In the Fermentor: English Brown Ale

Even in the middle of winter, I occasionally want a lawn-chair beer that won't blow me away with a thick body, alcohol warmth and/or a wall of bitter. So in the midst of a season filled with brewing "big" beers, I decided it would be nice to shift gears and brew an easy-drinking English Brown Ale.

Nutty malts, a mild earthy bitterness and a light body pretty much sums this beer up. This is also my last of use of West Yorkshire yeast for the year (I've gotten five brews out of one packet of yeast, in case you're curious). My beer should be pretty quick to finish due to its low strength. I'll report back in five to six weeks with the outcome. The 5-gallon recipe is below:

Grains:
8 lbs Maris Otter
8 oz Victory
8 oz Brown
4 oz Pale Chocolate

Hops:
0.5 oz Newport (9.8% a.a.): 60 min
1 oz Fuggles (4.3% a.a.): 10 min

Total Boil Time:
60 min

Yeast:
Wyeast 1469 - West Yorkshire

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 152F for 60 min
Mashout: 168F for 15 minutes

Original Gravity:
1.042
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.006

IBU: 24
SRM Color: 14

Fermentation Schedule:
1 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $13 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Newcastle Brown Ale: $32
Savings: $19

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