ESB Too Thin - BJCP Category?

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NervousDad

NervousDad

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So I brewed an ESB ( Brewing Classic Styles recipe). It finished at 1.09 instead of 1.012 and it's has a thin body, close to a light lager, with a slight grain taste and %6.4% ABV

I'm not very familiar with the style so I'm not sure if it's to style or not.

Would this pass for an ESB? Would it do better as just a Bitter?
 
Does it still come off as caramel-y sweet? It might be thin but I think the style guidelines suggest it can have medium-low to medium body so it might be thin but if it hits other category guidelines this may not hurt it that much. I had an ESB I was thinking about entering as well, it finished 1.010 which is obviously dry, but the caramel sweetness hasnt come out yet so I'm holding off on entering it.

Do you keg or bottle? If you keg and bottle off the keg you could purposely let them degas a little. The lower carbonation can give it the effect of thicker body.
 
ArkotRamathorn said:
Does it still come off as caramel-y sweet? It might be thin but I think the style guidelines suggest it can have medium-low to medium body so it might be thin but if it hits other category guidelines this may not hurt it that much. I had an ESB I was thinking about entering as well, it finished 1.010 which is obviously dry, but the caramel sweetness hasnt come out yet so I'm holding off on entering it.

Do you keg or bottle? If you keg and bottle off the keg you could purposely let them degas a little. The lower carbonation can give it the effect of thicker body.
Click to expand...

It has a slightly sweet taste not much caramel (although it has the color) Also has a slight fruity ester (wlp007).I keg and I have to down to 1.8 vols. It's only been in the keg for a week and it's <20 days old so I'm hoping it develops a bit more.

The Mid Winter Comp has a ramp up for ESB so I was hoping it would be to style.

FullSizeRender.jpg
 
As an Englishman living in England, I am fairly familiar with the style ;). Actual English bitters are quite a broad style, from light summer ales to darker, heavier, sweeter numbers. You should be fine with that fg provided it balances other elements of your brew, and especially if its lighter in colour. ABV wise, its definitely ESB.
 
What are your motivations for the competition?

If it's just for feedback, just enter it into ESB and know you're going to get dinged for body.

If you're trying to win something, enter it into a broader category where it fits stylistically.
 
TopherM said:
Sounds like no matter which style you put it in, it's not going to score particularly well.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking, but I have 4 other beers that I have to ship. So I'm just going to submit it as an ESB and take my lumps :) It's still a good beer, it just does't seem like it fits the style. I should have used 002 instead of 007.
 
TopherM said:
Sounds like no matter which style you put it in, it's not going to score particularly well.
Click to expand...

While I partially agree that it may not score well 'in style' but if theres no major off flavors from bad brewing practices it shouldn't do that badly, it wont win any awards but it definitely won't be in the 20s (assuming that the beer in question doesn't have major off flavor funk).
 
After sitting in the keg over night with gelatin it has changed drastically. Doesn't feel as thin anymore. It does have a dry finish and it's bitter, with slight alcohol warming (very slight). I originally over carbed it considerably and I wonder it that made it feel so thin.

Still not sure if it's to style so I'm going to go pick up a few of the examples and see how close it is. Either way I'll submit it ad see how it does. :)
 
It could do good in the ESB category IMO. The guidelines for this style are so broad. Makes it fun for us, but probably not for the judges. I overshot my gravity on my ESB for the Midwinter contest. I didnt tell them about that so we will see haha. Never made a ESB before and couldn't resist. 1968 flocced out before fully cleaning up i think, its quite cold in my basement so i don't have high hopes.
 
I agree with globe. Nothing you've said excludes it from being an ESB, as far as I can tell. Whether it's nice or not, of course we can't tell :cross:. When are HBT going to invent a USB homebrew sampling tap, is what I want to know... ^_^.
 

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