All-Grain - Simple Session Bitter - Page 2

JBrady · 07-01-2010, 01:37 AM

This is going to be the next batch I brew, I have one question though. I've never drank a bitter before so I really don't know what one tastes like. When I put this recipe into beer smith I get a .827 bitterness ratio, is this about the norm for this style of beer? The only reason I ask is because I've done a few IPA's that have a bitterness ratio around 1.000. Are these styles of beer supposed to be that close to the bitterness of a IPA? Also I was wondering how I should build my water profile. Should I lean it more towards the balanced side, or should I adjust it to really make the hops stand out? Thanks for any info.

14thstreet · 07-01-2010, 03:01 PM

Although I've not brewed this, there's not much in this beer to stand up the level of bitterness IMO. Mind you, it's not a bitter bomb and I'd still drink it, I'm sure it is great! I brewed something similar with 3% crystal (no oat malt) and felt that it needed some age to mellow out the bitterness for the other characters to come through. Otherwise it seemed a bit one-dimensional. I like bitter beers, but I guess I like them more when they are more balanced. 0.8-1.0 BU/GU can be "balanced" but for me it needs more malt. There may certainly be a sweet spot in terms of recipe and aging/serving, etc.

**TimBrewz** · 07-02-2010, 04:19 PM

The style guidlines for Ordinary Bitter have IBU from 25-40 for beers in the 1.032-1.040 range. So as mentioned, that is about .8-1.0 BU/GU

My experience with this style is that the key is good English Pale malt (Maris Otter or the like) and to mash in the 153-155 range for a nice medium-full body to balance the bitterness. Finally, my recommendation to to aim at the lower end for bitterness the first time you brew one-you are more likely to be happy with a slightly under hopped bitter than one that is bracingly bitter.

Cheers!

jacksonbrown · 07-13-2010, 03:20 PM

Update: just cracked open a couple of the bottles of this batch on which I used the Thames Valley yeast (Wyeast 1275, as opposed to S-04 in my kegged batch), and wow! What a difference. Much cleaner, and crisper. The hop bitterness really shines through with this yeast. Everything just melded together much better. 1275 is the way to go on this one.

14thstreet · 07-14-2010, 02:44 PM

How much body does the oat malt impart?

Good to see you liked the Thames Valley strain. I used it once and am kicking I didn't save some for later batches. My current batch I used the 1882 TVII strain in a 12% crystal/carapils grist that was mashed at 155F before I got my hands on it (AHA Rally giveaway). I made the mistake of fermenting warm, which exagerated the esters from this strain. Along with 75% attenuation, the combination makes this "bitter" not as satisfying as it would be in the fall/winter months.

For something more sessionable, I can see why flyangler's recipe works with this yeast

jacksonbrown · 07-19-2010, 03:22 PM

I don't find that it adds any body, really. This is a very crisp beer, with a fairly light mouth feel. Perfect for sitting outside on a warm day.

JBrady · 09-18-2010, 03:27 PM

Well my brewday for this one starts in about an hour. Looking forward to this one with thames valley yeast and a semi burton water profile.

JBrady · 10-12-2010, 09:41 AM

This is a awesome brew! We brewed this up about a month ago and just tried the first few bottles today. We did the brew on a semi-burton water profile and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe!

**manicmethod** · 07-09-2011, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyangler18

Oat malt is tits. I originally stocked it for the medieval ale I've written about previously, but I've been tempted to brew an all-oat malt bitter.

Awesome name, BTW.

Would an all-oat malt bitter be gluten free? What temp would you have to mash at, and would there be enough enzymes for conversion?

**jonmohno** · 01-23-2012, 02:12 AM

MOOBS- Marris Otter Oat Bitter Session