BROWN ALE GRAINBILLS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

[seymour]

BROWN ALE GRAINBILLS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

Abita Turbo Dog, Abita Springs, Louisianna, USA
81.1% Pale, 13.5% Dark Crystal Malt, 5.4% Chocolate Malt

Alpha Hoppy Brown, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
90% Pale, 10% Extra Dark Crystal Malt

ArmChair Brown Ale (a Jim's Beer Kit member)
74% Pale, 10.5% Crystal Malt, 10.5% Brown Malt, 3.5% Oats, 1.5% Chocolate Malt

Avery Ellie's Brown Ale, Boulder, Colorado, USA
81.6% Pale, 8.2% Munich Malt, 6.1% Chocolate Malt, 4.1% Crystal 120L Malt

Ballast Point Nut Brown Ale, San Diego, California, USA
80.5% Pale, 12.7% Crystal Malt, 4.5% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 2.3% Chocolate Malt

Barclay Perkins DB/Doctor Brown/Double Brown Ale (1935), Southwark, London, England
46.7% Pale, 22.2% Maize, 11.1% US Six-Row Pale, 6.7% Crystal Malt, 6.6% Dark Sugar, 6.7% Sugar

Bells Best Brown Ale, Galesburg, Michigan, USA
75% Pale, 8% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 8% Briess Special Roast Malt, 8% Crystal 60 Malt, 1% Chocolate Malt

Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale, Missoula, Montana, USA
87% Pale, 10% Crystal Malt, 2.8% Chocolate Malt, .2% Black Malt

Blackstone Nut Brown Ale, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
77.7% Pale, 6% Munich Malt, 6% CaraMunich Malt, 6% CaraPils/Dextrine/Mild Malt, 4.3% Chocolate Malt

Briess CaraBrown Beer, Chilton, Wisconsin, USA
84% Pale, 12% CaraBrown Malt, 4% CaraMunich 60L Malt

Briess Victory At All Costs, Chilton, Wisconsin, USA
79% Pale, 9% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 9% Crystal Malt, 2% CaraBrown Malt, 1% Chocolate Malt

Burnt Stone Mulberry Nut Brown Ale, Athens, Georgia, USA
89.5% Pale, 4% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 4% CaraMunich II Malt, 1.5% Chocolate Rye Malt, 1% CaraWheat Malt

Burton Bridge Staffordshire Knot Brown Ale, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England
83% Pale, 4% Crystal Malt, 1% Chocolate Malt, 12% Invert Syrup

BYO Ides of March Brown Ale, Vermont, USA
91.5% Pale, 5.5% Crystal Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt, 1% Maltodextrin

BYO Ozark Brown Ale, Vermont, USA
93.3% Pale, 2.7% Crystal Malt, 2.7% Black Malt, 1.3% Chocolate Malt

BYO Southern English Brown Ale, Vermont, USA
78.7% Mild Malt, 10.7% Wheat Malt, 8.8% Dark Crystal Malt, 1.8% Roasted Barley

C.J.J. Berry Best Brown Ale (influential early homebrew author), Andover, Hampshire, England
69% UK Pale or Mild Malt, 7% Wheat Malt, 3% Black Malt (mash @ 150°F for 90 min) + 7% Raw Cane Sugar & 14% Glucose Chips in boil

Dave Miller Brown Ale (author and brewmaster from St. Louis, Missouri, USA)
75.8% Pale, 6.9% Crystal Malt, 3.4% Chocolate Malt, 13.8% Dark Brown Cane Sugar

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
71.3% Pale, 7% Flaked Maize, 6.9% Dark Crystal Malt, 6.4% Amber Malt, 3.9% Brown Sugar, 3.5% Coffee, 1% Roasted Barley

Dry Dock Brown Ale, Aurora, Colorado, USA
84.4% Pale, 12% CaraBrown Malt, 3.6% CaraMunich Malt

Greg Hughes Brown Ale 1 (author of Home Brew Beer and owner of BrewUK), Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
93% Pale, 5% Crystal Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt

Greg Hughes Brown Ale 2 (author of Home Brew Beer and owner of BrewUK), Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
86.2% Pale, 7.4% Dark Crystal Malt, 2.5% Chocolate Malt, 2.5% Torrified Wheat, 1.4% Black Malt

Hoskins Penn's Ale, Leicester, Leicestershire, England
69% Maris Otter, 4.5% Crystal Malt, 4% Torrified Wheat, 22% Dark Invert Syrup

Jamil Zainasheff American Brown Ale, Fairfield, California, USA
77% Maris Otter, 6% Crystal 40L Malt, 6% CaraPils/Dextrine/Mild Malt, 4% Chocolate Malt, 2% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 2% Crystal 60L Malt

Keweenaw Widow Maker Black Ale, Houghton, Michigan, USA
95% Pale, 3% Chocolate Malt, 2% Black Malt

Mad Boar Brown Ale, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA
78.6% Pale, 10.1% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 3.3% Crystal 40L Malt, 3% Chocolate Malt, 2.5% Flaked Oats, 2.3% Black Malt

Manns Original Brown Ale (1902), Whitechapel, Victoria, Mortlake, London, England
78% Pale, 10% Dark Crystal Malt, 10% Wheat Malt, 2% Roasted Barley, then back-sweetened with sugar after fermented and pasteurized

Maxim Double Maxim Ale (modern, based on 1950 Vaux & Co recipe), Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England
90% Maris Otter and Crystal Malts, 10% Wheat

Muntons English Brown Ale, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England
81.4% Pale, 7% Crystal 150L Malt, 9.3% Black Malt, 2.3% Torrified Wheat

Northern Brewer Cumbrian Double Brown Ale, West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
69.5% Maris Otter, 11.5% Amber Malt, 3% Crystal Malt, 3% Dark Crystal Malt, 3% Pale Chocolate Malt, 10% Sugar

Northern Brewer Emma's Brown Ale, West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
86.5% Maris Otter, 10.8% Dark Crystal Malt, 2.7% Pale Chocolate Malt

Northern Brewer Nukey Brown Ale, West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
92.3% Maris Otter, 2.6% Dark Crystal Malt, 2.6% Chocolate Malt, 2.6% CaraRed Malt

Northern Brewer Nut Brown Ale, West Allis, Wisconsin, USA
88% Maris Otter, 3% Dark Crystal Malt, 3% Chocolate Malt, 3% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 3% Special Roast 50L Malt

Pete's Wicked Ale, San Antonio, Texas, USA
90% Pale, 4% Crystal 60L Malt, 4% Special Roast 50L Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt

Pyramid Snow Cap, Portland, Oregon, USA
90% Pale, 7% Cara 80L Malt, 3% Chocolate Malt

Real Ale Brewhouse Brown Ale, Blanco, Texas, USA
71.6% Pale, 10.5% Crystal 60 Malt, 8.4% Munich Malt, 5.3% Vienna Malt, 4.2% Chocolate Malt

Rookie Nottingham Nut Brown (a Jim's Beer Kit member)
78.4% Maris Otter, 7.8% CaraStan Malt, 7.8% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 4% CaraWheat Malt, 2% Chocolate Wheat Malt

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England
78.4% Maris Otter, 10.2% Crystal Malt, 10% Amber Malt, 1.4% Chocolate Malt

Schlafly American Brown Ale, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
80% Pale, 15% Dark Crystal Malt, 5% Pale Chocolate Malt

Schlafly India Brown Ale, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
72.5% Pale, 20% Crystal Malt, 5% Dark Crystal Malt, 2.5% Dark Chocolate Malt

Sensible Mole Twelfth Night At Toad Hall (a Jim's Beer Kit member), Nottingham, England
68.9% Pale, 14.5% Munich Malt, 10% Crystal Malt, 1.6% Chocolate Malt, 5% Honey

Seymour Archer Rye Brown Ale (a Jim's Beer Kit member), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
51% Pale, 18% Rye Malt, 7% Mild Malt, 4.5% CaraMalt, 2.5% Crystal 40L Malt, 7% Black Malt (added at end of mash, right before sparge) + 10% Dark Invert Syrup (in boil)

Seymour Citra Dark (a Jim's Beer Kit member), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
75% Pale, 12% Torrified Wheat, 5% Rye Malt, 2% Dark Crystal Malt, 1.5% Pale Chocolate Malt, 4.5% Black Malt

Shorts Good Humans, Bellaire, Michigan, USA
64.6% Pale, 12.1% CaraBrown Malt, 8.1% Mild Malt, 8.1% Munich Malt, 4% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 2% Cara 80L Malt, 1% Black Malt

Springhead Cromwell's Hat, Retford, Nottinghamshire, England
90% Pale, 10% Crystal Malt, Juniper Berries, Cinnamon

Surly Bender, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, USA
64% Pale, 16% Biscuit/Victory/Aromatic Malt, 6% Crystal Malt, 6% Special-B Malt, 6% Oats, 2% Chocolate Malt

Table Rock Nut Brown (Chris Alvey of Brew365.com), Newburgh, Indiana, USA
77.1% Pale, 9.6% CaraPils/Dextrine/Mild Malt, 4.8% CaraStan Malt, 3.6% Brown Malt, 2.4% Dark Crystal Malt, 1.2% Chocolate Malt, 1.2% Black Malt

Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown, Idaho Springs, Colorado, USA
78% Pale, 12% Munich Malt, 3% Pale Crystal Malt, 3% Dark Crystal Malt, 3% Chocolate Malt, 1% CaraPils/Dextrine/Mild Malt + Grade B Maple Syrup at flame-out

Trough Blind Pugh, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
70% Pale, 15% Crystal Malt, 15% Chocolate Malt

Vaux Double Maxim Ale (1950), Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England
76.5% Pale, 8.5% Wheat, 15% Dark Invert Syrup

Warrington Walker Wild Rover, Warrington, Cheshire, England
70% Pale, 6% Crystal Malt, 24% Dark Invert Syrup

Weyermann Whiskey Ale, Bamberg, Germany
35% Beechwood Smoked Malt, 25% Pilsener Malt, 25% Bohemian Dark Malt, 10% CaraRed Malt, 5% CaraMunich Malt

Whitbread DB/Double Brown Ale (1933), London, England
46.1% Pale, 30.7% American Six-Row Pale, 1.5% Chocolate Malt, 21.6% Dark Sugar Syrup

Whitbread Forest Brown Ale (1955), London, England
78.5% Mild Malt, 8% Crystal Malt, 11% #3 Invert Syrup, 2.5% Sugar

[6470zzy]

Interesting stuff. How did you come across the grainbills?

Cheers

[seymour]

Interesting stuff. How did you come across the grainbills?

Cheers

That's just part of a huge spreadsheet I maintain. The data comes from books, websites, conversations with brewers, etc. A recent inquiry by spanspoon got me in the mood to share a chunk of it. It's a big part of my work as a beer writer and consultant, blah blah blah...

Cheers to you too!
-Seymour

[Kyle_T]

I found for the Manns you can increase the crystal to 15%, mash at 68/69 and use a lowish attenuating yeast and you don't need to back sweeten.

[6470zzy]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like interesting employment

[Clibit]

15% dark crystal in the Schlafly. That sounds pretty heathen. Anyone ever put that much dark crystal in a brew?

[spanspoon]

Seymour!

Plenty to keep us busy! I didn't get chance to brew but will be over the next couple of weeks and I'll let you know what I decide on!

[seymour]

15% dark crystal in the Schlafly. That sounds pretty heathen. Anyone ever put that much dark crystal in a brew?

Yeah, those Schlafly beers are delicous. They really are, I mean, like hundreds of people waiting in beer fest lines kinda delicious. Look at their India Brown Ale, it's 20% crystal! I was surprised too when the brewer told me, but I've tasted that beer and know how good it tastes. They mash low and use an extremely high-attenuating yeast, so the beer has less residual sweetness than you'd expect. But the main reason they can get away with super malty, is that those beers are super hoppy too, bringing the overall effect back into balance (if you can still refer to such an over-the-top technique as "balanced")

There are traditional English examples too. Isn't Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild around 20% crystal?

[Padalac]

Very interesting, especially the variation..which is quite big.. IMO those grainbills really depend a lot on the OG and yeast choice though!

[Clibit]

15% dark crystal in the Schlafly. That sounds pretty heathen. Anyone ever put that much dark crystal in a brew?

Yeah, those Schlafly beers are delicous. They really are, I mean, like hundreds of people waiting in beer fest lines kinda delicious. Look at their India Brown Ale, it's 20% crystal! I was surprised too when the brewer told me, but I've tasted that beer and know how good it tastes. They mash low and use an extremely high-attenuating yeast, so the beer has less residual sweetness than you'd expect. But the main reason they can get away with super malty, is that those beers are super hoppy too, bringing the overall effect back into balance (if you can still refer to such an over-the-top technique as "balanced")

There are traditional English examples too. Isn't Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild around 20% crystal?

I get the low mash temp/high attenuation thing, sounds like a good idea, with the big hops too. Yes, Sarah Hughes does have something like 20% crystal, I actually tasted a mate's extract version of it last week and I liked it more than i thought I would like a beer with that much crystal, I must admit! I'm hankering after a brew with lots of dark crystal now!

[seymour]

You and me both, mate! Luckily my Festival Mild Ale and Australian Porter are coming ready soon.

[Clibit]

You and me both, mate! Luckily my Festival Mild Ale and Australian Porter are coming ready soon.

Both big on the dark crystal?

[seymour]

Both big on the dark crystal?

Yeah, not to that 20% extent of dark crystal malt, but pretty big nonetheless (especially considering all my other dark malts involved.)

Seymour Festival Mild: 63% Pale, 10% Mild Malt, 10% Dark Crystal Malt, 3% Aromatic, 3% Amber Malt, 3% Black Malt, 3% Oats, 5% Dark Invert Syrup

Seymour Australian Porter: 70% Pale, 14% Torrified Wheat, 8% Dark Crystal Malt, 4% Black Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt, 2% Smoked Malt


While we're on the topic of dark crystal malt, my go-to Mild recipe calls for 5%, my Ruby Mild calls for 7%, and I have several Best Bitter recipes which call for 5-10%. For what it's worth, English crystal always tastes better than American, Belgian, or German. Sure, that's my opinion…but it's the truth.

[Kyle_T]

I must have a sweet tooth or something, my go to Mild recipe is 10% Dark Crystal and my Brown ale is 15%, haven't yet pushed it to 20% but I might give it a go.

[Clibit]

Both big on the dark crystal?

Yeah, not to that 20% extent of dark crystal malt, but pretty big nonetheless (especially considering all my other dark malts involved.)

Seymour Festival Mild: 63% Pale, 10% Mild Malt, 10% Dark Crystal Malt, 3% Aromatic, 3% Amber Malt, 3% Black Malt, 3% Oats, 5% Dark Invert Syrup

Seymour Australian Porter: 70% Pale, 14% Torrified Wheat, 8% Dark Crystal Malt, 4% Black Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt, 2% Smoked Malt


While we're on the topic of dark crystal malt, my go-to Mild recipe calls for 5%, my Ruby Mild calls for 7%, and I have several Best Bitter recipes which call for 5-10%. For what it's worth, English crystal always tastes better than American, Belgian, or German. Sure, that's my opinion…but it's the truth.

Really interesting grain bills for those two ales. I like English crystal too. In fact, I rarely buy any malts from outside England now, I don't see the need. It's a good way to restrict things I think, and help save the planet. I keep some stocks of pale, 2 or 3 crystals incl caramalt, wheat, TW, choc, black, roast barley.

I have other malts I've bought for specific brews, but I keep those above in stock most of the time. I have some brown, amber, UK Munich, special B, carafa III, crystal rye and choc rye atm. I like the ryes in darker beers, the brown ales, porters and stouts. First use of special B is about to be bottled. Brown malt is an occasional use thing. Not sure about amber yet, the jury is out. Not used the carafa.