I am looking at this for batch 3
Steep 1lb crystal 120 for 30 at 150 sparge with 1/2gal
6lbs amber dme
1lb light dme
0.5oz cascade @30
1.5oz cascade @15
WY1007
That is an American Brown ale (on the strong side) that needs more bitterness to be balanced. You need to add 20-30 IBUs to avoid it being sickly sweet. You can do that with 3/4 to 1 oz of Cascade at 60 min, or half as much Magnum at 60 min.
Thanks. The calculator I used put it near that category, but I’m also trying to figure out what the different hops at different types will do to the beer.
I wouldn’t classify this one as a brown ale; I’d say it’s something more like an amber ale. There’s really nothing in there to give it any kind of a toasted/roasted flavor, besides whatever little bit of that kind of flavor you might get from the dark caramel malt. If you were shooting for a brown ale, I’d say you need to thrown in something like brown malt, or victory, or something like that, and a tiny smidge of some dark roasted malt like chocolate malt. That’s just my 2 cents’ worth.
Its on the border of amber and brown ale color wise. Using extract, its probably going to turn out darker than estimated. I would follow rebuiltcellar’s recommendations and up the bittering hops.
Well here is my 2 cents for whatever it’s worth; if you are an extract brewer don’t ever use anything other than pale extract (unless you know you have 100% Maris Otter or 100% Munich). If you want to make a brown ale for instance, you can steep darker grains for color and flavor just like you plan to do with the crystal malt. The problem with the darker extracts is that you really don’t know what they put in the stuff to make it dark. Sometimes, the grains they use to get it darker will signficantly affect the flavor of the beer. Of course, you don’t want to start steeping grains that need to be mashed. 
This is essentially a brown colored pale ale. I don’t think it would be wrong to call it an American brown ale, even though it doesn’t have the typical chocolate or dark roasted malts. I think it will taste good. I agree that the bittering hops should be jacked up to perhaps 1 to 1.5 oz for improved balance. They can still be added at 30 minutes for maximum flavor contribution. If adding at 60 minutes, then use less.
