brēowanthorpe

The Homestead of Beer

British Brown Ale

By thomas #30 Minute Boil, #Ale, #Barley, #Beer, #British, #British Brown Ale, #Brown Ale, #Evolution Series 2025, #Homebrew, #Hops, #One Gallon, #Sparge, #Water, #Westfort, #Yeast

Codename : Westfort British Brown Alethorpe (2025)

Time to return to a British Brown Ale, as the darker beers have become the unofficial theme for winter 2025. Once again, I am changing the recipe from previous iterations, notably, I am layering in different crystal malts to try to get a subtle caramel flavour, along with using a pale chocolate malt. A little bit about a British Brown Ale

Brown ale has a long history in Great Britain, although different products used that name at various times.

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/13/13B/british-brown-ale

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 8 oz Maris Otter (1.8L)
  • 3 oz Biscuit malt (28L)
  • 2 oz Crystal Malt I (45L)
  • 1 oz Double Roasted Crystal malt (113L)
  • 1 oz Pale chocolate (225L)
  • 1/4 Campden tablet when preparing strike water (optional)
  • 0.2 oz Pilgrim hops at 25 minutes
  • 1/4 tsp Irish Moss (optional) at 15 minutes
  • 0.2 Willmette hops at 5 minutes
  • 0.2 Willemette hops at 0 minutes.
  • 3 ml Nottingham dry ale yeast.

Vital Stats

  • BJCP Style : British Brown Ale
  • Anticipated ABV : 4.9%
  • Anticipated IBU : 25
  • Anticipated SRM : 17
  • Pre-boil SG : 1.038
  • Post-boil SG : 1.049
  • Original SG : 1.049
  • Target SG : 1.012
  • Brewhouse (in)efficiency : 73%

Brew Day

  • Prepare 4.6L strike water at 149F.
  • Add the milled grains to the bag.
  • Place the bag in the hot water, set the timer for 90 minutes, and maintain the temperature at 149F.
  • It is acceptable if the temperature varies a little.
  • Stir occasionally.
  • With approximately 15 minutes remaining, heat 2L of sparge water to 170F.
  • Calibrate the refractometer, aka the sonic screwdriver.
  • Lift the bag out of the water, and allow it to drip into the pot. Every bit of sugar that can be extracted will benefit the end ABV.
  • Pour the sparge water over over the grain bag, this should help extract even more sugar
  • Bring up to a boil, 212F, set the timer for 30 minutes. Add hops, and Irish moss, as prescribed above.
  • Sanitise everything required for fermentation.
  • Cool to room temp, an ice-bath or a snowbank work effectively.
  • Prepare the yeast mixture.
  • Pitch the yeast to the carboy.
  • Transfer the wort to the carboy, splash the wort around to aerate the contents.
  • Put the airlock on the carboy.
  • Store in a cool dark place for primary fermentation for 10-14 days.

Bottling Day

Brew Notes

  • The gravity was a little higher than anticipated, more in the order of a 75% BHE. I will do another at 73% and assess how I will adjust it moving forward.
  • Anticipated ABV is 5%.
  • This batch kicks off what I am calling Evolution Series 2025 for brown ales, this is the British version, watch for future batches that evolved in the New World.
A carboy containing the wort of British Brown Ale.
The brown ale will sit on the fermentation station for 7-10 days.

Brew day : 13-Mar-2025