White Rabbit Brown Ale

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters) Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.058 FG: 1.014 IBUS: 22 ABV: 5.7%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

9 lb (4.1 kg) Maris Otter 8 oz (227 g) British Medium Crystal Malt (65L) 8 oz (227 g) Caramunich 12 oz (340 g) Chocolate Malt

HOPS SCHEDULE

1 oz (28 g) Hallertau [4% AA] at 60 minutes 0.5 oz (14 g) Liberty [5% AA] at 10 minutes 0.5 oz (14 g) Crystal [5% AA] at 10 minutes 0.5 oz (14 g) Liberty at dry hop 0.5 oz (14 g) Crystal at dry hop

YEAST

Wyeast 1318 London Ale III

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains and mix with 3.36 gallons (12.7 l) of 163°F (73°C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains with 3.9 gallons (14.7 l) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 l) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hops schedule.

After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63°F (17°C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 65°F (18°C) for 7 days, then allow the temperature to rise to 68°F (20°C). Crash the beer to 35°F (2°C), add the dry hops, then after 5 days, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2 volumes.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

I get guff over this recipe because it’s “too roasty,” but it doesn’t seem to bother the friends and family who regularly request it! The IBUS may seem low, but the dryness in the roast makes up for some of the difference. This was the beer that made me believe in homebrewing, and it was my first award-winning beer.