American Brown Ale an appreciation.

[Sadfield]

American Brown Ale, not something I see very often in the UK, in bars, bottle shops or talked about on homebrew forums. Despite appearing to be a style that can accommodate most palates. Not too bitter, roasty, sweet, hoppy, malty. Simultaneously being a slight deviation from British tradition and sitting in the middle of the currently popular trends of craft beer, sharing the new world hops, softness and sweetness of hazey pales and the desert like chocolate, caramel notes of pastry stouts. Attenuated enough to be deckable by the pint and moderate enough in ABV to satisfy as a solitary beer. From a brewing perspective, loose enough in style, to be pushed in any particular direction, made more hoppy, sweet, or higher abv, from dark amber to near stout in colour. Perhaps the name is off-putting, indicating a bastardisation of a tradition, or evoking images of Andy Capp, or bad memories of Newcy.

I love it’s versatility, the scope for recipe formulation. Where it sits with other beers in a nights drinking. Or, the ease which it can pair with food.

Anyone else share this appreciation? Any favourite recipes or commercial examples?

I’ve just mashed in a nice middle of the road recipe.

Batch - 15L
OG - 1.052
ABV - 5.0%
EBC - 44
IBUs - 26

Extra Pale Maris Otter - 75%
Munich – 5%
Wheat - 3%
Caramalt - 7%
Extra Dark Crystal - 7%
Chocolate Malt - 3%

Cascade – 20g @ First Wort (19.5 IBUs)
Cascade – 20g @ 10’ (6.5 IBUs) + Protofloc
Cascade – 25g @ Flame Out
Fuggle – 12g @ Flame Out

Fermented with Lallemand London.

Porter water profile

Ca – 141
Mg – 10
Na – 100
CO3 – 50
SO4 – 100
Cl – 300

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Totally agree ABA is a great beer style. I’ve brewed the Oaked brown ale from GH book. I read American crime fiction Michael Connelly and John Connolly and every time they mention a brown ale I try and find the recipe. Brown Angel was my latest one.

 

[Sandimas]

Same here, many years ago I took a punt on HBCs American Brown Ale extract kit and it was very nice. I made it twice before going AG and coming up with my own recipe using home-grown Cascade.
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1780

 

[Pennine]

This one is good, the original has northern brewer in place of brewers gold.

https://beerandbrewing.com/recipe-russian-river-janets-brown-ale/

 

[The Baron]

I do agree, it's nice to get away from the Bitters or hoppy IPA/NEIPA's and may seem middle of the road to most brewers but hits the spot for most when in that fed up of drinking the same style.
I have not brewed a American one that i can remember but I did do on a slightly different twist the Southern Brown from Greg's book and that was delish

 

[phildo79]

Some contrasting info on ABA water profiles. That one @Pennine suggests is sulphate forward. Other info I have read leans towards chloride forward. Given the hops used in Janet's Brown Ale are not dissimilar to the hop I plan to use, I will go with Tasty McDole's water profile. Fingers crossed.

 

[clib]

I very much agree and I brew one or two every year. A great and under appreciated style.

 

[Donegal john]

I’m fairly fond of a brown ale and went for Greg Hughes northern brown ale but made it an imperial at 8.5% and it was lovely after 6 months. Lovely for a winter evening.
Must brew another.

 

[Pennine]

Another classic American brown ale moose drool (classic in the American sense....) although this one is much more similar to and English Brown than a Texas brown though.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/can-you-brew-it-recipe-for-big-sky-moose-drool.175358/

 

[An Ankoù]

My first ever AG was Dave Line's Newcastle Brown Ale back in the 70s. The process was a nightmare. I got something more or less drinkable but nothing like NBA. I considered the operation a success.
Never attempted a brown ale since. Not even sure if I'd like it. Only one way to find out, I guess.

 

[dave_77]

I do like A Brown..brewed a couple that I have been happy with
https://share.brewfather.app/p5O1XAtjTYz7X1

 

[clib]

I’m fairly fond of a brown ale and went for Greg Hughes northern brown ale but made it an imperial at 8.5% and it was lovely after 6 months. Lovely for a winter evening.
Must brew another.

Do an American Brown ale. Different and excellent.

 

[samale]

Think about brewing an American brown tomorrow. Doing some research on the style, recipe. Seems very similar to an American amber.
I am thinking of using Columbus, brambling cross and maybe Chinook. Yeast bry-97
Still working on a recipe

 

[Cheshire Cat]

22 litres ABA Recipe
4700g MO
300g Biscuit malt
300g Crystal 140 L
200g wheat malt
130g chocolate malt
30g Cascade @60
25g Willamette @whirlpool 85C
Yeast US05

 

[Big_Eight]

Another classic American brown ale moose drool (classic in the American sense....) although this one is much more similar to and English Brown than a Texas brown though.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/can-you-brew-it-recipe-for-big-sky-moose-drool.175358/

For me this is hands down my favorite American Brown from a commercial perspective. There are a couple of kits that try and clone this beer on morebeer and nothernbrewer these are U.S. sites. I've linked to the kits they have a link to the recipe instructions that you can download and this will give you the ingredients if you so choose.

The Caribou Slobber (Northern Brewer) is the one I've tried a few times quite a few years ago and is a very good brown ale in fact it was one of my very first brews I did back in 2013 when I was still doing extract.

For those of you trying to clone it. Their website says that they use East Kent Goldings, Willamette, and Liberty Hops. The description is Rich mohogany color, subtle coffee, and cocoa notes balanced with a pleasant bitterness.

 

[clib]

I bottled this one last Friday, sample tasted really good. I have a tendency to put a variety of malts in because I have them and they need using! Hops too actually!

Targets: 12L 1042 1010 4.2% 37 IBU 30 EBC 80% efficiency

1.400 kg Paul's Pale Whale Malt (68.2%)
0.100 kg Crisp Caramalt (5%)
0.100 kg Crisp Vienna (5%)
0.100 kg Flaked Oats (5%)
0.100 kg Rye Malt (5%)
0.100 kg Crisp Torrified Wheat (5%)
0.070 kg Crisp Brown Malt (3.4%)
0.070 kg Crisp Chocolate (3.4%)

15 g Target Pellet (10% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes
15 g Northdown Pellet (8% Alpha) @ 80C steep
25 g Cascade Pellet (7.5% Alpha) @ 80C steep
15 g Flyer Leaf (7% Alpha) @ 80C steep
5g Cascade hop tea post fermentation

Slow rising temp mash 50C to 75C
Fermented with Munton's Gold & Verdant IPA

 

[Sadfield]

@clib just had to google Flyer, it sounds like a nice hop to use in this style.

 

[clib]

@clib just had to google Flyer, it sounds like a nice hop to use in this style.

It's really good for brown ales and porters I've found. Worth looking out for.

I mash all my beers with a rising mash temperature these days. It removes the control of wort fermentability from a fixed temperature but it's quick and easy and does a great job. The first time was a mistake when I turned the gas down to minimum on my stove instead of turning it off. By the time I realised the temperature was at about 80C and I thought I'd ruined the brew. I carried on regardless and found I had about 85% efficiency and the beer turned out really good. I take water from my combo boiler at about 50C and mash into that.

Not an option for all brewers obviously. I do 12-15 litre brews and get to the end of a 30 minute boil about 75 to 90 mins after mashing in. Simpler AG!

 

[phildo79]

Where did you get hold of Flyer hops?

 

[clib]

Where did you get hold of Flyer hops?

I bought them a year ago from A Bushel of Hops...

https://www.abushelofhops.co.uk/shop/
Not currently available. I've seen Flyer in stock at Maltmiller in the past. Good luck!