Extra Brown Ale

[ACBEV]

I'm into brown ale, probably because its so unfashionable. This one I have taken a real liking for.

Batch: 23L
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 30

500g Pale Ale Malt (10.24%)
3000g Mild Ale Malt (61.41%)
75g Chocolate Malt (1.54%)
900g Crystal 100 (18.42%)
50g Special B (1.02%)
100g Flaked Barley (2.05%)
250g Wheat Malt (5.12%)
10g Blackstrap (0.2%)

Mash @ 66c for 40 minutes, raise temp. to 69c for 50 minutes, sparge @ 74c.

Boil for 90 minutes
@ 90 minutes 20g Northdown
@ 20 minutes 28g Goldings

Yeast: London Ale III
Pitch @ 17c
Ferment @ 20c
Priming: 120g Dem. sugar

 

[Cwrw666]

Not as unfashionable as you might imagine - despite what it says on the label Hobgoblin is a brown ale and that's pretty popular. They call it ruby ale but that's only because it sounds better than `brown'.

 

[An Ankoù]

Not as unfashionable as you might imagine - despite what it says on the label Hobgoblin is a brown ale and that's pretty popular. They call it ruby ale but that's only because it sounds better than `brown'.

IMHO, Hobgoblin is 'orrible stuff. I used to like Wychwood, but could never get on with the Hobgoblin. -- Apart from "What's the matter lagerboy....?"

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm into brown ale, probably because its so unfashionable. This one I have taken a real liking for.

Batch: 23L
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 30

500g Pale Ale Malt (10.24%)
3000g Mild Ale Malt (61.41%)
75g Chocolate Malt (1.54%)
900g Crystal 100 (18.42%)
50g Special B (1.02%)
100g Flaked Barley (2.05%)
250g Wheat Malt (5.12%)
10g Blackstrap (0.2%)

Mash @ 66c for 40 minutes, raise temp. to 69c for 50 minutes, sparge @ 74c.

Boil for 90 minutes
@ 90 minutes 20g Northdown
@ 20 minutes 28g Goldings

Yeast: London Ale III
Pitch @ 17c
Ferment @ 20c
Priming: 120g Dem. sugar

I, too am a brown ale lover. I've made some lovely ones and one horrible one: the Brewpaks guide to malt recommends 60:40 smoked malt to Special B for an old fashioned brown. It's truly ghastly. I used rauchmalz, not peat-smoked).
I fancy trying out your recipe, but can't get blackstrap molasses out here. Do you think it's make much different if I substitute Tate and Lyle Black treacle (3 years past sell by date, but still very black).

 

[ACBEV]

Do you think it's make much different if I substitute Tate and Lyle Black treacle

Blackstrap is very dense and far more bitter than black treacle. Hence, only a small amount is needed to add some flavour and colour. I reckon you could sub black treacle, but would need quite a bit more for a similar effect. Maybe 50g or so.

 

[ACBEV]

.... OR .... Amazon France....
https://www.amazon.fr/Meridian-Organic-Blackstrap-Molasses-740g/dp/B002E2LUBA

 

[Cwrw666]

IMHO, Hobgoblin is 'orrible stuff. I used to like Wychwood, but could never get on with the Hobgoblin.

Whereas I do actually like it - though it's noticeably better from the cask than the bottled stuff. Can't really complain though when you're only paying £1.29 for it at Tescos. It's better than Newkie Brown in any case... And Double Maxim is truly foul - always was, still is now.
I usually make the Greg Hughes recipe for northern brown but with a little more hops and more choc. malt. Plus a smattering of roast barley.

 

[An Ankoù]

Whereas I do actually like it - though it's noticeably better from the cask than the bottled stuff. Can't really complain though when you're only paying £1.29 for it at Tescos. It's better than Newkie Brown in any case... And Double Maxim is truly foul - always was, still is now.
I usually make the Greg Hughes recipe for northern brown but with a little more hops and more choc. malt. Plus a smattering of roast barley.

Fair comment re the Newkie Brown although when I when I was a nipper, we used to seek it out! If I recall correctly, my first all-grainer (in the 70s) was an NB clone from Dave Line's book using an Electrim Boiler- the Grainfather of the day!
Don't know Double Maxim, but Sam Smith's is OK.

 

[An Ankoù]

.... OR .... Amazon France....
https://www.amazon.fr/Meridian-Organic-Blackstrap-Molasses-740g/dp/B002E2LUBA

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

Here's the recipe I use:
5 (UK) gallons
Target OG 1046
BU 35

Very soft water here. No salts added, water treated for Chlorine.

7.5 lb Pale ale malt (Flagon in latest brew- it's not critical)
2.5 lb Brown malt
1lb Flaked barley

Mash at 64C

Sovereign for bittering to 35 BU 90 minutes boil
Fuggles for flavour 15 minutes boil plus copper finings

Low ester yeast either US-05 or Saflager 34/70 both produce much the same result ans FG of around 1008. (Beware, the latter yeast stinks. Doesn't spoil the beer though).

 

[jceg316]

It's hard to find a good brown ale. First one I ever had (can't remember the name) was rich and malty with a nutty and toasty flavour. It was a cask ale at a Spoons festival, had a brown cartoon squirrel on the pump clip. That's what a brown ale should taste like in my opinion, however I've not found a good commercial one since. I've made one or two which I really enjoy, but not a style I will go to often.

@ACBEV your recipe is interesting, I'd never thought of putting special B in a brown recipe. I find it very overpowering and use it sparingly in the occasional Belgian ale.

 

[ACBEV]

I'd never thought of putting special B in a brown recipe.

That's interesting, I brew three regular brown ales, all have some special b in the recipe. This one has the least with 50g, but my Double Brown has 500g, which I think works well. It did win the forum comp. last february, at least I'm not the only one who likes it....
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...-february-dark-beers.75849/page-2#post-745164

I also got some in my Best Bitter :tinhat:

 

[Clint]

Does that small amount of mollasses really make a difference?

 

[ACBEV]

@Clint ... At 10g its hard to say, but it does add 2 EBCs in colour darkening to the beer. In a pale beer @ 10g the darkening is noticeable and a subtle taste difference too.

Blackstrap is triple boiled and is very concentrated. So, I think even at such low levels, it adds something (probably).

 

[Clint]

It sounds great...I do like a brown ale...but there's not many about.

 

[ACBEV]

My local shop stocks Mann's brown ale, but it seems flat with no head compared to mine...

 

[jceg316]

That's interesting, I brew three regular brown ales, all have some special b in the recipe. This one has the least with 50g, but my Double Brown has 500g, which I think works well. It did win the forum comp. last february, at least I'm not the only one who likes it....
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...-february-dark-beers.75849/page-2#post-745164

I also got some in my Best Bitter :tinhat:

I'll have to try it one day. I have a brown on my brew list, maybe I'll add some special B.

 

[Cwrw666]

My local shop stocks Mann's brown ale, but it seems flat with no head compared to mine.

Mann's brown ale is a totally different beer to `northern brown', no relation at all actually. It has no head retention at all, is toataly weak and somewhat reminiscent of drinking coca cola. Funny enough, it isn't too bad swigged from a bottle but is quite unpleasant if you drink it from a glass - at least if you were expecting some sort of beer!

 

[JonBrew]

Mann's brown ale is a totally different beer to `northern brown', no relation at all actually. It has no head retention at all, is toataly weak and somewhat reminiscent of drinking coca cola. Funny enough, it isn't too bad swigged from a bottle but is quite unpleasant if you drink it from a glass - at least if you were expecting some sort of beer!

Yeah spot on @Cwrw666. Newcastle/Newkie brown used to be known as Northern Brown ale in the BJCP and Manns fell into Southern Brown ale. They later updated the guidelines so now Northern Brown is just known as English Brown ale and covers the likes of Newcastle, Hobgoblin and Sam Smith's Nut Brown ale, whereas Southern Brown is now listed as a Historical style and is called London Brown ale - Mann's is the only commercial example given. London brown is a much lower ABV beer and is meant to be very sweet. I believe Mann's actually pasteurise the fermented beer and then back-sweeten it.

 

[ACBEV]

I have a thing about brown ale, not the sweet, weak, dark stuff described by BJCP, as southern brown. Nor the so called northern brown stuff.

I'm quite interested in Ron Pattisons blog and his research from an historical perspective, this gives me inspiration for a lot of my home brewing. What I've gleamed from his blog is that most breweries packaged mild ale with extra colouring at racking as brown ale, the BJCP describes this style as southern brown, although examples of this type of beer were brewed all over the country. Northern brown aka Newcastle Brown is an oddball style in my opinion.

My real interest and inspiration into brown ale comes from a few breweries, which actually brewed brown ale to a single gyle recipe, distinct from mild ale packaged as brown ale. Breweries like Whitbread, Fullers and Barclay Perkins, these beers were dark, hoppier and stronger than the "Southern Brown" types. These would fit nicely into the BJCP American Brown Ale Style as far as Colour, ABV and IBUs are concerned.