English Brown Ales overview.

1. January 7th, 2015
Timothy N. Lambert, Ph. D.
Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11:
11A: Mild
11B: Southern Brown
11C: Northern Brown

2. History of Brown Ale
Modern incarnations (BJCP) are nothing like the
18th century versions.
“They share the roasty characteristics of porter but
were sweeter due to their much lower hopping rates”
“Current Brown ales in England all have 20th
century origins”
Modern brown ale:
Thomas Wells Thorpe
Mann’s Brown Ale
Interesting stories and mystery
of Brown/Amber malt,
Invention of Hydrometer and
Black Patent Malt, effects of
taxation etc.
Martyn Cornell - Why there’s no such beer as ‘English brown ale’
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/why-theres-no-such-beer-
as-english-brown-ale/

3. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
by the numbers:
Mild
OG: 1.030-1.038
FG: 1.008-1.013
IBU: 10-25
SRM 12.0-25.0
ABV: 2.8-4.5
English Northern
OG: 1.040-1.052
FG: 1.008-1.014
IBU: 20-30
SRM 12.0-22.0
ABV: 4.2-5.4
English Southern
OG: 1.033-1.042
FG: 1.011-1.014
IBU: 12-20
SRM 19.0-35.0
ABV: 2.8-4.1
They really don’t look that different?
SRM Color Chart

4. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
Mild English NorthernEnglish Southern
Nutty, light
caramel, dry
finish, low to no
hop, some fruity
esters ok, may
have UK type
hop aromas -
Drier and more
hop oriented
with nutty rather
than caramel
Caramel, toffee
sweetness
Hints of biscuit
and coffee
Dark fruit, Low
hop
Little/No roast.
Moderate
sweetness with
smooth malty
aftertaste
Light flavored session ale
Refreshing, yet flavorful
Generally malty, wide range
of flavors
(malty, sweet, caramel,
toffee, toast, coffee, roast,
fruit, licorice…..
Sweet or dry and may have
roast finish
Fruity esters
Some versions may seem like
lower gravity brown porters

5. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
Typical Ingredients
Bulk of Extract: English or American 2-row (or use Extract)
Other Malts: Caramel, Wheat (Flaked), Victory, Biscuit Malt,
Amber Malt, Brown Malt, Pale Chocolate, Chocolate, Oats
(Flaked), etc. (I would generally avoid Roast Barley but black
could be used for coloring……Don’t forget Invert/Caramel
Sugars!). Mash to obtain a malty yet dry beer.
Malty is not the same thing as sweet!

6. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
Typical Ingredients
Hops: English Varieties are best
(Fuggles, EK Goldings, Challenger, Bramling Cross, Styrian
varieties (Aurora, Goldings…..). Noble hops and milder american
hops (Williamette) hops would work as well. Cascade works well in
moderation. Hops are there to balance malt. Some aroma OK.
Yeast: English Varieties/Neutral Ones work well. Wyeast
recommends: 1028, 1098, 1275, 1335 - 1968, 1469 would also work
well - Many English varieties are misunderstood by judges. Also,
avoiding di-acetyl is best.
Water: (Filtered) ABQ water is great for darker beers.
Keep in mind that process is equally as important as a good recipe!

7. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
by the numbers:
Mild
OG: 1.030-1.038
FG: 1.008-1.013
IBU: 10-25
SRM 12.0-25.0
ABV: 2.8-4.5
English Northern
OG: 1.040-1.052
FG: 1.008-1.014
IBU: 20-30
SRM 12.0-22.0
ABV: 4.2-5.4
English Southern
OG: 1.033-1.042
FG: 1.011-1.014
IBU: 12-20
SRM 19.0-35.0
ABV: 2.8-4.1
Nutty, light caramel,
dry finish, low to no
hop, some fruity esters
ok
Caramel, toffee
sweetness
Hints of biscuit and
coffee
Dark fruit, Low hop
Little/No roast. Moderate
sweetness with smooth
malty aftertaste
Light flavored session ale
Refreshing, yet flavorful
Generally malty, wide range of flavors
(malty, sweet, caramel, toffee, toast,
coffee, roast, fruit, licorice…..
Sweet or dry and may have roast finish
Fruity esters
Some versions may seem like lower
gravity brown porters
So how does one go about
formulating a recipe ?
Lets focus on one: (11c)

8. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
Try as many commercial examples as
possible = understanding taste profiles
Is it possible to frame the recipe space ?
Find a clone recipe ?

9. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
BJCP Commercial Example: Goose Island Nut Brown Ale
Recipe Information -
5.4% ABV IBU 25 Color: Chocolate
Malts: 2 Row, Caramel, Wheat, Dark Chocolate, Victory
Hops: UK Fuggle
Recognition -
World Beer Cup - 2010 Gold Medal, 2006 Gold Medal
(both for American Style Brown)
http://www.gooseisland.com/beer/nut-brown-ale.html
Brewer's Notes - Our Nut Brown Ale combines the finest domestic and
imported malts to produce a chestnut-hued ale of unusual complexity. Subtle
notes of chocolate, honey and fine tobacco give this ale an enjoyable and
satisfying “nutty” finish.

10. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
BJCP Commercial Example: Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale
Recipe Information -
ABV: 5.5% OG: 1.056 IBU: 28
Color: Deep Russet
Malts: 2 Row, Chocolate, Munich, Honey Malt, Caramel 120
Hops: Bullion, Sterling
Recognition -
1997 Colorado State Fair “1st Place Brown Ale”
2002 Top of the Town Award – 5280 Magazine – “Top Local Beer”
2005 Great American Beer Festival “Bronze Medal”
2007 New York Times – Winner, “Best of the Browns”
http://averybrewing.com/our-ales/ellies-brown-ale/
Brewer's Notes - …..deep russet brew has the sweet and somewhat nutty character
…..brown sugar maltiness with hints of vanilla and nuts, while subtle hopping gives it
an overall drinkability ………

11. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
So how does one go about formulating a recipe ?
Specifically: Grain percentages, hop amounts etc. ?
Statistics on
AHA-NHC Entries
http://www.winning-homebrew.com/recipe-database.html

12. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.012
IBU: 22.7
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 16.3 SRM
P Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7
S Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14
If you like nut browns, you'll love this one!
Mash Profile
Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body,
Batch Sparge
Mash Grain Weight: 11.75 lb
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 4.21 gal
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 14.69 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min
** Based on 70% brew-house efficiency
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 76.6 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.5 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 8.5 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4.3 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.1 %
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50%] (60 min) Hops 14.7 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 8.1 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/nut-brown-ag-30187/
Lil Sparky’s All Grain Nut Brown Ale
Here’s one from the inter-web
Plenty of web resources!

13. English Northern
OG: 1.040-1.052
FG: 1.008-1.014
IBU: 20-30
SRM 12.0-22.0
ABV: 4.2-5.4
Todays Sample
Recipe Information -
4.8% ABV IBU 29 Color: ~ 17 SRM
Malts: 2 Row, Caramel, Brown, Chocolate,
Biscuit
Hops: Challenger, EK Goldings
Recognition -
2015 Inaugural Holiday Fiesta
Category 11: “Gold” and “Silver”,
Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11
11C: Northern English Brown
aka “Nut Brown Ale”

14. Brown Ales
2008 BJCP: Category 11:
Timothy N. Lambert, Ph. D.
Cheers!
There are two other samples - which
subcategory would you say they are and why?