Brown ale recipe help

[meatcleaver]

mini mash, stove top biab.

5.5 gal batch
3 gal boil

3 lb M.O. lme
3 lb M.O. lme @ flameout
1.5 lb Maris otter
.5 lb flaked barley
.5 lb crystal 60
.5 lb chocolate malt
.25 lb brown malt

.5 oz nugget @ 60
1 oz Willamette @ 15

s-05 @ 65°f

have never used brown malt so not sure about it or amounts of crystal/chocolate

thanks in advance

 

[meatcleaver]

bump.
planning to brew this probably Sunday. the numbers look okay per brewersfriend but I won't commit until I get some confirmation from the hbt gurus.
I'm hoping for a clean, dry, not too chocolaty brown that can easily pair with all kinds of food.

 

[cannman]

What's the reason for adding half of your lme at flameout instead of 100% at 60min?

 

[Shawn_Brewin]

Brown Malt is good, Do not fear the brown Malt. BYO did an awesome article on it a while back. I love it in my Porters and Browns. Its also a great malt to use with Maris Otter. If it was me, i would sub out the MO in your steeping grains for equal parts Brown Malt. Its a base malt so at a .25lbs you are never gonna taste it.
Keep up the good fight!

http://byo.com/hops/item/1751-brown-malt

 

[signpost]

Brown malt is great. I've used it in a few different beers lately, and at different percentages. Just brewed a porter the other day with 2 lbs. of brown malt.

From your original post, I'd just flip flop the amounts for the Brown and chocolate malts. Then, if your calculation comes out too light in color, just add more brown malt.

 

[meatcleaver]

What's the reason for adding half of your lme at flameout instead of 100% at 60min?

I only add half my extract @ 60 since I do partial boils. this keeps my boil gravity low which helps with hop utilization.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

+1 to extra brown malt. It adds a smoothness and nuttiness that other malts don't.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

On the subject of brown malt....be careful of different brands. Simpsons is a lot darker and roastier than most (I don't really like it). My favourite is Gladfields.

 

[Calder]

Overall looks good. I can't say I've done many Browns, so I'm no expert.

I've never used Brown malt, but NB says it has zero diastatic power, so you need the MO in the partial mash. Extract tends to finish high; I'd mash low (148 - 150) to lower the FG a bit.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

That's correct, brown malt has no diastatic power. It's not a base malt.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

I agree with everyone about the brown malt. Love it! Nice complexity that changes over time.
I would use a # of brown and a # of crystal malt. 1/4 chocolate malt.
You need a # of brown to give flavour. IMHO a # of crystal will give the full bodied/slightly sweet taste that a brown ale should have.

 

[meatcleaver]

okay, I need the m.o. for conversion so...
how about this for a grain bill?

6 lb m.o. lme (1/2 @ 60, 1/2 @ 0)
1 lb m.o.
1 lb brown
.5 flaked barley
.5 c-60
.5 chocolate

will this be too much chocolate? is that enough crystal? is crystal even appropriate here?
& thanks again to all for the advice.

 

[meatcleaver]

On the subject of brown malt....be careful of different brands. Simpsons is a lot darker and roastier than most (I don't really like it). My favourite is Gladfields.

I have whatever NB carries...I hope its the good stuff.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

this is going to be a dark rich beer, not an easy drinking beer pared with all kinds of food, it will be good though, unless you let this age for 3 months I would classify this as a winter beer, great for a cold night

 

[cannman]

I only add half my extract @ 60 since I do partial boils. this keeps my boil gravity low which helps with hop utilization.

6 lbs of LME in 3 gal should give you a gravity of 1.068 - 76. That's just at the cusp of "high gravity" beer.

I wouldn't worry about it with that small volume. I'd go full 6 lb into 3gal boil to drive off any DMS and top off with your water at the end.:rockin:

Beersmith says to calculate 100% hop utilization when boiling anything under 20 gallons.

 

[Shawn_Brewin]

okay, I need the m.o. for conversion so...
how about this for a grain bill?

6 lb m.o. lme (1/2 @ 60, 1/2 @ 0)
1 lb m.o.
1 lb brown
.5 flaked barley
.5 c-60
.5 chocolate

will this be too much chocolate? is that enough crystal? is crystal even appropriate here?
& thanks again to all for the advice.

Looks like you are on the right track, as for the crystal it all depends on what you want to get from it. You are getting body/head retention from the Flaked Barley so all it is really bringing to the show is the added flavour.

if it was me, .25# of the chocolate and loose the Crystal malt. Maris otter has a pretty unique flavour, you want to compliment it since it is the star of the show, not try to hide it behind a strong caramel flavour. i would go with half a pound of victory to bring that nice toasty, bready, slightly nutty taste.
also S-04 for the yeast.
Good luck and keep fighting the good fight.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Ive calculated this out for you on Brewers Friend here

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/270818/meatcleaver-brown-ale

 

[meatcleaver]

to clarify...this is a 5.5 gal batch but only a 3 gal boil.
I formulate all my recipes @ brewersfriend expecting 60% efficiency & shoot for a target og around 1.050

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Ive calculated this out for you on Brewers Friend here

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/270818/meatcleaver-brown-ale

You've missed the brown malt

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I have whatever NB carries...I hope its the good stuff.

It looks like they only have crisp, so that's probably what you have. I've never used it but it looks like a lighter coloured brown malt (more of a smooth toasted hazelnutty flavour rather than roastiness). It should be good.