Special Bitter Recipe Critique?

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mobilecabinworks

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Any thoughts on this recipe?

I realize the OG and FG will be different based on the LME late addition and the maltodextrin, but I'm not too concerned about that.

Hooligan Bitter - Extract
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Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Batch: 5.00 gal Extract

Characteristics
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Recipe Gravity: 1.054 OG
Recipe Bitterness: 39 IBU
Recipe Color: 12 SRM
Estimated FG: 1.014
Alcohol by Volume: 5.3%
Alcohol by Weight: 4.1%

Ingredients
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Light LME 6.75 lb, Extract, Extract
Crystal 120L 0.50 lb, Grain, Steeped
Special Roast 0.25 lb, Grain, Steeped
Maltodextrin 0.25 lb, Extract, Extract

Kent Goldings (5%) 2.00 oz, Whole, 60 minutes
Kent Goldings (5%) 0.75 oz, Whole, 30 minutes
Kent Goldings (5%) 0.50 oz, Whole, 1 minutes

Wyeast 1275 - Thames Valley Ale 1.00 unit

Notes
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Recipe Notes:
Add 3lbs of LME in boil. Add remaining extract @ 15min to KO along with maltodextrin with the flame off. Bring back to boil and add final hop addition.
 
A lot of what I hear from folks is how thin an extract recipe is with very few specialty malts used in it. Most of my favorite bitters have all had some real body and feel to them, so in the absense of a true mash in which to create that, I've decided to add a small about of maltodextrin to it for mouth feel and a little residual sweetness.
 
I do all the hop additions before adding the remaining extract. Lighter colors & cleaner flavors result. The wort is still plenty hot enough to sterilize extract malts added at flame out. I keep a lid on it at that point for some 15 minutes max. Then a ice bath getting it down to 70-ish in 20 minutes for a decent cold break.
 
I keep a lid on it at that point for some 15 minutes max.

There have been a few threads somewhat related to this idea recently.

In a nutshell, you continue to isomerize alpha acids (and therefore add bitterness) when the wort is hot - even though it is not boiling.

I could not personally find a source on the net but someone on here quoted anything over 180 will experience some (albeit low) isomerization.

So keeping the lid on for 15 minutes is somewhat akin to adding 15 minutes to the boil time as far as isomerization of hops is concerned.
 
To a point yes. But I also let it steep off the hot burner,as we use an electric stove. And 15 minutes is an average,it depends on how long it takes to finish sanitizing the FV,& getting ready for the ice bath. Some have been only 10 minutes or so. But at some 170F,it doesn't seem to make that much difference.
 
I think I've got it timed right with the final extract and hop addition. By the time I get the wort back to boil, I put the immersion chiller in the wort, pitch my final hop addition and get a final hot break from newer extract I'm ready to KO and start cooling. I may even shut the heat off at 20 til KO and do it then, giving a few more minutes to get the chiller in and be ready to add the final hops.
 
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