***Every month we will showcase a beer brewed by a Colorado brewery with a scaled down recipe so you can brew on your home system. We will feature all sorts of recipes from popular go-to beers to the one time tasting room successes you wish you could have just one more time. Brew a batch and compare it to what the pro’s brewed.
This month we are featuring Ska Brewing’s Buster Nut Brown Ale. This highly decorated beer has won 4 GABF medals and most recently a bronze in the Brussels Beer Challenge last year. And in 2016, Ska will release Buster Nut in cans for the fist time along with Steel Toe Milk Stout and Decadent Imperial IPA, so make sure to look for a six pack at you local independent liquor store.
Buster Nut Brown Ale
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6%
IBU: 18
Malt Bill
2 row 73%
Munich 20L 7%
Carmel 80L 6%
Red wheat malt 2.5%
Chocolate 4.5% Victory 7%
Hop Bill
Northern Brewer: 80 Minute
Willamette: 30 Minute
Cascade: 5 Minute
Procedure: We do a slight Burton on Trent water adjustment and typically will add our ‘Salts’ directly to the barley on its way to be crushed. Strike appropriately to get a mash temp of about 156-158 and hold for 45 minutes. Vorlouf or recirculate the mash for 15 minutes before running off to the kettle. We sparge for about 1 to 1.25 hours. Bring to a boil and wait for hot break before adding first hops. At our altitude we need to boil for 1.5 hours, and follow the hop bill indicated above. At a lower altitude this can be changed but be sure to achieve the indicated IBU’s. Knock out to a clean and sanitized fermenter and pitch a Ringwood yeast strain. We use 1187. Ferment no warmer than 69 F and be sure to give this beer a long and adequate diacetyl rest. We cool in stages after diacetyl rest, going to 55 F for 24 hours then to 45 for 24 hours before we drop any yeast. Diacetyl is not acceptable in this style and given the yeast strain, go above and beyond to get rid of any “butter”. We age for 10-14 days at 45 then will drop temp to 35 before we transfer to the brite tank. Carbonate to 2.48 Vol/co2 and ta-da, Buster!
