Strong Bitter Captain Hooked on Bitters (Red Hook Clone & Award Winner)

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Jknapp said:
FYI, all you folks who are thinking of brewing this, this beer is my favorite beer I have brewed thus far.

My goal in homebrewing was to brew a beer that rivals commercially crafted microbrews, and I can say now that I have satisfied that acheivement with this one.

This is ONE DELICIOUS BEER! Great recipe! Thank you BM!
Click to expand...

It's a year-rounder at my house. :mug:
 
How does this compare directly to Redhook ESB? The hops seems a fair bit different than what they list on their website:


  • Alchemy (bittering blend), Willamette, Centennial, Crystal

Just curious since Redhook ESB is one of my favorites and I'm planning on brewing this next. I have some Tettnanger hops already and some Willamette hops on order so this one is a go either way!
 
I brewed this up on March 6th and bottled it up last week.
Just tried one and holy cow, this is a great tasting beer!

It's going to be hard waiting a few weeks for them to mature :)

Great recipe BierMuncher!
 
I'm toasting barley as i type. My question is if my tettneg is 3.2% and willamettes are spot on...should I adjust (add double tettneg) to keep ibus the same?
 
Yes, you should adjust to keep the IBUs the same.

I'm drinking this beer right now and really love it. But next time its getting a touch more bitterness.
 
Here is the hop schedule I came up with: (5.5gal)

.6oz Willamette (4.8%) @ 60min - 10 ibu (BierMuncher - 9.7ibu)
1oz Tettnang (3.2%) @ 30min - 9ibu (BierMuncher - 8.8ibu)
.5oz Willamette (4.8%) @ 20min - 4.8ibu (BierMuncher - 4.9ibu)
1oz Tettnang (3.2%) @ 5min - 2ibu (BierMuncher - 2.3ibu)

I figure for the longer boils you need the ibu's to be adjusted...but should I add 1oz of tettnang at 5 min (instead of .5oz) because the AA% is half of BM's Tettnang...I would guess yes but wanted to check with everyone!

thanks!!!




this way the IBU's added at each stage are correct - is this correct?
 
Looks good to me! If you want to it come out like BM's recipe keep the proportion of IBUs the same at each addition, like you did.
 
Wow this fermented out quick. I followed the recipe to a T and made 5.5gal of 1.059 wort and it fermented down to 1.014 in 3 days with S-04 @ 63F...Faster then usual...o-well tasted and it is excellent. I am aging for another week or two then kegging. This may become a staple in my keezer...
 
I know I've mixed it up a little, based on the hops and grains I have available but how does this look?

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 6.88 gal
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 11.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 65 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
8 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 80.00 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
8.0 oz Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
0.75 oz Fuggles [4.70 %] (60 min) Hops 12.3 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (30 min) Hops 6.7 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.70 %] (20 min) Hops 5.0 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale
 
goose1873 said:
Wow this fermented out quick. I followed the recipe to a T and made 5.5gal of 1.059 wort and it fermented down to 1.014 in 3 days with S-04 @ 63F...Faster then usual...o-well tasted and it is excellent. I am aging for another week or two then kegging. This may become a staple in my keezer...
Click to expand...

This is a great beer to offer people who would walk into a pub and ask for a house ale. More flavorful than the normal BMC on tap, but not as aggressive as a west coast pale ale. :mug:
 
Bumpity bump. I brewed a batch of this back in November. I sent it into our local competition and it was just judged a few weeks ago. It took first in the english pale ales. Not bad for 6 months old! I don't know how many entries there were in the category though :D Thanks for the awesome recipe
 
caspio said:
Bumpity bump. I brewed a batch of this back in November. I sent it into our local competition and it was just judged a few weeks ago. It took first in the english pale ales. Not bad for 6 months old! I don't know how many entries there were in the category though :D Thanks for the awesome recipe
Click to expand...

Sweetness. :rockin:
 
BierMuncher said:
I had my first bottle of Red Hook ESB a few weeks ago and am absolutely hooked (get it?...hooked?).

Fantastic beer and I only hope this attempt at a clone comes close. I modified a few things but stayed true to the gravity-to-hops ratio that I derived from the Red Hook website. Fantastic site. They are open with their approach and general ingredients list and share their hops bill.

Unlike my other recipes, I think I'll dial down the ABV% only slightly. Original ESB is 5.7% and this will be about 5.1%. I'll try to offset the lower grain bill by mashing at around 157 degrees to get that malty flavor back.

Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.12 gal
Estimated OG: 1.052 SG
Estimated Color: 14.4 SRM
View attachment 1697
Estimated IBU: 25.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 67.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:------------
Amount Item
15.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
5.00 lb Toasted Malt (27.0 SRM) (2-row toasted at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes)
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Williamette [5.50%] (60 min) Hops 9.7 IBU
1.00 oz Tettnang [6.50%] (30 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [4.60%] (20 min) Hops 4.9 IBU
1.00 oz Tettnang [6.50%] (5 min) Hops 2.3 IBU

2 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale (I'm pitching on a yeast cake from a prior brew)


Single infusion mash at 157 degrees. Boil for 75 minutes following the hops schedule. It may be necesary to reduce to a lower rolling boil to prevent excess boil off.
View attachment 1699
Click to expand...

What would I buy if I was brewing extract/partial grains.
 
I dont have any Williamette on hand woudl any of the following work in its place?

Tettnanger
Saaz
Hallertau
Golding
Cluster
Cascade
 
I have a hop shortage at my house....I have willamette but no tettnanger....I have some sterling how do you think this will effect the finished product? statement retracted....went to LHBS for hops.
 
First pull from the tap

IMG_20101021_181732.jpg


I must say this is one tasty beer. I used gelatin for the fist time and had great results. It's hard to tell from the picture but its crystal clear. Thanks for the recipe BM.
 
Hey CaliBrewin, It was in primary for a week @ about 68 degrees, then secondary for about 2 weeks @ 70 degrees, then crash cooled for 3 days with gelatin then kegged. I kegged a little quicker than I should have but it tasted great so I can't complain. :mug:
 
I won 1st place English Pale Ale in the Palmetto State Brewers Open with a slightly modified version of this recipe.

the biggest change was that i used US goldings instead of Willamette.

thanks!
 
k47k said:
I won 1st place English Pale Ale in the Palmetto State Brewers Open with a slightly modified version of this recipe.

the biggest change was that i used US goldings instead of Willamette.

thanks!
Click to expand...

Congratulations. Gotta love the validation of your brewing skills. :rockin:
 
I think I'll add this to my list, I've been looking for a good session beer on tap. I was actually even thinking of dialing this back on the abv a bit. If I shaved off 1 or 2 lb of 2 row, but kept everything else the same that should put me in the 4.6 to 4.9 range depending on the crush I would think. (At work so I don't have access to a brew calculator.) I wonder though would the recipe stil be pretty balanced or would I be screwing up a good thing?
 
Hey All, I'm looking to use this recipe as my first foray into specialty grain steeping using pmoe's substitutions listed on page 3. Well, I brought in the list to my LHBS and the owner got wide eyed at the amount of toasted malt (2.5 lbs) for a 5 gal batch. I ended up going with the following modifications:

1) .5 lb each of toasted, carapils, and crystal 60
2) Burton Ale Yeast

Am I shooting myself in the foot with these simplifications?

Thanks!
 
Hey MD,

how did those mods turn out for you? I am going to brew this soon and toast my own malt too. Going to brew the extract version on pg.3 anyone have thoughts on 2.5# of toasted being too much for a 5g batch?

B.
 
meteorbrews said:
Hey MD,

how did those mods turn out for you? I am going to brew this soon and toast my own malt too. Going to brew the extract version on pg.3 anyone have thoughts on 2.5# of toasted being too much for a 5g batch?

B.
Click to expand...

It turned out OK. It was a little bit light, would have liked more body so next time I'll probably go with the full grain amount.

Also this is a gigantic beer, so make sure you have a good yeast starter - I rushed because I was going out of town and just poured in the liquid tube, took a very long time to finish fermentation and carb.
 
Giving this recipe a go this weekend. With all of the awards stacking up based on this recipe it's gotta be good!
 
BierMuncher said:
I had my first bottle of Red Hook ESB a few weeks ago and am absolutely hooked (get it?...hooked?).
Click to expand...

I grew up in Washington and this is the beer that got me into craft beers and eventually into home brewing. I drank a lot of it in the 80's and 90's.

This beer has moved up my list and will be made very soon.

Thanks for posting this recipe.
 
Can you swap out Victory for the toasted malt? Your recipe shows it have 27 SRM for the toasted, and the wiki shows 25-28 as the SRM for Victory.

Will I have a loaf of bread in a bottle if I substitute that much Victory for the toasted malt?
 
The answer is no. with that much victory i think it would be undrinkable. you could use a lesser amount of victory, but it wont be the same. I have done this (3/4lb) and it came out fine, but definitely not the same.
 
I'm doing the extract version of this, and would only be steeping the Victory malt.

I'm confused a little then about exactly what Victory/Biscuit is. Are they the same as toasting the malts at 350* for 12-15 minutes?
 
I'm brewing this today and just finished toasting my 2-row. Now I'm coming across info that says I shouldn't use that for two-weeks after toasting. Has anyone brewed this with freshly toasted malted barley?

If I have to wait, any recommendations as to what I might substitute for the 2.5lbs of toasted 2-row? I've already got my starter ready and am ready to roll.
 

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