As you know, I'm always hunting for good beer recipes. You may have noticed lately I'm getting some proven ones directly from maltsters. This makes perfect sense when you think about it, because the companies producing the malt ought to know how it performs best, which malts go best together, etc. It's also in their best interest to recommend the best possible recipes because if the brewer produces great beer, they'll keep coming back for more of that particular malt.
Today I'll share some from Castle Malting in Belgium. Their slogans are straight-forward and honest, "Belgian Malts That Make Your Beer So Special" and "Malts From The Country Famous For Its Beer."
Castle Malting: Belgian Brown Beer
DESCRIPTION:
A beer of character with a rich sweet malt flavour and a well-balanced taste. Leaves a subtle aftertaste of burnt wood.
Original gravity: 17 - 18° Plato, 1070-1074
Alcohol: 7 - 8%
Colour: +/-50 EBC
Bitterness: 15 - 20 IBU
INGREDIENTS:
49% Pilsen
31% Light Munich
12% CaraRuby
3% Crystal
3% Chocolate
2% Brown Candy Sugar
Hops:
Magnum for bittering and Perle for aroma
Yeast:
Safbrew T-58 (primary and secondary)
Step 1: Mashing
-Mash in at 62°C and rest for 55 minutes
-Rest at 72°C for 10 minutes
-Rest at 78°C for 2 minutes
Step 2: Boiling
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes; the volume of wort declines by 8 - 10%
-After 15 minutes add Magnum, after 85 minutes add Perle and Sugar
Step 3: Cooling
Step 4: Fermentation at 22°C
CASTLE MALTING: BELGIAN BROWN BEER