Yeoman Special Bitter
 

My original intention was to create an ordinary/special bitter that best represented the cask bitters I had while traveling around England. Something that was complex, full flavored and malty, yet light enough to have three or four pints and still be able to play darts. Well, after three years of tinkering with recipes and many more batches, I finally have a bitter I am 100% happy with. This beer is named after the pub where I had my first “proper” pint of British ale. I brew this about once a month – it goes fast!

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 87.00 %
0.50 lb Home Toasted Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6.00 %
0.32 lb Carmel/ Crystal (45.0 SRM) Grain 4.00 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal (120.0 SRM) Grain 3.00 %

1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 25.0 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (10 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (flame out) Hops 0.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (Dry Hop 4-5 days)

WY1968 or WY1275 yeast

Mash at 154F for 60 min.
Whirlfloc for last 10 min of boil

Notes:

For the toasted malt: Spread pale malt on baking pan and toast in a 300F oven for 15 – 20 minutes, turning frequently. You will know it’s ready when it tastes just like cheddar goldfish. I let my toasted malt age for a minimum of 1 week before use, as to prevent grainy flavors. Victory would be an ‘ok’ sub, though you get a better result with the homemade stuff.

I found a shorter dry hop provided a nice floral aroma while still allowing the malt and yeast aromas to shine through. A longer dry hop is fine, though it can throw the balance off if left too long.

Carbonate to 2.0-2.2 volumes, drink within two month of bottling/kegging.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv100/ybrew15/yeomanbitter.jpg

If you brew this please let me know what you think. A local brewpub near me may soon be adding this to their lineup. :D

I'm attaching the pic to the thread for you:

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...omanbitter.jpg

Sounds like a good recipe, though I can never get 1968 to attenuate that far.

Hey, do you dry hop in the last 5-7 days of the 21 total days of fermenting?

Usually I will dry hop the beer after its done a full three weeks in the primary. Though if you had a really good fermentation and a solid D rest, you could start a dry hop as early as day 15 or so with no adverse effects. However, I prefer to let it sit a little longer on the yeast cake.

Thanks, I am interested in your recipe, this is where I was going with my SMaSH MO/EKG.

Nice! It's a good recipe and pretty much spot on for a British pub bitter. A close variant of this beer won me best of show at a local competition. Let me know if you brew it or have any questions.

That first picture sucks. This one's a little better. :D

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...anbitter-1.jpg

I just ground 14 lbs Marris Otter, 1 lb toasted Marris Otter, 2/3 lb Crystal 45, 1/2 lb Crystal 120 for what I hope to be a double batch. I am going to collect the runnings, split the wort into two batches, boil one and then the other pitching each with a different yeast--1968 and 1275. I've got plenty of East Kent Goldings, 4 oz pellets, 10 oz whole cone.

Should I bitter with the pellets, and flavor and dry hop with the whole cone???

Wish me luck, this will be my first '10 gal' batch. :mug:

Awesome! I'd do the same, pellets for bittering and the whole hops for the flavor/dry. Hope the brew day goes well, 10 gallons is a pretty big step! Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers.