This post is one in a series of making small adjustments to a single recipe in order to improve it, learn more about the impact each ingredient has on the finished product, and the art of recipe creation. The rest of the series can be found here.
Author: C. McKenzie
The recipes for the brown ales being compared below are as follows:
| Iteration 3 | Iteration 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-row | 77% | 77% |
| Crystal 60 | 9% | 9% |
| Victory | 9% | 9% |
| Chocolate | 5% | 5% |
| Biscuit | N/A | N/A |
| Hop Addition 1 | 23 IBUs Nugget (60 min.) | 23 IBUs Nugget (60 min.) |
| Hop Addition 2 | 16 IBUs Nugget (30 min.) | 16 IBUs Nugget (30 min.) |
| Hop Addition 3 | 3.5 IBUs Willamette (5 min.) | 3.5 IBUs Willamette (5 min.) |
| Yeast | US-05 | S-04 |
| OG | 1.053 | 1.060 |
| FG | 1.010 | 1.016 |
| ABV | 5.6% | 5.8% |
Appearance
Both Iterations 3 and 4 were brown with a reddish hue and clear. Iteration 3 poured with a small off-white head that had low retention (which I believe was due to low carbonation because of bottling from the tap). Iteration 4 had excellent head retention.
Aroma
Iteration 3 smelled of coffee with a hint of chocolate and roasted notes. There were also earthy and slightly floral/herbal aromas.
The first thing I noticed on Iteration 4’s aroma was the fruity esters. There was a hint of light-roast coffee, which could be due to the pairing of coffee notes with the esters. This beer also smelled earthy and slightly floral.
Taste
Iteration 3’s flavor was simply that of coffee, toasty notes, and a slight earthiness.
Iteration 4 was toasty, fruity, and earthy. There was also a slight coffee flavor that was much less pronounced than in Iteration 3.
Final Thoughts
Iteration 4 was certainly superior to Iteration 3. The flavors had more layers and had a depth of flavor that far surpassed the previous version. My favorite part of Iteration 4, though, was that the change in yeast accented different elements of the beer, and they were the flavors and aromas that I wanted to be more pronounced. The differences in these beers were stark, and I was pleasantly surprised that the change in yeast managed to highlight exactly the elements I wanted to highlight and downplay the elements that I wanted to be a little less present. All in all, I’m very happy with Iteration 4, and any additional changes will essentially be splitting hairs.