h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

August 6, 2005

Nut Brown Ale

Ingredients
6 lb Munton & Fison Amber Dry Malt Extract
1/2 lb Weyermann Light Munich Malt
1 lb Hugh Baird Crystal Malt 130L
1/2 lb Muntons Chocolate Malt
1-1/2 oz Fuggles Hops 4.0%A (bittering)
1 oz Kent Goldings Hops 5.5%A (flavoring)
1/2 oz Fuggles Hops 4.0%A (aroma)
1/2 tsp Irish Moss
Wyeast #1099XL Whitbread Ale Yeast

Boiling Times
60 minutes
- malt extract
- bittering hops
45 minutes
- Irish moss
- flavoring hops
2 minutes
- aroma hops

Starting specific gravity - 1.044

On my 30th birthday, I was lucky enough to copy my beer guru's entire recipe collection. This is the first of the recipes that I attempted. I see the Nut Brown Ale as being a staple recipe for me in the fall.

Nut flavor. It has come to my attention that actually using nuts in a beer recipe is a risky business. Fresh nuts have a high oil content, which have a slew of negative results. But the nut flavor can come from your choice of specialty malts, in this case...Munich. And special treatment of this malt can really bring out the flavor. Unfortunately...I couldn't do this, not through any fault of my own I had to ask for the Munich and the Crystal at my homebrew shop. Being the nice guys that they were, they ground both of them and put them together. The Munich was supposed to be lightly cracked and toasted in the oven for twenty minutes.

So...the ingredients are still there. But I didn't have the chance to really bring out the 'nut' flavor...next time!!!

Cheers!

August 13, 2005

Transfer to secondary.

Specific gravity - 1.008

I liked the taste. Raw and gritty, but actually nutty.

Cheers!

September 18, 2005

Bottling/Kegging Date

After the success of the Folk Fest homebrew, I decided to double up on the camping libations. So, camping will have the Oktoberfest 2005 II as well as the Nut Brown Ale.

Specific gravity - 1.0075

Bottled a dozen beers to taste and save. The rest went into the keg, about three quarters of the batch. I plan on doing the same with the Oktoberfest beer. Which brings me to Oktoberfest 2005. Since I cannot be in Germany, I decided to have a little Fest of my own, inviting all present at the Folk Fest. In addition to the two homebrew batches, I've been collecting various Oktoberfest brews. So far, I will be able to offer six unique Oktoberfest beers. Hope to bring it up to ten.

Cheers!