Brü It Yourself | Double Down Imperial Brown Ale

Author: Phil Rusher

The BJCP style guidelines lists two regionally based categories for Brown Ale– British and American. Generally, British versions tend to favor malt over hops, have some classic English fermentation character, and possess lower levels of alcohol than their American counterparts, which are typically cleaner, more aggressively hopped, and a bit stronger. However, given its general complexity, some brewers viewed this style as one that could tolerate more extreme levels of alcohol, and hence the Imperial Brown Ale was born.

As a style that’s not officially laid out in any style guidelines, brewers of Imperial Brown Ale rely on a combo of what they know Brown Ale to be along with some artisanal instinct, which leaves plenty of room for stylistic variation. A common approach to crafting an “imperial” version of any existing beer style is balancing the increased alcohol by magnifying certain key aspects of the base style. In the case of American Brown Ale, this has generally meant boosting the hop character while keeping any roasted flavors in check so as not to be overwhelming.

With the season shifting from Summer to Fall, I was looking to have a strong beer on tap that was complex enough to keep me interested but not as rich as something like a Barleywine, and Imperial Brown Ale seemed like an ideal option.

| Making Double Down Imperial Brown Ale |

I designed this beer to have a restrained roast character that blended harmoniously with fruity American hops and a clean fermentation character.

Double Down Imperial Brown Ale

A couple days prior to brewing, I made a yeast starter with Imperial Yeast L05 Cablecar.

After adjusting the brewing water to my desired profile and getting it heating up on brew day, I weighed out and milled the grains.

With the water appropriately heated, I incorporated the grains then checked to make sure it was at my target mash temperature.

The mash was left to recirculate for 60 minutes.

When the mash step was complete, I lifted the grain basket out of the kettle then turned the element on full power.

While waiting on the wort to heat up, I measure out the kettle hop additions.

The wort was boiled for 60 minutes with hops added at the times stated in the recipe.

Once the boil was finished, I quickly chilled the wort with my CFC while transferring it to a sanitized Brew Bucket.

A refractometer reading showed the wort was at a respectable 1.094 OG.

The filled fermenter was placed in my chamber and left for a few hours to finish chilling to my desired fermentation temperature of 50°F/10°C, at which point I pitched the yeast.

After a week of fermentation, I raised the temperature in the chamber to 60°F/16°C then left the beer alone for another week before bumping the temperature up to 65°F/18°C. After another week, I increased the temperature again to 72°F/22°C, which is where the beer sat for a final week before I took a hydrometer measurement showing FG had been reached.

At this point, I racked the beer to a sanitized and CO2 purged keg.

The filled keg was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before I reduced the gas to serving pressure. After 10 days of conditioning, this Imperial Brown Ale was nicely carbonated, mostly clear, and ready to drink.

| IMPRESSIONS |

It’s my wholehearted belief that Brown Ale, in general, is a markedly underrated style of beer, which in my opinion is likely due in part to its unappealing nomenclature. It’s unfortunate because Brown Ale has so much to offer, with versions ranging from roasty and sessionable to hoppy and strong, and it’s an excellent style to use as the base for experimentation.

To my palate, Double Down Imperial Brown Ale was quite delicious, hitting all the marks for what I intended when designing the recipe. The combination of Mecca Grade Estate Malt Lamonta Pale-style malt and Metolious Munich-style malt provided a lusciously sweet graham cracker flavor that was supported nicely by noticeable yet non-intrusive chocolate and coffee notes. While mango, guava, and citrus hop characteristics were quite prominent and worked very nicely in this beer, I suspect some will fade with time. For as strong as this beer was, it left the impression of only subtle warming, which I suspect was influenced by the cooler fermentation with a lager yeast.

Perhaps it’s because I live in Upstate New York that I’ve come to appreciate big beers so much, as they’re great to sip on during the cooler months when everyone is looking for a way to stay cozy. I’ve made numerous high OG beers in the past, but this was my first go at an Imperial Brown Ale, and I was beyond pleased with the outcome. As much as I enjoyed the more hop-forward flavors of Double Down Imperial Brown Ale, I look forward to sipping on it over the next couple months and seeing how it develops.

If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making something similar, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

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