Buck Slobber Brown Ale

I love brown ales and I’m a self-professed hop-head, so why not put the two together. This beer came out really tasty, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I’m in the minority, because everyone else that has tried it has loved it, including the judges at the Dominion Cup, where it won 1st place in the American Amber and Brown Ale category.

The recipe:

Brew Date: 3/5/2010
Beer Number: B9
Beer Name: Buck Slobber
Type: American Brown Ale
Primary Fermenter: 6 gal. glass carboy (50 days)
Secondary Fermenter: none
Volume: 5 gal. wort (approx. 4.75 into fermenter & 4.27 packaged)
OG: 1.060 (target was 1.055)
FG: 1.0 10 (target was 1.014)
Expected IBU: 47
Expected SRM: 20
Expected Alcohol %: 5.3% (tastybrew & beertools calc. of 6.5%)
Calories: 237 (est)


Ingredients:
8.5 lbs. American 2-row malt
1 lb. white wheat
.5 lbs. Crystal 40
.5 lbs. Brown malt
.5 lbs. Chocolate malt
1 oz. Libery pellet hops (4.5%AA) FWH
.5 oz. Warrior pellet hops (@15.0% AA) 60 min.
.5 oz. Libery pellet hops (4.5%AA) 15 min.
½ oz. Libery pellet hops (4.5%AA) 10 min.
.5 oz Libery pellet hops (4.5%AA) 5 min.
.5 oz. Libery pellet hops (4.5%AA) 1 min.
1 11.5g pkg. Safeale S04

I had a real problem with a stuck sparge – I continually had to blow back into the mash tun to free it up. My set-up is a 5 gallon cylindrical cooler with a steel braid and I’m wondering if the braid is somehow stopped up.

The next iteration will include an addition of Amarillo hops, probably first wort hops, and I’ll probably drop the chocolate malt down to about 1/3 lb. and swap out the Crystal 40 with Crystal 120. I may even add some toasted oatmeal.