One of the flagship ales at BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats in Boulder, Colorado, is the Obitus American Brown Ale, for which founder, brewer, and chef Ian Clark hangs a bag of roasted dates inside the fermentation tank to impart warm, dried fruit flavors. It was one of the first recipes crafted in Clark’s garage, and it went on tap where he kept his day job as the executive chef of Boulder’s Centro Latin Kitchen.
ALL-GRAIN
OG: 1.068
FG: 1.012
Estimated IBUs: 45
ABV: 7.6%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
5 lb (2.27 kg) Pale ale malt
5 lb (2.27 kg) 2-row malt
4 oz (113 g) Biscuit malt
1 lb (0.45 kg) Dextrine malt
8 oz (227 g) Chocolate malt
8 oz (227 g) Dark caramelized sugar
1 lb (0.45 kg) Chopped, caramelized dates
HOPS SCHEDULE
1 oz (28 g) Northern Brewer at 60 minutes
1 oz (28 g) Fuggle at 30 minutes
1 tsp (5 ml) Irish moss at 10 minutes
1 tsp (5 ml) Yeast nutrient at 10 minutes
1 oz (28 g) East Kent Golding at 5 minutes
DIRECTIONS
Mash in at 156°F (69°C) for 60 minutes. Boil for 60 minutes, making additions as noted.
YEAST
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Recipe is built to yield a batch size of 5 gallons and assumes 72% brewhouse efficiency.