American Brown Ale

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AMERICAN BROWN ALE

Please note all file contents are Copyright © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This file is for the buyer’s personal use only. It’s unlawful to share or distribute this file to others in any way including e-mailing it, posting it online, or sharing printed copies with others. American Brown Ale by Jamil Zainasheff

t is said that the first American an American style, you’d think that a brown ale was a creation of citrusy character is a requirement, i homebrewers in and around but not necessarily. Almost any hop Texas. It possibly started as an character is fine, from restrained to attempt to brew an “Americanized” bold, but the bittering should always version of an English brown ale, but it be firm. quickly became much more than that You have some flexibility in choos - — more of a style of its own. ing base malt for American brown. American brown ale is not just Using domestic two-row will give the bigger, hoppier and roastier than an beer a clean, subtle background malt AMERICAN BROWN English brown ale. The choices for character common to many fine by the numbers hopping, malt and fermentation create American craft beers. Using domestic a beer with a different overall charac - pale ale malt adds a slightly richer OG: . . .1.045 –1.060 (11.2 –14.7 °P) ter from the English brown ales. background malt character, somewhat FG: ...... 1.010– 1.016 (2.6 –4.1 °P) It may seem obvious to some, of a light bready note. Again, this is SRM: ...... 18 –35 but an American brown should always the type of malt character you’ll find IBU: ...... 20 –40 be brown. It can range from light to in many fine domestic craft brews. ABV: ...... 4.3 –6.2% very dark brown, but it shouldn’t be Less common is the use of British pale black and it shouldn’t be amber, which ale malt. British pale ale malt provides are the odd mistakes you sometimes an even greater depth of malt charac - see in recipes. The overall balance ter to the beer, mainly a biscuit-like can seem a little on the sweet side up taste and aroma common in many front, but it should never finish sweet. British beers. Some folks feel British It can have a medium to fairly dry pale ale malt can be too much for finish and a medium to medium-full American styles, so if you prefer a body. Fruity esters are generally more subtle, restrained malt back - no more than a gentle presence ground, go with domestic two-row or and in many examples very low or pale ale malt. Extract brewers can use none at all. an English pale ale extract if they All good examples should have want a richer malt background or a some level of chocolate, toasty light color North American malt caramel flavors and aromas. While extract if they want a more subtle there should be some chocolate malt taste. All-grain brewers can use a sin - character and maybe even a tiny gle infusion mash and should target a touch of coffee, it is important to note mash that will leave enough long chain that this should stop short of being sugars in the beer to help fill out the too much like a robust porter. How body. A temperature around 152 to bold those flavors are in each beer and 154 °F (67 to 68 °C) creates wort the amount of residual malt sweetness with a nice balance between fer - as compared to the hopping, makes up mentable and non-fermentable sugars. the wide range of interpretations of The majority of the character that this style. defines an American brown comes American brown ales vary from from specialty malts and this is one being very hoppy, very bitter beers to area ripe for creativity. Every beers with a more restrained hop bit - American brown needs both some terness and character. Some examples chocolately dark malt notes and some have a little sweetness up front and a caramel notes. Experimenting with rich background malt flavor that bal - the amounts and colors of crystal and ance the hops, while others are drier, roasted malts is a great way to change letting the hops come straight through the character of your beer. I like to and poke you in the tastebuds. Being use mid-color crystal (40–60 °L), Continued on page 3

1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved Dirty Water Brown the last hop addition at flame out. ing liquor and malt extract to make (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) Chill the wort to 67 °F (19 °C) and a pre-boil volume of 5.9 gallons OG = 1.048 FG = 1.011 aerate thoroughly. The proper pitch (22.3 L) and a gravity of 1.041 IBU = 34 SRM = 21 ABV = 4.9% rate is 9 grams of properly rehydrat - (10.2 °P). Stir thoroughly to help ed dry yeast, two packages of liq - dissolve the extract and bring to a This recipe makes an American uid yeast or one package of liquid boil. Boil time is 60 minutes. Get brown on the lower side of the yeast in a 1.5-liter starter. the wort boiling, add your first addi - style; hoppy, but lower in alcohol Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) until tion of hops, then follow the boil, and bittering, for those times when the yeast drops clear. At this tem - fermentation and packaging you want to have a couple of pints. perature and with healthy yeast, fer - instructions for the all-grain version. mentation should be complete in Ingredients about one week. Allow the lees to Janet’s Brown Ale 9 lbs. (4.1 kg) Great Western pale settle and the brew to mature with - (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) malt (2-row) (2 °L) or similar out pressure for another two days OG = 1.066 (16.2 °P) 7 oz. (200 g) Great Western crystal after fermentation appears finished. FG = 1.016 (4.2 °P) malt (40 °L) or similar substitute Rack to a keg and force carbonate IBU = 63 SRM = 23 ABV = 6.6% 7 oz. (200 g) Great Western or rack to a bottling bucket, add chocolate malt (420 °L) or similar priming sugar, and bottle. Target a Ingredients 4 oz. (113 g) Great Western crystal carbonation level of 2 to 2.5 vol - 10.75 lbs. (4.87 kg) Great Western malt (60 °L) or similar umes. North American two-row malt 4 oz. (113 g) Briess Victory® malt (2 °L) or similar substitute (28 °L) Extract with grains option: 18 oz. (510 g) Great Western 4.94 AAU Horizon hops (0.38 oz./ Replace the North American pale Crystal malt (40 °L) 11 g at 13% alpha acid) (60 min.) malt with 5.7 lbs. (2.6 kg) light liquid 18 oz. (510 g) Briess CaraPils® 7.47 AAU Amarillo hops (0.83 oz./ malt extract. For this recipe, I use malt (1 °L) 24 g at 9% alpha acid) (15 min.) an ultra-light extract made from 14 oz. (397 g) Great Western 13.14 AAU Amarillo hops Great Western two-row malt by Wheat malt (2 °L) (1.46 oz./41 g at 9% alpha acid) Alexander’s (California Concentrate 8 oz. (227 g) Chocolate malt (0 min.) Company), but any fresh, high qual - (420 °L) Wyeast 1056 American Ale, White ity light color extract made from 5.4 AAU Northern Brewer hops Labs WLP001 California Ale or domestic two-row malt will work (0.83 oz./24 g at 6.5% alpha acid) Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast well. If you can’t get fresh liquid (mash hop) malt extract, use dried malt extract 6.76 AAU Northern Brewer hops Step by Step (DME). (Use 20% less dry extract (1.04 oz./29 g at 6.5% alpha acid) Mill the grains and dough-in target - by weight.) When the amount of liq - (60 min.) ing a mash of around 1.5 quarts of uid extract called for in the recipe is 5.4 AAU Northern Brewer hops water to 1 pound of grain (a liquor- not easy to measure, use the most (0.83 oz./24 g at 6.5% alpha acid) to-grist ratio of about 3:1 by weight) convenient liquid measure and you (15 min.) and a temperature of 152 °F (67 can make up the rest of the malt 7.5 AAU Cascade hops °C). Hold at 152 °F (67 °C) until sugars with dry extract. Always (1.25 oz./35 g at 6% alpha acid) enzymatic conversion is complete. choose the freshest extract that fits (10 min.) Infuse the mash with near boiling the beer style. 7.5 AAU Cascade hops water while stirring or with a recircu - Mill or coarsely crack the spe - (1.25 oz./35 g at 6% alpha acid) lating mash system raise the tem - cialty malts. Mix them well and (0 min.) perature to mash out at 168 °F (76 place loosely in a grain bag. Avoid 15 AAU Centennial hops °C). Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 packing the grains too tightly in the (1.67 oz./47 g at 9% alpha acid) °C) water, collecting wort until the bag, using more bags if needed. (dry hop) pre-boil kettle volume is around 6.5 Steep the bag in about 1 gallon (~4 Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White gallons (25 L) and the gravity is L) of water at roughly 170 °F (77 Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or 1.037 (9.3 °P). °C) for about 30 minutes. Lift the Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast The total wort boil time is 90 grain bag out of the steeping liquid minutes. Add the bittering hops and rinse with warm water. Allow Step by Step with 60 minutes remaining in the the bags to drip into the kettle for a Mill the grains and dough-in target - boil. Add Irish moss or other kettle few minutes while you add the malt ing a mash of around 1.5 quarts finings and second hop addition extract. Do not squeeze the bags. of water to 1 pound of grain (a with 15 minutes left in the boil. Add Add enough water to the steep - liquor-to-grist ratio of about 3:1

2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved by weight) and a temperature of darker crystal (80–150 °L) or a combi - specialty grains. 154 °F (68 °C). Mix the first hop nation of colors. The mid-color crystal You have quite a bit of flexibility in addition with the mash. Hold the malts add more caramel flavors, while hopping American brown ales. The mash at 154 °F (68 °C) until the darker crystal malts add progres - balance of bittering versus malt enzymatic conversion is com - sively more plum, raisin and burnt sweetness can range anywhere from plete. Infuse the mash with near caramel notes as they get darker. The slightly sweet to boldly bitter. Target a boiling water while stirring or with darker crystal malts also tend to be bitterness to starting gravity ratio a recirculating mash system raise less sweet than the lighter crystal (IBU divided by OG) of 0.5 to 0.7 for the temperature to mash out at malts. Even though you have a lot of a more balanced beer or 0.7 to 1.0 for 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge slowly leeway, you don’t want to add a lot of a bold American brown. The BJCP with 170 °F (77 °C) water, col - low color crystal malt (< 30 °L), as it guide suggests that IPA strength lecting wort until the pre-boil ket - adds sweetness without much examples are really specialty beers, so tle volume is around 6.5 gallons caramel character. Also watch the you might want to stop short of turn - (25 L) and the gravity is 1.051 total amount of crystal malt being ing your beer into a brown IPA. (12.7 °P). added. If the total amount exceeds However, here on the West Coast The total wort boil time is 90 10% of the grist, it can result in an IPA-strength beers in alcohol and hops minutes. Add the bittering hops overly sweet and heavy beer. is a common occurrence and nobody with 60 minutes remaining in the It is important to not leave too blinks an eye at a bold brown ale. boil. Add Irish moss or other ket - much residual sweetness in the beer. Hop flavor and aroma also varies tle finings along with the third Even with a high level of bitterness, from minimal to bold. I really like using hop addition with 15 minutes left there is a limit to how much sweet - citrusy or piney American variety in the boil. Add other hop addi - ness is acceptable. While there is hops such as Cascade, Centennial, tions at 10 minutes remaining some truth to the adage that you can Columbus, Simcoe and Amarillo ® for and flame out. Chill the wort to balance hop bitterness with malt flavor and aroma, but there are plenty 67 °F (19 °C) and aerate thor - sweetness, that is true only to a point of great examples out there that use a oughly. The proper pitch rate is and it doesn’t take much before the wide variety of hops from around the 11 grams of properly rehydrated drinkability of the beer suffers. One of world. You can use almost any hop dry yeast, two packages of liquid the other benefits of the darkest crys - you feel has a pleasant character as it yeast or 1 package of liquid tal malts is that they add a little dry - is the overall impression that matters. yeast in a 2.5-liter starter. ness to the finish. Any dark roasted Fermentation for American brown Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) until malt can enhance the perception of is straightforward. Like the majority of the yeast drops clear. At this dryness, but each malt or grain has American ales, this style most often temperature and with healthy its own character. Some can be has a clean profile, with very low to yeast, fermentation should be harsh and acrid if used in more than no fruity esters. A slight fruitiness can complete in about one week. the smallest amount. Generally speak - be welcome, as long as it isn’t exces - Allow the lees to settle and the ing, the darker the malt the less you’ll sive. If you do want some esters, an brew to mature without pressure need to use in an American brown. English-style yeast at a lower temper - for another two days after fer - Keep in mind that you only want ature is a common technique. But mentation appears finished. At some restrained flavors and aromas, keep in mind those yeasts often atten - this point add your dry hop addi - since you’re not trying to make a uate a little lower than most tion. Keep the beer on the dry robust porter or a stout of any kind. American-style yeasts, so you’ll need hops for approximately seven About 5% is the limit on the amount to account for that in your recipe for - days. Rack to a keg and force of the darker roasted malts and that mulation. I prefer to use a clean, mod - carbonate or rack to a bottling should be in the 300 to 500 °L range. erately attenuating yeast, such as bucket, add priming sugar, and Use much, much less, however, if Wyeast 1056 American Ale or White bottle. Target a carbonation level you’re going darker. Labs WLP001 California Ale. Make of 2 to 2.5 volumes. If you’re looking for more com - certain that you oxygenate the wort plexity or head retention or some and pitch an appropriate amount of other flavor in your brown it is possi - clean, healthy yeast for the batch you ble to add other malts as well. are brewing. This will help create that CaraPils ®, wheat malt, Victory ® and clean American pub-style profile in Munich are common additions to the beer. Ferment at around 67 °F many American brown recipes. Just (19 °C), holding the temperature use restraint so the beer doesn’t steady throughout fermentation. become saturated with unfermentable Holding the temperature steady is dextrins or cloying flavors. Target important to getting a proper level of between 0 and 5% for these additional attenuation and avoiding off-flavors.