Sam Smith Nut Brown Recipe

Heat Strike Water

Heat 3.5 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C) to achieve a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C).

Grain crush and add: Put crushed pale ale malt, crystal 40L, caramel/dextrin malt, Munich/amber malt, and chocolate malt into your mash tun. Stir to eliminate dough balls.

Combine: Slowly pour the heated strike water over the grains and stir well to reach a stable mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Stabilize and insulate the mash for 60 minutes.

Mash out: Raise temperature to 170°F (77°C) by adding 1.0 quart (approx) of 170°F water or applying direct heat, hold for 10 minutes to improve lautering.

Sparge: Recirculate the first runnings until they run clear, then sparge with 1.5 gallons of 170°F (77°C) water to collect approximately 6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle.

Bring wort to a rolling boil. When you hit a boil, add 1.0 oz East Kent Goldings hops (bittering). Start a 60-minute timer.

At 15 minutes remaining in the boil, add 0.5 oz Fuggle hops and 1 tsp Irish moss (optional) for clarity.

With 5 minutes left in the boil, add 0.25 lb table sugar (dissolved) to the kettle to help with head retention and slight attenuation.

After 60 minutes total boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort quickly with an immersion chiller or plate chiller to about 68°F (20°C).

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind heavy trub. Top up with additional water if needed to reach 5 gallons.

Oxygenate: Aerate the wort by shaking, splashing, or pure O2 to provide oxygen for the yeast.

Pitch yeast: Rehydrate or pitch one pack of English ale yeast (Wyeast smack pack can be used as directed). Ferment at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for primary fermentation for 7–10 days.

Secondary (optional): If desired, rack to a secondary fermenter after 7–10 days to clarify for another 7 days at 60–65°F (15–18°C). This step helps the flavor to mellow and promote natural conditioning similar to Sam Smith brown ales.

Measure final gravity. Target FG ~1.016–1.018. If within range, prepare for bottling.

Priming sugar: Boil the 3 tsp (approx 15 g) of corn sugar in 0.5 cup (120 ml) of water for 5 minutes, cool and add to sanitized bottling bucket. (Adjust amount if you prefer kegging or higher carbonation.)

Bottle: Rack beer gently onto the priming solution, mix gently to avoid oxidation, then fill and cap bottles. Bottle condition at 65–70°F (18–21°C) for 10–14 days, then age at cellar temps (55–60°F / 13–15°C) for 2–4 weeks to develop nutty/brown ale character.

Serve: Chill bottles slightly and pour slowly to leave sediment in the bottle. Serve at 50–55°F (10–13°C) in a tulip or nonic pint glass.