This weekend I finished off the keg of Oso Brown Ale. This was the second time I've made this beer, but this time around I made some changes to it in the hopes of making it more interesting. The first time around, reviewed here, I was happy with the overall turnout, a nice drinking mild brown ale. However, while highly drinkable, it was a little too mild for my taste, and lacked something to make it memorable.The latest version has been much more on track.
I made a few changes to the hop bill, adding 2 oz of organic whole leaf cascade hops, as well as adding 1/2 lb of honey in the secondary. I think the extra sweetness complimented the beer and gave it the extra something I was looking for.
My review:
The Oso pours cola brown with amber highlights and a finger of tan head. Aromas of honey, brown sugar and biscuit. Sweet at first with some nice honey and brown sugar flavors. It's followed by some faint biscuity and bready flavors. Not as much as I would have wanted, but I had kept the Munich malt low in the grain bill, so I will want to up that next time around. There's some slight hoppy bitterness that is quickly replaced by lingering sweetness. A nice mouthfeel, smooth with a some body but also highly drinkable. The honey is just present enough to let you know it's there, but fades nicely into the beer. Glad I held back and only added 1/2 lb. Quite an enjoyable brown ale.
Overall, I was quite happy, with the holidays around I always like having beers around that are easy drinking for everyone to enjoy. This beer really served that purpose as a variety of people enjoyed it. My next brown ale is going to be an India Brown Ale after having Dogfish Head's and also Derek's @ Beer This blog. Derek brewed a killer India Brown Ale that I had the pleasure of tasting. My next brown ale will most definitely be a more hopped up version. Here's the latest Oso recipe:
6 lbs Organic Light LME
1 lb Wheat DME
Steeping Grains: .25 Org Munich
.50 Organic Crystal 60
.60 Organic Chocolate
Hops: .50 oz Organic Pacfic Gem (14% AAU) @ 60
1 oz Organic Cascade Whole Leaf Hops @ 15
1 oz Organic Cascade Whole Leaf Hops @ 1
.5 lbs Honey in secondary
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
I will brew the Oso again for sure. I plan to get to some reviews of some commercial beers in the coming posts. More to come.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer
3 comments:
Thanks for the props bro. I am rarely satisfied with my own beers but I too enjoyed my IBA. I have yet to try the Dogfish Head version, I have heard it is good. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Its tough to balance that "too little, too much" thing in flavor. In the past I've been over shooting all my flavors and in some cases it's made beer that is almost overwhelming. Now that I've regressed and I am brewing small to large, some of my brews need a little here or there in the future, but they are all drinkable.
Derek, your IBA was awesome. Excited to hear about Vermont. Posting on it soon?
Travis, I think that is the hardest thing to balance as well, especially when aiming for subtly. In the case of the Oso, last time around it was subtle to the point of kinda boring, and I think if I would have overshot the honey, it would have been way too sweet. Nice to find the balance, especially on a beer that isn't meant to be aggressive. I tend to have a harder time nailing down the other end of the spectrum, the super hoppy or bitter, I think I get cold feet too much on that end.
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