale malt, flaked oats, and Victory® malt in a large muslin bag then submerge in 2 gallons (7.6 L) hot water to stabilize at 154 °F (68 °C) and hold for 40 minutes. Add in the chocolate, brown, and crystal malts in a separate muslin bag and hold for 15 minutes. Remove both grain bags and place in a colander over the kettle. Slowly rinse the grains with 2 gallons (7.6 L) of hot water, then top off kettle to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract. Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe instructions.

Up next is what I’d call an American-American brown ale courtesy of Avery Brewing Co. Ellie’s Brown Ale is quite restrained in its color but a big addition of chocolate malt ensures a nutty, toffee, and lightly roasted character. This is definitely not the aggressively hopped version of an American brown; a slight amount of Sterling hops added late in the boil brings a slightly floral and spicy aroma to balance the sweetness. The London Ale yeast adds some fruity esters, but overall this is a beer that leans heavily into its malt bill.

Avery Brewing Co.’s Ellie’s Brown Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.014
IBU = 20 SRM = 24 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients

9.8 lbs. (4.5 kg) 2-row pale malt
12 oz. (340 g) chocolate malt
10 oz. (285 g) Munich malt
6.5 oz. (185 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
3.5 oz. (100 g) melanoidin malt
3.8 AAU Bullion hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7.6% alpha acids)*
1.6 AAU Sterling hops (30 min.) (0.33 oz./9 g at 5.1% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)
White Labs WLP013 (London Ale), Wyeast 1028(London Ale), or Mangrove Jack’s M13 (Empire Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup sugar (if priming)

*If you cannot find Bullion hops you may substitute with Nugget or Magnum.

Step by Step

Mashing the grains at 152 °F (67 °C) should be enough just to ensure you get that slightly higher final gravity. Mash all the grain together for 60 minutes before beginning lauter. Collect enough wort to boil for 60 minutes and obtain 5.25 gallons (20 L) of cooled wort in the fermenter.

After sparging, bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops according to the ingredients list. After the boil, give a long stir to create a whirlpool and let the break material settle for 10 minutes. Chill down to yeast-pitch temperature, about 66 °F (19 °C). Aerate if using a liquid yeast strain and then pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until terminal gravity reached, about one week. Condition for an additional week then transfer to keg and force carbonate or bottle and prime to 2.3 v/v.

Extract with grains option

Replace the 2-row pale and Munich malts with 5.4 lbs. (2.7 kg) of extra light dried malt extract and 8 oz. (230 g) of Munich dried malt extract. Add the chocolate, melanoidin, and crystal malts in a muslin bag and submerge in 4 gallons (15 L) of water as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grain bag, allowing to drip back into the kettle, then top off kettle to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract.

Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

Coming back to my side of the pond for what I’d call a British-British brown ale, Thornbridge and Bundobust’s collaborative Nut Brown Ale is an homage to the classic Sam Smith’s Nut Brown, the same beer that inspired Maduro, but you get a very different outcome. It is dark copper in color, with a grain bill all about building caramel flavor and a hint of chocolate malt for some of the darker toffee character, but not enough to add any roasted character. Eminently sessionable, this beer is designed for a long afternoon at the pub.

The recipe uses a slightly unconventional hop choice with Ernest, a British hop first bred in the late 1950s but never gaining mainstream appeal at the time due to its unpopular “American aroma” of apricot and citrus. With the popularity of such flavors in today’s craft beer landscape, Ernest has seen a recent resurgence.

Thornbridge Brewery & Bundobust Brewery’s Nut Brown Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.044 FG = 1.011
IBU = 25 SRM = 14 ABV = 4.3%

Ingredients

7 lbs. (3.2 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Munich malt
5.3 oz. (150 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
2.6 oz. (75 g) brown malt
2.6 oz. (75 g) chocolate malt
6.9 AAU Ernest hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 5.5% alpha acids)*
4.5 AAU Ernest hops (hopstand) (1.6 oz./45 g at 5.5% alpha acids)*
White Labs WLP037 (Yorkshire Square Ale), Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale), or SafAle S-04 yeast
1⁄2 cup corn sugar (if priming)

*If you can’t get hold of Ernest hops, Cascade hops would be a good substitute.

Step by Step

You don’t want as thick a mouthfeel for a British brown ale as you would for the previous examples, so mash in fairly low at 148–150 °F (65–66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes and confirm the saccharification step is complete with an iodine test before proceeding to the lauter steps. Sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) in your kettle.

Boil for a total of 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list. At the conclusion of the boil, cool the wort down to 185 °F (85 °C) and then halt cooling and add the hopstand addition of hops. Stir the wort and let stand for 20 minutes before chilling to yeast-pitch temperature.

Ferment on the warm end of the yeast range, about 72 °F (22 °C), to coax all the fruity esters out of the characterful Yorkshire ale yeast. Bring down 54 °F (12 °C) after primary fermentation is complete for maturation of a week or so prior to packaging.

This kind of classic British-style ale would normally be served on cask or bottled conditioned. Keg if you must, but if you bottle condition you’ll get the best out of this beer. Add 1⁄2 tsp. of priming sugar to each bottle (or 1⁄2 cup for the entire 5-gallon/19-L batch) for low carbonation and serve at cellar temperature.

Extract with grains option

Replace the 2-row pale and Munich malts with 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) of extra light dried malt extract and 12 oz. (340 g) of Munich dried malt extract. Add the chocolate, brown, and crystal malts in a muslin bag and submerge in 4 gallons (15 L) as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grain bag, allowing to drip back into the kettle, then top off kettle to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract.

Bring the wort up to a boil then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

Our last recipe is what I’d consider a British-American brown ale, named Barnum Brown from Neon Raptor. This is a good example of the hoppy version of the American brown ale style you tend to see from British craft brewers. A grain bill that could well be a British brown ale, but the star of the show is the New World hops adding a big hit of pine, spice, and citrus. The Chico yeast ensures a clean fermentation that allows these big hop flavors to shine.

Neon Raptor’s Barnum Brown clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.012
IBU = 18 SRM = 20 ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients

5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Golden Promise pale ale malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
8.3 oz. (235 g) Munich malt
8.3 oz. (235 g) brown malt
8.3 oz. (235 g) flaked oats
8.3 oz. (235 g) flaked barley
5 oz. (142 g) chocolate malt
5.6 AAU CTZ hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
9.6 AAU Cascade hops (hopstand) (1.75 oz./50 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
2 oz. (56 g) CTZ hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
SafAle US-05, Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

You don’t want as thick a mouthfeel in a British brown ale and want the hops to be the star of this show for this beer, so mash in fairly low at 148–150 °F (65–66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Proceed to the lauter steps. Sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) in the brew kettle.

Boil for a total of 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated. At the conclusion of the boil, cool the wort down to 185 °F (85 °C) and then halt cooling and add the hopstand addition of hops. Stir the wort and let stand for 15 minutes before chilling to yeast-pitch temperature.

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C). Add the dry hop addition after 3 days and then leave in for 7 days or until fermentation is complete (whichever is longer).

Bottle and prime with sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 v/v.

Extract with grains option

Replace Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Munich, and flaked grains with 6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract. Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag and submerge in 4 gallons (15 L) as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grain bag allowing to drip back into the kettle, then top off kettle to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract.

Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

Story References

¹Daniels, R. (2000) Designing Great Beers: The ultimate guide to brewing classic beer styles. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications.

²Knapton, S. (2015) “Newcastle Brown Ale recipe to change to keep America happy,” The Telegraph, 6 February 2015. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11395877/Newcastle-Brown-Ale-recipe-to-change-to-keep-America-happy.html

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Neon Raptor’s Barnum Brown Clone

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:04:30 +0000

recipe

Neon Raptor’s Barnum Brown Clone

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.012
IBU = 18 SRM = 20 ABV = 5.2%

This is a good example of the hoppy version of the American brown ale style you tend to see from British craft brewers. A grain bill that could well be a British brown ale, but the star of the show is the New World hops adding a big hit of pine, spice, and citrus. The Chico yeast ensures a clean fermentation that allows these big hop flavors to shine.

Ingredients

Step by Step

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C). Add the dry hop addition after 3 days and then leave in for 7 days or until fermentation is complete (whichever is longer).

Bottle and prime with sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 v/v.

Extract With Grains Recipe

Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

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Avery Brewing Co.’s Ellie’s Brown Ale Clone

kiev@byo.com — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:02:40 +0000

recipe

Avery Brewing Co.’s Ellie’s Brown Ale Clone

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.056 FG = 1.014
IBU = 20 SRM = 24 ABV = 5.5%

Avery Brewing Co. Ellie’s Brown Ale is quite restrained in its color but a big addition of chocolate malt ensures a nutty, toffee, and lightly roasted character. This is definitely not the aggressively hopped version of an American brown; a slight amount of Sterling hops added late in the boil brings a slightly floral and spicy aroma to balance the sweetness. The London Ale yeast adds some fruity esters, but overall this is a beer that leans heavily into its malt bill.

Ingredients

*If you cannot find Bullion hops you may substitute with Nugget or Magnum.

Step by Step

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until terminal gravity reached, about one week. Condition for an additional week then transfer to keg and force carbonate or bottle and prime to 2.3 v/v.

Extract With Grains Recipe

Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

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Thornbridge Brewery & Bundobust Brewery’s Nut Brown Ale Clone

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:01:54 +0000

recipe

Thornbridge Brewery & Bundobust Brewery’s Nut Brown Ale Clone

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.044 FG = 1.011
IBU = 25 SRM = 14 ABV = 4.3%

Thornbridge and Bundobust’s collaborative Nut Brown Ale is an homage to the classic Sam Smith’s Nut Brown. It is dark copper in color, with a grain bill all about building caramel flavor and a hint of chocolate malt for some of the darker toffee character, but not enough to add any roasted character. Eminently sessionable, this beer is designed for a long afternoon at the pub.

Ingredients

*If you can’t get hold of Ernest hops, Cascade hops would be a good substitute.

Step by Step

Extract With Grains Recipe

Bring the wort up to a boil then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions.

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Cigar City Brewing Co.’s Maduro Brown Ale Clone

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 15:58:33 +0000

recipe

Cigar City Brewing Co.’s Maduro Brown Ale Clone

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.059 FG = 1.017
IBU = 25 SRM = 32 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients

*Be careful if substituting, at 170 SRM Simpsons Brown Malt is a lot darker than other brown malts. Coffee malt is an appropriate substitute.

Step by Step

Cigar City Brewmaster Wayne Wambles suggested to mash a little higher than normal, so I’d mash in at 154 °F (68 °C); this will give you a higher final gravity and thicker mouthfeel. Mash the pale malt and oats for 40 minutes then stir in the crystal, Victory®, brown, and chocolate malts. Begin recirculation and slowly raise to mash out temperature of 168 °F (76 °C), hold for 5 minutes before beginning sparging.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until terminal gravity reached, about one week. Condition for an additional week then transfer to a keg and force carbonate or bottle and prime to 2.4 v/v.

Partial Mash Recipe

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Beppy’s Brown

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 19:49:42 +0000

recipe

Beppy’s Brown

By Ryan Hansen | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallon/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.012
IBU = 40 SRM = 14 ABV = 5.1%

This simple brown ale recipe illustrates the differences between brewing all-grain batches and extract batches of beer with extract replacing one malt in the ingredients and different techniques to get your wort in the boil kettle.

Ingredients

10.5 lbs. (4.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
4 oz. (113 g) Carafa® Special I malt
4 oz. (113 g) caramel malt (60 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) brown malt
4.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
5 AAU Willamette hops (45 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
5 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
Whirlfloc tablet (10 min.)
Imperial Yeast A10 (Darkness), White Labs WLP005 (British Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Heat 3 gallons (11.5 L) of strike water up to 165 °F (74 °C). Stir in the crushed grains, making sure no dough balls remain. The goal is that the mash temperature stabilizes between 150–152 °F (66–67 °C), but don’t worry too much as long as you are within 5 °F (2.5 °C) of this target. After 60 minutes, the mash is complete. You will want to sparge with about 5 gallons (19 L) of hot water at about 180 °F (82 °C). You should target about 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort in the kettle at the end of sparging.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated and Whirlfloc at 10 minutes remaining. At the end of the boil give the wort a long stir to create a brisk whirlpool then let settle for 10 minutes. Cool to 68 °F (20 °C) and transfer to your fermenter. Aerate the wort (if you can) if using a liquid yeast strain.

Hold the temperature between 68–74 °F (20–23 °C) during fermentation. When fermentation is complete, rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and
force carbonate.

Extract With Grains Recipe

(5 gallon/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.012
IBU = 40 SRM = 14 ABV = 5.1%

Ingredients

7 lbs. (3.2 kg) pale liquid malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) Carafa® Special I malt
4 oz. (113 g) caramel malt (60 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) brown malt
4.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
5 AAU Willamette hops (45 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
5 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
Whirlfloc tablet (10 min.)
Imperial Yeast A10 (Darkness), White Labs WLP005 (British Ale), or LalBrew Nottingham yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Heat 6 gallons (23 L) of water up to 150 °F (66 °C). Place crushed grains in a hop sock or mesh bag that allows wort to flow freely through the grains. Submerge in water and maintain this temperature for half an hour. Remove bag and then bring the wort to a boil. Remove kettle from heat and stir in the malt extract until fully dissolved. Return kettle to burner and boil wort and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated and Whirfloc at 10 minutes remaining. At the end of the boil give the wort a long stir in a circular direction to create a brisk whirlpool then let settle for 10 minutes.

Cool to 68 °F (20 °C) and transfer to your fermenter. Aerate the wort (if you can) if using a liquid yeast strain. Top fermenter up to 5.25 gallons (20 L) with cold water. Hold the temperature between 68–74 °F (20–23 °C) during fermentation for two weeks. When fermentation is complete, rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

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Newcastle Brun Ale

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 21:13:56 +0000

recipe

Newcastle Brun Ale

By Paul Crowther | Add to Favorites

All-Grain Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.034 FG = 1.007
IBU = 18 SRM = 15 ABV = 3.6%

Intrigued by a local landmark remembering a group of priests who fled to England and set up a brewpub during the French Revolution, a homebrewer tried to recreate the beer they may have served patrons over 200 years ago.

Ingredients

4.8 lbs. (2.2 kg) Crisp Chevallier® Heritage Malt
2.4 lbs. (1.1 kg) Crisp brown malt (50 °L)
3.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (0.7 oz./ at 5% alpha acids)
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (5 min.) (1 oz. at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale), Wyeast 3787 (Belgian High Gravity), or LalBrew Abbaye Belgian-style Ale yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Mash grains at 154 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Batch sparge for 15 minutes, raising the mash to 162 °F (72 °C). Once the wort is collected in the kettle, bring wort to boil. Conduct a standard 60-minute boil. Add 3.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops at the beginning of the boil. Then add another 5 AAU East Kent Golding hops at 5 minutes. Cool wort down to 75 °F (24 °C) and transfer to fermentation vessel. Add yeast as packet directs.

Start fermentation at 75 °F (24 °C). After high kräusen, raise to 78 °F (26 °C) to allow the yeast to finish strong. Allow 1 week to condition after active fermentation then package the beer. Carbonate to 2.4 v/v.

Partial Mash Recipe

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.034 FG = 1.007
IBU = 18 SRM = 15 ABV = 3.6%

Due to the high percentage of specialty malts that should be mashed, this is a difficult recipe to translate into an extract version. Here is an approximate that will come out a little more roast coffee rather than roast nutty flavors.

Ingredients

3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Crisp Chevallier® Heritage Malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Crisp brown malt (50 °L)
2 oz. (28 g) pale chocolate malt
2 oz. (56 g) Carafa® III Special malt
3.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (60 min.) (0.7 oz./ at 5% alpha acids)
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (5 min.) (1 oz. at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale), Wyeast 3787 (Belgian High Gravity), or LalBrew Abbaye Belgian-style Ale yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Mash Chevallier® and brown malts at 154 °F (68 °C) for 45 minutes, then add the chocolate and Carafa® malts. Allow an extra 15 minutes steep time. Wash all the grains with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. Add water to have 6 gallons (23 L) in the kettle. Bring wort to boil. This is a standard 60-minute boil. Add 3.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops at the beginning of the boil. Add the liquid malt extract with 10 minutes left in the boil, then add another 5 AAU East Kent Golding hops at 5 minutes left. Cool wort down to 75 °F (24 °C) and transfer to fermentation vessel. Add yeast as packet directs.

Follow the remainder of the instructions in the all-grain recipe.

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Denny’s American Mild (Final Version, #8)

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 20:02:31 +0000

recipe

Denny’s American Mild (Final Version, #8)

By Denny Conn | Add to Favorites

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.041 FG = 1.012 IBU = 20 SRM = 13 ABV = 3.8%

Ingredients

4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Mecca Grade Estate Malts Lamonta malt (3 °L)
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Mecca Grade Estate Malts Metolius malt (14 °L)
1 lb. (454 g) Briess organic crystal malt (60 °L)
3 AAU American Noble Citra® pellet hops (first wort hop) (1 oz./28 g at 3% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU American Noble Simcoe® pellet hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 2.2% alpha acids)
1.85 AAU American Noble Mosaic® pellet hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 2.7% alpha acids)
0.88 AAU American Noble Simcoe® pellet hops (1 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 2.2% alpha acids)
3 AAU American Noble Citra® pellet hops (1 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 3% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1450 (Denny’s Favorite) or White Labs WLP051 (California V Ale) or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
1/2 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step

Due to the low gravity of this wort, no yeast starter is needed.

On brew day, mash in the crushed malt at 158 °F (70 °C) in 7.5 gallons (28.4 L) of water in a mash tun brew-in-a-bag setup. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate or remove the grain bag. Do not sparge, run-off wort into the kettle if using a separate mash tun. Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated.

Chill the wort down to yeast-pitching temperature, aerate, and pitch the yeast. Ferment around 66 °F (19 °C). Condition for one week then package as normal.

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