Rude Boy Oatmeal Brown Part 1

   I decided to make something a bit different on my most recent brew day, an Oatmeal Brown.  I'd been debating between a few different styles but then this came out of nowhere.  I've never seen, or until recently, heard of a commercial version of an Oatmeal Brown, so it sounded very intriguing.

   In this post I'll share my recipe, and my Brew Day.

Rude Boy Oatmeal Brown

(Mini Mash)

• 2lbs Aromatic Malt (Belgian) (26 SRM)
• 1lbs Pale 2 Row Malt (US, 2.0 SRM)
• 12 oz Medium Crystal Malt (Simpson's) (55 SRM)
• 10.1 oz Golden Naked Oats (Simpson's) (10 SRM)
• 12 oz Special B Malt (155 SRM)
• 4 oz Chocolate Malt (450 SRM)
• 2lbs Light DME (Briess) (4.0 SRM)
• 3lbs, 2.4 oz Golden Light LME (Briess) (4.0 SRM)
• .25 oz Willamette (First Wort - 60 min)
• .75 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) (Boil - 60 min)
• 3.2 oz Willamette (Flame out - 0 min)
• Wyeast 1335 British Ale II yeast

Estimated OG: 1.068, 25.9 IBU's

Not pictured: 1oz whole cone Willamette hops

   For this brew, due to the oats and some of the other grain bill contributors, an actual mash had to be done.  That being the case, I think it's much more appropriate to call this a 'mini-mash' rather than a partial mash.  A whole mash is done, it's just smaller.  This was actually my first real mash and having more space would definitely have been beneficial.  Two kettles make this very easy, and instead of purchasing/building a Mash/Lauter tun, I just used a large grain bag.  For this brew I chose a simple, single infusion mash.

Stir thoroughly to break up clumps and aid conversion.

   For the mash you'll want to strike with 7.72qt of water at 160-162 °F to bring the mash temp to around 152 °F.  It needs to sit at this temp for 60 minutes.  I set my oven on the lowest possible setting, and left the oven door open.  It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.  When I pulled the mash pot out of the oven, I saw soapy looking bubbles (like oil in water) which is an indication of starch conversion.

   You'll need just over 2.5 gallons of sparge water heated to 168 °F.  I had intended to use a colander resting over my kettle to hold the grain bag while I sparged.  Mine was too small so I used a slotted roasting pan which worked very well.  However, since then I've purchased an adjustable colander from my beloved Ikea.

   At this point, you want to add the first wort hop addition, .25 oz of Willamette and turn the heat up.  Once it reaches a good rolling boil, toss in the .75 oz of Columbus and start your timer.  This is a relatively low maintenance brew, so make sure to have plenty of good craft beer, or better yet, home brew to keep you hydrated during the next hour, Call of Duty: Black Ops helps to keep one occupied as well as cleaning as you go.

First Wort addition.

60 minute addition.

Massive Flame Out addition. 3.2 oz of Willamette pellets and whole cones.

   After cooling, it's time to pitch the yeast.  You'll want to let it warm up to room temp for at least 3 hours, smack it to break open the interior yeast packet (essentially making a starter), and give it a shake.  The package will swell indicating viable yeast (though you don't have to wait for it to swell).  After the wort is cooled, pitch the yeast into your primary where it will sit for 7 days.  I recently acquired a 7 gallon carboy for a new primary fermentor and the extra room really makes a world of difference.

   My next post will continue the journey from primary fermentation, into bottling.