I decided that the Old Ale I have aging in the corner needs a bit more time to mature. Instead I will bring home a nice brown ale and the rest of my Farmhouse ale for Christmas instead.. As I learned from my SMaSH English Bitter a simple recipe can make a lovely been when quality ingredients are used.
What I hope I have here is a flavorful, malty English brown that my mom will like (and I will like too). As brewers we sometimes seem so focused on hoppy beers that we dismiss the simple but good styles like browns and bitters.
So here is a very English brown ale, of the Northern (Newcastle) style. It is now ready to drink, and is a deep brown, crystal clear when poured gently, and softly carbonated. It’s not perfect, but I’m happy with the result, and look forward to sharing with family and friends.
The recipe:
This recipe was tuned for my simple brewing system where I can get a 75% mash efficiency consistently. I calculated 78% efficiency for this particular mash. I think if I were to track this more rigorously I would see a nearly 5% efficiency difference between the two grain mills at the supply shop. I’m going to put getting my own mill on my list of brewery upgrades.
Malt
- 9 lbs Crisp Maris Otter (83%)
- 12 oz Simpsons Medium Crystal (7%)
- 8 oz Simpsons Dark Crystal (5%)
- 8 oz Crisp Pale Chocolate (5%)
Hops
- 1 oz East Kent Goldings 6.6%, first wort hops
- 1 oz US Fuggles 4.9%, 5 min
Yeast
- White Labs WLP005 British Ale in a starter.
Mash (Single infusion, 152F)
- Infusion: 13.5 quarts at 168F
- Mashout: 8 quarts at 200F
- Sparge: Fly sparge 18 quarts at 170F
Characteristics
| Measurement | Expected | Actual | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | 75% | 78% | N/A |
| OG | 1.050 | 1.052 | 1.040 — 1.052 |
| FG | 1.013 | 1.013 | 1.008 — 1.013 |
| ABV | 4.9% | 5.1% | 4.2% — 5.4% |
| IBUs | 23 | 23 | 20 — 30 |
| Color (SRM) | 19 | Brown | 12 — 22 |
— Steve