My next attempt, this weekend, will look like this:
64% Deer Creek Pale
13% 65L English Crystal
7% Torrified Wheat
7% Deer Creek Double Dutch (20L Munich)
5% Brown
3% Pale Chocolate (220L)
1% Chocolate (500L)
≈ 28 IBU's Northern Brewer (A bit upset I couldn't find Pilgrim again)
WY1968
The idea is to drop that Brown malt way back to cut the coffee flavor, up the crystal to try and bring in a bit more caramel, add the Munich and wheat for body purposes, and change the yeast for added body as well.
So the above beer has been in the keg for a few weeks. It was a big step forward, though I didn't get all the way there. The coffee and roast have been tamped down sufficiently and a nice chocolate caramel flavor is present. What I didn't get was the body and chewy mouthfeel I was looking for. It does taste a bit "thin".
This was mashed at 152° for an hour and fermented with 1968 London ESB. I ended up with 73% attenuation, a little more than I was expecting, but not out of line I don't think. Holding a glass to the light, the beer is crystal clear. Last time I used 1028 and got 75% attenuation.
The flavors from the grain bill seem to be right around the bullseye, but I'm thinking the torrified wheat probably didn't do much. The beer pours with a great head that hangs around long enough.
So how best to increase that chewiness?
1. Mash higher, say 155-156°?
2. Different yeast to lower attenuation? Windsor, 1469, S-04?
3. Flaked Barley as a sub for the torrified wheat? Flaked Oats? Never had much success with oats, unless an oily-ness is considered a success.
4. Lower the carbonation? I carbonated at 12psi and just left it there.
5. Adjust the water? This beer, after additions, had a "predicted" Cl = 140 and SO4 = 56?
Definitely an overall step in the right direction and a nice beer to drink. Not quite "perfect" though.