Recipe

Neon Raptor’s Barnum Brown clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052  FG = 1.012
IBU = 18  SRM = 20  ABV = 5.2%

This is a good example of the hoppy version of the American brown ale style you tend to see from British craft brewers. A grain bill that could well be a British brown ale, but the star of the show is the New World hops adding a big hit of pine, spice, and citrus. The Chico yeast ensures a clean fermentation that allows these big hop flavors to shine.

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Golden Promise pale ale malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
8.3 oz. (235 g) Munich malt
8.3 oz. (235 g) brown malt
8.3 oz. (235 g) flaked oats
8.3 oz. (235 g) flaked barley
5 oz. (142 g) chocolate malt
5.6 AAU CTZ hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.2 AAU Cascade hops (15 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
9.6 AAU Cascade hops (hopstand) (1.75 oz./50 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
2 oz. (56 g) CTZ hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (56 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
SafAle US-05, Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
You don’t want as thick a mouthfeel in a British brown ale and want the hops to be the star of this show for this beer, so mash in fairly low at 148–150 °F (65–66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Proceed to the lauter steps. Sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) in the brew kettle.

Boil for a total of 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated. At the conclusion of the boil, cool the wort down to 185 °F (85 °C) and then halt cooling and add the hopstand addition of hops. Stir the wort and let stand for 15 minutes before chilling to yeast-pitch temperature.

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C). Add the dry hop addition after 3 days and then leave in for 7 days or until fermentation is complete (whichever is longer). 

Bottle and prime with sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 v/v.

Extract with grains option: Replace Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Munich, and flaked grains with 6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract. Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag and submerge in 4 gallons (15 L) as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grain bag allowing to drip back into the kettle, then top off kettle to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). With the heat turned off, stir in the malt extract. 

Bring the wort up to a boil and then follow the all-grain recipe for boil and fermentation instructions. 

Issue: July-August 2023