American Brown

[Mike Neilson]

Here my recipe, split batch so use percentages

5.99 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 83.35 %
0.30 kg Caramunich Malt (110.3 EBC) Grain 4.17 %
0.30 kg Pale Chocolate (600.0 EBC) Grain 4.17 %
0.22 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (59.1 EBC) Grain 3.13 %
0.22 kg Melanoiden Malt (39.4 EBC) Grain 3.13 %
0.15 kg Chocolate Malt (886.5 EBC) Grain 2.07 %
60.00 gm Cascade US Pellets [5.40 %] (15 min) Hops 10.7 IBU
60.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (10 min) Hops 20.3 IBU
100.00 gm Cascade US Pellets [5.40 %] (2 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
70.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (0 min) Hops

Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.014
Estimated Color: 39.9 EBC
Bitterness: 34.1 IBU
Actual Alcohol by Volume: 4.7%

Wyeast West Yorkshire Strain 1469 Tetleys Strain.

[JoKing]

Had this last night too. The flavour certainly doesn't suggest 4.7%abv! Loloking at it, she's pretty damn dark - and I'm expecting some buscuitty, nutty, sweet chocolatyness to jump out at me... but instead, you get a spicy, herbal pungent smack in the nose from the hops. Then I look at the recipe and think to myself - isn't that too many hops for a quaffing beer? Well... obviously not!

Onto the taste. Good balance between sweetness and bitterness - it's not an IPA afterall... Then I learn that it's 100% late hopped... not a bad idea actually. It doesn't have that sharp attacking sticky lingering bitterness that you can get sometimes. Its crisp smooth and balanced. Good clean mouthfeel, nutral fermentation characters... hints of roast malt in there, but mostly I'm tasting Columbus... it's fairly spicy too - I'd put that down to the Cascade maybe... it's not as citrussy as I would have expected from looking at those numbers - maybe 8% caramunich wouold have carried those Cascade flavours along a bit more.

Overall - a nice crisp quaffable Ale.

Good work bro.

[MrC]

Second CS beer for me.

Poured clear and very dark brown with ruby highlights and a large rocky light tan head. Smells awesome, so much going on. Chocolate, coffee and toffee malt aromas with juicy, herbal, green hops and a definite English yeast character. I think I spent about 5 minutes just smelling it and thinking about it. No meat aroma in this one Mike, could be a good beer for vegetarians! As for the taste, it tastes exactly as it smells. Nicely balanced bittersweetness.

A very moreish beer, I need a smaller glass or a smaller mouth, maybe both because that beer disappeared too fast.
What would I change? The only change I would make to that beer is maybe give it a little more body.

Great job mike!

In addition to this I also had a bottle of the other beer from the split batch which had a American ale yeast (thanks Mike). I was surprised by the difference and I preferred the English version even though I would have sworn that I would have preferred the American version. The two beers were like identical twins that were both really hot except one had better personality.

These two beers have been a real eye opener for my in regards to English vs US yeast. Cheers Mike, you've inspired me again.

[James P]

The initial burst was floral, with some spice, not garam masala or vindaloo, but pepper type of spice. After a couple of minutes I would have sworn horse blanket not in a bad way, more like having sex in the barn on a horse blanket type of way....

Pours a dark dark brown, with red highlights under the light and more head than a two bit whore when poured hard. Settles to a nice tan head that laces the glass evenly.

Mouth comes across as medium to me, warming tastes of spice and grass, maybe a little chick weed and dirt. It has a very silky oily smoothness, residual bitterness and sweetness subsiding to more spice. Maybe a little tart.

I wouldn't call it a session beer for me, definitely a starter beer and enjoyable!.

Thanks Mikey!

[Dale Cooper]

Had this a couple of days ago so hazy memories but I do remember some good hop aroma going on and a nice overall flavour to the beer. Not a full-on flavour but more than enough to be interesting and right in my range for a session beer. The all late hopping works and a good lesson for me, I think I'll give that a go. I could drink lots of this, well brewed.

[Reviled]

This beer is interesting, the aroma is of citrus and sweaty columbus, with hints of roast in the background which is followed by rich malt aroma! Complex and I havnt even had a sip yet!!

Nice body and mouthfeel, I cant really taste much of the chocolate but I think its adding to the overall dryness of it all, making it very morish! Citrusy resinous hop flavour fades with a smooth bitterness, not as 'sharp' as hoppy beers are with a bittering addition...

Ive gotta say im liking the yeast character as well ;o)

Cheers mate! Well brewed!

[Alasdair]

Fantastic aroma - citrus and spice. And excellent appearance too - great clarity and colour. A hint of caramel up front, and then toasty malt with a hint of roast, with citrus/spicy hops working in tandem. A surprising, pleasant honey note with a smooth bitter chocolate to finish.

Fantastic beer Mike. Maybe a hint more crystal to balance the hops, bitterness, and roast in the finish, but that's only if I'm being super picky.

Nice one.

[Stu McKinlay]

Had this last night. Dale's and Mike's beers both. 5min each, too damn drinkable.

Dark brown, chocolate, a little chalky, great fruity hop flavour, quite lean... could possibly do with just a little more weight to carry it. Seems a lot smaller than anything else I've tried from Mike. Very very moreish, alluring, and could be a killer drop with a little less chalk (not sure if that is a water addition or a combo of hop and roast malt) and a little more body in the middle.

[Mike Neilson]

Cheers dude's, I can fix the Body, Themometer was poked!! Can fix the Crystal but cant fix the Chalk as I didnt use any, strange!! Maybe it was the calcium sulphate that fucked it up? of well!!

[Stu McKinlay]

it was certainly not "fucked up", it was very good. I guess it was just calcium coming through. i didn't notice the sulphate but that would help contribute to the "lean" character.

[Mike Neilson]

Yeah it had about 2tsps of the good stuff Maybee a portion of it should of been Empsom Salts? leanness was an issue mashed at 66 which should of been 68!! my therm was 2 deg off been an issue for my last 2 beers during that time!! And was probably more cruital as I didnt have huge amounts of Caras. Oh well next time!! and there will be a next time as I think american browns are just super doper!!

[Stu McKinlay]

Yeh, I agree. I've been meaning to go back there. PKB was meant to be an American Brown when I first brewed it a couple of years back. Ended up being too dark and i went the Porter route... been meaning to get onto Ambers and Browns as I prefer these to Pale Ales in all honesty.

[Mike Neilson]

Yeah I think you could be onto something there I believe there is nothing better than a big Amber/Brown Hopped up like an IPA!! Its actualy what I wanted to brew for the case swap but thought I brewed a big beer last time so I would give a slender beer a chance!!