Brown Ale

English brown ales range from deep copper to brown in color. They have a medium body and a dry to sweet maltiness with very little hop flavor or aroma. Roast malt tones may sometimes contribute to the flavor and aroma profile. Fruity-ester flavors are appropriate. Diacetyl should be very low, if evident. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound crystal malt

• 2 ounces chocolate malt

• 1/2 pound toasted malt

• 6 pounds amber malt extract

• 2 ounces East Kent Goldings hops

• 1 pound dark brown sugar or molasses

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 1098 British ale yeast

• 1 cup corn sugar

Instructions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract, the dark brown sugar or molasses and 1-1/2 ounces of the hops.

4. Return the brew kettle to the heat source and boil for 45 minutes, then add the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 15 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it, add the rest of the hops and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

6. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

7. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously, seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 68º-72º F for a week.

8. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

9. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual.