Can you Brew It recipe for Fuller's 1845

All recipes are (unless otherwise specified): 6 gallons post-boil, 70% efficiency, Morey for color, 15% evaporation, 7.27 gallons preboil, Rager IBU, and most hops are in grams not ounces. Most, if not all recipes are primary only (no secondary).

If you brew this, please reply with your results for discussion.

OG 1063
IBUs 50
SRM 17

5.33kg Simpson's Maris Otter 80%
670g Simpson's Amber Malt 10% (from Northern Brewer)
670g Simpson's Crystal 75 10%

60 minute boil

60g EKG 5%AA at 60m
50g EKG 5%AA at 15m

WLP002

Mash at 148F.

Burtonize with gypsum.

Cool to 17C (63F) and pitch, raise to 20C (68F) after 12 hours. Return to 64F after half of fermentation has completed.

Discussion Notes:
Use a single infusion mash. Temperature control is essential to successfully cloning this beer.

I actually brewed a beer very similar to this a few weeks back. Only differences were:
1. I used Crisp MO instead of Simpson's;
2. I used 50L crystal instead of 75;
3. I mashed at 150-151F

My fermentation temperatures were very similar, but not quite that accurate. I also batch sparged. I'd be interested to know what those specific temperatures do; I'm not quite clear on that.
The beer, which is ready to bottle whenever I find the time, is very good already. Nice clear hops, medium body though a bit sticky, restrained yet deep maltiness. I look forward to it being done!

Would you be interested in hearing how this one turns out, for comparison? Or are you looking specifically for reviews on the recipe you posted?

Any input you provide is appreciated. I wrote a series of these posts covering all of the CYBI shows as a central location to quickly find recipes, discuss results, and anything else related to brewing this beer. Feel free to provide any review or commentary that you like.

Eric

Alright, I'm trying the first of the batch I described now. It's been in the bottle, carbonating, for about two weeks. I wasn't following the posted recipe - just a very similar one - so not all things are identical. Keep that in mind as you read, and I'll try to note any flaws that I feel are due to things not in the posted recipe.

The beer pours a nice light amber with a tight white head, just a touch of cream to its color and texture. Still a bit hazy, but I suspect this will clear given more time. The aroma is sweet and nutty grain - distinctly maris otter, but a bit more sweetness than is usual - and a nice nose of EKG hops, a touch of harshness on the finish.
The beer, when served cold (rather than cool, where it is at its best) gives the impression of being far too sweet. I'm not quite sure why, but the hops retreat and everything becomes sweeter and thicker. Perhaps a protein rest would help during mash. It should be noted, though, that my mash got away from me a bit; it was a few degrees warmer than 148 deg F on average. The lower temperature of a consistently 148 mash may make all the difference.
When served cool, sweetness is still prominent but very manageable. Hop bitterness balances is nicely, and the spiciness of Kent Goldings seals the deal. Though just a touch less sweetness may be nice (again, if you follow the mash temps posted in the recipe this shouldn't be a problem) this is still a very good and well-balanced brew. Seemingly simple at first, you get the occasional faint aroma of fresh malt or dark fruit that keeps things interesting. It remains very drinkable and pleasant throughout.

As I see it, the problems with my own brew are: a) a little too much sweetness, likely caused by high mash temps and perhaps by my failure to use a yeast starter; and
b) a slightly harsh hop bitterness. If you burtonize your water properly, this shouldn't be a problem either. The water I used was no doubt a bit hard to make a proper bitter; I'll need to mix it with some distilled water next time.

Despite my nitpicking, though, this is very good. A pleasant, drinkable session bitter that offers a bit of complexity if (and only if) you look for it. I will try to get my hands on a Fullers 1845 to compare with; if I do, I'll post again.

I was at a tasting at the Great British Beer Festival in August of 2009, and we tasted this beer with a Fuller's rep there. This recipe looks pretty damned close to the info he gave us, except he said they used less than 1% chocolate malt too.

He said:

80% Pale malt.
10% Crystal.
10% Amber.
less than 1% chocolate.

All EKGs.

They added gyspsum to their water.

50 ibus.

That's it. Maybe add a slight touch of chocolate malt.

What BJCP style best describes Fuller's 1845?

Old Ale 19A

Firstly, thanks to ericCSU, Skyforger, & MattHollingsworth for their contributions to this thread.

This is one of my favorite beers. It would be my "deserted island" beer... barring, of course, that said deserted island isn't in the tropics, then I'd probably have to pick some sort of Blonde Ale or Weiss beer

Anyway, I wish this beer were more regularly available. I like the Fuller's line very much, but this blows all of their other products away.

IMO, it's a damn shame that the English Strong Ale isn't a seperately recognized style by the BJCP. It's the most underrated style of beer out there.

Has anyone brewed this recipe? I'm going to have to brew this in the next few months - interesting story behind it. I like that it's a cellar-able beer, but am curious why this beer improves with age when it's merely around 6% ABV when most beers that improve are around 8%+?

MattHollingsworth said:

I was at a tasting at the Great British Beer Festival in August of 2009, and we tasted this beer with a Fuller's rep there. This recipe looks pretty damned close to the info he gave us, except he said they used less than 1% chocolate malt too.

He said:

80% Pale malt.
10% Crystal.
10% Amber.
less than 1% chocolate.

All EKGs.

They added gyspsum to their water.

50 ibus.

That's it. Maybe add a slight touch of chocolate malt.

Click to expand...

They add that chocolate to adjust for color. I'm sure that's also an adjustment made year to year based upon the variance in grain they receive.

AnchorBock said:

Has anyone brewed this recipe? I'm going to have to brew this in the next few months - interesting story behind it. I like that it's a cellar-able beer, but am curious why this beer improves with age when it's merely around 6% ABV when most beers that improve are around 8%+?

Click to expand...

The large amount of amber and crystal act as antioxidants, also since it's bittered with EKG in a decent amount there are quite a few tannins that contribute to stability. It's also a malty beer, and EKG are actually not unpleasant when they've oxidized slightly compared to C-hops.

Hey Folks,

This is an old thread but an important topic to me. I started all grain brewing two years ago by experimenting with this recipe as it was given on the You Can Brew It podcast. My BeerSmith log is a bit of a mess but I think I have done about 10 batches. I have also tried the recipe in Stan Hieronymus's For the Love of Hops which is somewhat different.

The major barrier was the Simpsons Amber Malt which was no longer imported into the US. I tried several other amber malts and every batch was a bust. I guess Simpsons started reimporting their amber and I was able to get a 55 pound bag and a bag of Best Pale Ale malt which, according to Hieronymus, is the correct base grain. I can't say that it is an exact clone but unlike the previous tries, it is very close.

If you are interested in trying this recipe, the Simpsons amber came from BSG Craft Brewing and it was a special order that had to be transferred from another BSG warehouse. Also, don't go by what is written in the first posting. Find the podcast and listen to the brewmaster's very, very involved description of the recipe.

----------------------
Kegged:
Fuller's 1845
Tizzard's 1846 Porter
Walton's ESB
Brewing:
Walton's Belgian

thanks for the update!