Big Brown Ale Recipe Help

[taeanbrewer]

As I made a double order and I already have a golden IPA and black IPA ontap and bottled, I wanted to make some dark beers and just posted a recipe for an Imperial stout. I am now looking to make a bigger brown recipe at around 6.5%. I recently had a very strange but nice brown from moon dog American India Brown - 8.1% 65 IBU. It was fantastic though I want a little bit weaker and less bitter brown with as much excitement coming through it.

Following similar ingredients as suggested on the back and looking through homebrewer I have come up with

22L Batch BIAB

OG- 1.069 6.5%

4kg BB pale malt
1kg Munich
300g crystal med
500g Brown (coffee) Simpsons
300g chocolate wheat
200g Caramber
100g Acidulated

8g Gypsum
1 tsp yeast nutrient

1 packet US-05

Hops -Mt Hood +/or Willamette, though still can decide on a hop schedule or what IBU to aim for. Anyway got ideas?

 

[hoppy2B]

The best brown I ever did was made with a wheat beer type yeast. Lots of banana esters made it taste kind of like chocolate.

With that much maltiness, hops wouldn't compete well I don't think. Maybe just go with a large late addition of a neutral type hop like Golding. That has worked for me in the past.

 

[panspermian]

This is my favourite type of beer.
My "go to"brew is one taken out of "Extreme Brewing" a book written by the bloke from Dogfish Head in the US.
I have played around with this recipe, put Galaxy hops in, included golden syrup, added desicated coconut and oats and removed the roast barley (by accident).
Still my best recipe.
It is a bit bitter, but you can always tone that done with the 60 min hop addition. Alcohol can be toned down too, I think the best is toning down the DME.
To make it all grain, if you have Beersmith, play around with base malts.
(Edit) take out golden syrup from this recipe and brown sugar at 10 mins. Bugger should have checked before posting.....
I forgot I played around with it the other day.

 

[Judanero]

I'd drop the Choc wheat to 100g- I don't mind choc wheat in my ABAs but you don't need much.

Get rid of acidulated- unless you are using it because your pH is high, and I would ditch the caraamber also... I think the munich, crystal and brown will have you covered for malt flavour.

I really like Willamette in my browns, it was made for them! IBU~ 40-50, half of that as bittering and the rest at 10.

If you're planning on going ABA style it pairs well with cascade late in the boil and 1.5g/l Willamette, 1g/l cascade for dry hopping.

Can't comment on Mt Hood with Willamette sorry as I've not tried it.

 

[taeanbrewer]

Cheers for the replies. Adciulated malt isn't really need as I have gypsum I guess. If I get rid of some choco wheat and add honey to boost the abv will this be better?

Cheers for the replies, really has me thinking now

 

[yankinoz]

Mt Hood and Willamette are my two hops of choice for browns. Keep in mind that Willamette is bascally an English-type hop, Mt Hood more continental, though both come from the US. On the lighter side, toward amber, go with Mt Hood. On the darker side, toward (or in porter), use Willamette. Or both, depending on the quantities you have.

 

[Rocker1986]

I'd probably use more than 1 packet of yeast for a 22 litre batch of that OG.

 

[Judanero]

You can add honey- you won't get any flavour from it (as long as it's not a eucalypt honey or the like) and it may take a little longer to ferment.

Do you have more pale malt?

Rice malt syrup is an alternative also.