Lemony Brown Ale

So I decided to brew a brown ale.  The kit came with some specialty grains to add flavor, and from what I read you just soak them in hot pre-wort water like tea.  It all seemed to work out okay, but just the smell of the brew makes me worry that it might be too dark to be "sessionable".

Also, since I have about 2 pounds of the stuff, I decided to give the lemongrass another go.  I added a full cup this time at the 2 minute mark, instead of a few measly tablespoons.  I could definitely detect a lemony aftertaste to the brew, which might just lighten it up enough for my tastes.  My previous estimate that I may need a cup per gallon were probably too much.  A single cup for a 5 gallon batch appears to be plenty to add tinge of taste.

I definitely can't taste it in the American Wheat Ale.  On that note, the American Wheat ale is now in a soda keg and carbonating nicely.  I ended up with an extra gallon (since I brewed 6 gallons), so I bottled it with some corn sugar for carbonating.  I may have added a bit too much sugar to the first bottle, so to those who may be drinking it... beware of an overpressurized brew!  The extra 1/2 pound of malt did not appear to make up for the extra gallon of water.  The brew is slightly watery (sad face), but drinkable (happy face).

Due to the wateriness of the Wheat Ale, I decided to simply brew 5 gal batches with the kits, and thus the Brown ale is 5 gal.  It's fermenting nicely and has been since Thursday evening.  My pantry usually smells yeasty... this time around it smells very malty, if that gives you any indication of how much stronger this brew will be.


I think my next project is a Hard Mango chick-beer.  I've already purchased the concentrate, and will be picking up some fresh fruit to help flavor.  I'll post when I have details!

I also bought a "Mexican Creveza" and another "American Wheat Ale" kit.  I may hold off on brewing those until I have a better method of controlling fermentation temperature.  My current fermentation temps vary depending on how cold I keep my living room.