Brown Ale with Chinook hops

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Hello fellow home brewers!

I'm brewing a hoppy brown this weekend. I wanted to share my recipe and hear some opinions..

Grain Bill
11lb 2 row
8oz Crystal 60
8oz Brown/Amber Malt
8oz Chocolate Malt
2.4oz Roasted Barley
1lb Flaked oats
6.4 oz Dark Brown Sugar 10 mins

Hop Bill
1/2oz Nugget (first wort hop)
1oz chinook 10 min
1oz chinook 5 min
1oz chinook Dry hop or whirlpool???
40.1 IBU

Yeast
Wyeast Ringwood ale 1187
OG 1.067
FG 1.020

 

[IanCompetent]

I really like a nutty taste to a Brown, personally. I'd take the brown malt out of the equation and double up on the amber. You are using chocolate malt already, so I'd have to think that it would make the brown kind of superfluous anyway.

Chinooks in a Brown Ale sounds really different. I would never think of that (I use Saaz, Northern Brewers and Fuggles in mine) but it could be interesting. Anchor's Brekle's Brown uses Citras to good measure so I'm sure it will work.

Let us know how it goes!!

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

i guess brown and amber malt are the same. That's what the ppl at the home supply store I go to say.
Yea I'm going wing it on the chinook. I've been searching the web to see if anyone has made Browns w chinook. I just kno I liked it as a dry hop.

 

[IanCompetent]

Brown malt - to my taste, anyway - is half way between amber and light chocolate. It's an awesome malt, but could be a bit overkill if you use all three.

I love the idea of using Nuggets as a FWH.

Should be tasty. Again, would love to hear the results!!

 

[Beesnbeer]

Just made a Turbodog clone that uses Chinook for bittering.

 

[Beerthoven]

Brown and Amber malts are not the same, though there is variation between maltsters so some examples may be similar. In general, Brown is around 65 L and Amber is in the 20-30 L range. To me, Brown tastes like darkly toasted (but not burnt) bread and Amber tastes like Victory on steroids, very nutty but not as toasty as Brown.

I prefer Brown in brown ales, especially paired with a healthy dose of crystal 40. My favorite brown ale recipe is 80% pale malt, 10% crystal 40, 5% brown, and 5% chocolate. Hop as you see fit.

 

[masskrug]

I brewed a SMaSH with Chinook and it was great. Chinook would pair well with a brown ale.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Brown malt - to my taste, anyway - is half way between amber and light chocolate. It's an awesome malt, but could be a bit overkill if you use all three.

I love the idea of using Nuggets as a FWH.

Should be tasty. Again, would love to hear the results!!

Yea my first time doing a fwh. Had a half oz of nugget left over from another batch a couple months ago, figured I use them up. Also nugget is similar/ has some relation to chinook.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Brown and Amber malts are not the same, though there is variation between maltsters so some examples may be similar. In general, Brown is around 65 L and Amber is in the 20-30 L range. To me, Brown tastes like darkly toasted (but not burnt) bread and Amber tastes like Victory on steroids, very nutty but not as toasty as Brown. .

I'm no malt expert. My local home brew supply owner told me their Amber malt is brown. I'm was surprised and gave them that confused look. I'll find my receipt to see who the maltster is...

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Also I took dogfish heads Indian brown ale recipe and brought it down to a sessionable beer, and added 1lb of flaked oats and went w nugget and chinook hops.
http://www.brew365.com/beer_dogfish_head_indian_brown_ale.php

 

[ryanryates]

I just toured the Big Rock brewery in Calgary, Alberta. They had a brown Ale on tap that used Chinook - it was delicious! Don't over do the hops in the brown ale, they should be subtle.

 

[secondbase]

Boulevard's Nutcracker is an amber ale with Chinook and it's delicious.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Chinook, nugget, Columbus, and northern brewer are the hops I use in stouts, brown ales and darker reds.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

I just toured the Big Rock brewery in Calgary, Alberta. They had a brown Ale on tap that used Chinook - it was delicious! Don't over do the hops in the brown ale, they should be subtle.

Should I cut my aroma hops in half?Maybe an 1oz at 10, cut out the 5 min addition... I'm for sure dry hoping w an oz. I could always save the extra oz of hops for the next brew.

 

[sancycling]

I'm perfecting a recipe for a big hoppy old ale with all chinook. First try had maris otter, 5% Amber and 10% caramel 150... Second try I did half maris otter, half pale and 10% caramel 150 and added oak chips soaked in scotch... That turned out very nice. I guess Im trying to say is that an all chinook brown is a great idea. I didnt like the amber malt flavor, it overpowered the caramel malts.
I dry hopped with 2oz.
I like your idea of FW hops.

 

[EMH5]

Go for it and let us know how it comes out. Have you ever made a brown before? Nugget Chinook combo sounds very interesting.

I just made a India Nut Brown using NB, Casade and Galaxy. If you have never made a brown I would hold off on the oats. Try this recipe as simple as possible first and then tweak it in the future.

Good luck and let us know how it comes out!

 

[ryanryates]

Should I cut my aroma hops in half?Maybe an 1oz at 10, cut out the 5 min addition... I'm for sure dry hoping w an oz. I could always save the extra oz of hops for the next brew.

Sounds like a plan. Personally, I'd probably just do the late additions and hold off on the dry hops. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

I'm perfecting a recipe for a big hoppy old ale with all chinook. First try had maris otter, 5% Amber and 10% caramel 150... Second try I did half maris otter, half pale and 10% caramel 150 and added oak chips soaked in scotch... That turned out very nice. I guess Im trying to say is that an all chinook brown is a great idea. I didnt like the amber malt flavor, it overpowered the caramel malts.
I dry hopped with 2oz.
I like your idea of FW hops.

Your beer sounds great!! My next step in brewing is using some oak chips in an IPA, stout or Porter. Never used any Crystal 150.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Go for it and let us know how it comes out. Have you ever made a brown before? Nugget Chinook combo sounds very interesting.

I just made a India Nut Brown using NB, Casade and Galaxy. If you have never made a brown I would hold off on the oats. Try this recipe as simple as possible first and then tweak it in the future.

Good luck and let us know how it comes out!

This is my first brown and I just brewed it today. I kept the oats in the recipe just because I love that creamy silky mouthfeel and body flaked oats give off. Ended up mixing up a half oz of nugget and chinook for my FWH. Used 1.8 oz of chinook at 10 mins. Took a taste while taking my gravity reading which I hit 1.060. Nice sweet flavor w a mild hoppyness, that's what I was aiming for. Now Im letting the yeast do the work.

 

[NathPowe]

Nice work Sanchez,

I've really been digging the brown ales lately, and Chinook is a fantastic hop. Let us know how it comes out, and post a pint photo if you have time.

Cheers.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Nice work Sanchez,

I've really been digging the brown ales lately, and Chinook is a fantastic hop. Let us know how it comes out, and post a pint photo if you have time.

Cheers.

Thanks! Yea give me 2-3 weeks and I'll post a pint pic w flavor review.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

My chinook brown finished at 1.012. I took the sample and put it in a glass so I could enjoy it and show off the color.
The brown ale smelt very malty and like a brown ale should smell. Nothing overpowering. A good balance between the malts and hops. Very low on bitterness to me at least. It reminds me of a flavorful English brown. It's delicious and can't wait to rack it to the keg and carb it.
I just added an oz of chinook.

I'll have a pint glass pic I'm about a week or 2.

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

 

[EMH5]

What is the final verdict on the Chinook Brown?

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

So the chinook brown turned out great! Finished at 1.012 6.3abv. Nice roasty chocolate flavor that was well balanced by the chinook. Very drinkable. Just finished drinking it this Sunday brewing a blind pig clone. Here's the beer

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

The brown was a bit hop forward but that's just how I roll.

 

[Dukslayer888]

This is exactly what I have been looking for!

I have a friend of mine that has recently begun a sizable hop farm growing primarily chinook hops... They want me to brew a beer for their annual harvest fest this fall and I wanted to do a brown with chinook.

Could you post your final recipe so I could give it a go???

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Finalized Recipe
Grain Bill
11lb 2 row
8oz Crystal 60
8oz Brown Malt
8oz Chocolate Malt
2.4oz Roasted Barley
1lb Flaked oats
6.4 oz Dark Brown Sugar 10 mins

Hop Bill
.36 oz nugget .14 oz chinook FWH
1.8 oz chinook 10 min
1oz chinook Dry hop for 5 days
40.1 IBU

Yeast
Wyeast Ringwood ale 1187
I did make a yeast starter.

Fermented at 70-72 degrees

My gravity was OG 1.060
My FG was 1.012

I had some left over nugget hops so I figured I should utilize them. Just make it 1/2 oz chinook for the fwh. Plus it was my first time doing a fwh addition.

Enjoy! Let me know if you brew it and if you tweak w it.

 

[Dukslayer888]

Thanks!!! I'll let you know how it turns out!!!

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Awesome! Happy brewing!

 

[NathPowe]

Looks pretty f***in' tasty there Sanchez. Glad it came out well. Thanks for following up with a pic and a final recipe.

Cheers.

 

[Dukslayer888]

Just brewed this today! Ended up hitting a 1.064 OG - looks good and smells great so far. I brewed it true to recipe with a .5 ounce FWH of chinook instead of the nuggets as you suggested. I let you know soon how turns out. Thanks for the recipe!!

 

[Hoppy_Sanchez]

Just brewed this today! Ended up hitting a 1.064 OG - looks good and smells great so far. I brewed it true to recipe with a .5 ounce FWH of chinook instead of the nuggets as you suggested. I let you know soon how turns out. Thanks for the recipe!!

Awesome! I'm excited to hear you brewed it! Looking forward to your end results. Your welcome, spread this recipe.

 

[Dukslayer888]

This recipe is a keeper... Been drinking it now for about a week after letting it carb up in the keg for two. Color is exactly how a brown should look and the hop flavor is precisely what I was looking for. Aroma is very "chinook" and the hop flavor is just right and not overwhelming!

Thanks for the recipe and I will be showcasing it at our annual harvest fest this year..!