Newcastle Brown Ale
(5 gallons/19 L)
OG = 1.044 FG = 1.007
IBU = 24 SRM = 25 ABV = 4.5%
Newcastle Brown Ale — called simply Newkie by many fans of this ale — is actually a blend of two beers. Brewers blend a strong, dark ale that has been aged and a smaller, younger amber ale. As a consequence, this average-strength brown ale shows some plum and raisin characteristics more frequently encountered in an old ale. The strong dark beer is not sold separately, but the amber ale is (as Newcastle Amber Ale). A few sources give enough information to come up with a decent clone of the amber ale. From there, I made some inferences about the attributes of the strong ale from what’s known about Newcastle Brown. You can make 5 gallons (19 L) of this beer in one fermenter by adding the ingredient list of two of the component beers and dividing by two. However, don’t expect the characteristics of an aged dark ale to appear.
Ingredients
2 gallons (7.6 L) old ale
(Newkie Component #1)
3 gallons (11 L) amber ale
(Newkie Component #2)
0.75 cups corn sugar (for priming)
Step by Step
Brew old ale (see recipe below) and let condition in secondary for about 2 months, preferably below fermentation temperature. Brew amber ale (recipe below), ferment for 3-4 days and rack to secondary. Once amber ale falls clear, rack 2 gallons (7.6 L) of old ale to your keg. Rack 3 gallons (11 L) of amber ale into it. Alternately, rack beers to bottling bucket, stir gently and bottle. Keg or bottle remaining old ale and amber ale and enjoy separately. [Option: you can combine 5 gallons (19 L) of amber ale with 3.33 gallons (12.6 L) of old ale to make 8.33 gallons (32 L) of brown ale, leaving 1.66 gallons (6.3 L) of old ale.]
Newcastle Brown Ale clone Component #1 (Old ale)
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.013
IBU = 32 SRM = 40 ABV = 6.6%
Ingredients
9.0 lbs. (4.1 kg) British 2-row pale ale malt
2 lb. 8 oz. (1.13 kg) flaked maize
1 lb. 5 oz. (0.60 kg) crystal malt (120-150 °L)
5.0 oz. (0.14 kg) chocolate malt
0.75 oz. (21 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins)
1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 mins)
8.25 AAU Fuggles hops (60 mins) (1.65 oz./47 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.25 AAU Kent Goldings hops (15 mins) (0.25 oz./7 g of 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1099 (Whitbread ale) or White Labs WLP017 (Whitbread Ale) yeast (2 quart/~2 L yeast starter)
Step by Step
Heat 16.5 quarts (15.6 L) of water to 163 °F (73 °C). Mash grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect 7 gallons (26 L) of wort. Boil wort for 120 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in ingredients list. Add Irish moss and yeast nutrients with 15 minutes left. Ferment at 71 °F (22 °C). Rack to secondary and let condition in a cool place.
Newcastle Brown Ale clone Component #2 (Amber ale)
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.031 FG = 1.007
IBU = 19 SRM = 16 ABV = 3.1%
Ingredients
5 lb. 2 oz. (2.3 kg) British 2-row pale malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (90 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) flaked maize
0.75 oz. (21 g) roasted barley (300 °L)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins)
1/8 tsp. yeast nutrients (15 mins)
5 AAU Challenger hops (60 mins) (0.71 oz./20 g of 7% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1099 (Whitbread ale) or White Labs WLP017 (Whitbread Ale) yeast (1 quart/~1 L yeast starter)
Step by Step
Mash grains at 152 °F (67 °C) in 8.0 quarts (7.6 L) of water. Mash for 60 minutes. To avoid oversparging the small grain bill, collect only about 3.5 gallons (13 L) of wort. [Alternately, monitor the specific gravity of your runnings and stop collecting wort when they fall below SG 1.010 or the pH climbs above 5.8.] Add 3 gallons (11 L) of water and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrients at the times indicated in ingredients list. Ferment at 71 °F (22 °C). Rack to secondary and let the beer fall clear prior to blending.
Article courtesy of Brew Your Own magazine