Help w/ simple ESB.

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CharlosCarlies

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Been wanting to do something w/ the extra pound of Fuggles I have lying around. I know the 2-row won't be quite as authentic as using a British malt, but I have a ton of 2-row I need to get rid of. :)

Thoughts?

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 16.00 gal
Boil Size: 18.32 gal
Estimated OG: 1.061 SG
Estimated Color: 14.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
32.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 88.89 %
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.56 %
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 5.56 %
5.00 oz Fuggles [5.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 28.8 IBU
2.00 oz Fuggles [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 3.8 IBU
2.00 oz Fuggles [5.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
3 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale
 
If you can get your hands on british crystal malts instead of those made by NA malters, I would use those. That will add a bit more richness to it to help balance out the US 2row. Also, maybe try windsor or S04 instead of Notty.
 
Yeah, I might try to grab some S04 or something at least, but I was trying to limit everything to what I had on hand.

Would you make any changes to the hop schedule? What about the mash? I was thinking 154F would be enough w/ all the crystal, but would higher be better?
 
I'd toss in some Victory or Special Roast. I've heard that using some lightly roasted malts can help emulate maris otter. And my recipe even uses a bit on top of the MO I use.
 
I brew a lot of ESBs, and find that I much prefer my brews to most of the commercially available brews when I go back to England (once every 2 - 3 years). English friends who visit me also generally agree that my beers are as good as or better than what they can buy in the pub.
I use MO instead of US 2 row, and find that this makes a big improvement, but as SkiNuke said, a small amount of Victory or Special Roast with the US 2 row could help in that respect.
For my brews, I use 95% MO and 5% crystal 60 (both Muntons because that is what the LHBS sells). You may want to add some darker crystal malt to adjust the color as the US 2 row is lighter than MO, but use less dark crystal than the 60L crystal, and don't exceed 7.5% crystal in total.
I use Northern Brewer for bittering, an EKG for flavor and aroma. I think you need to increase your IBUs a bit. I usually hit about 45 - 50 IBUs, but your late hop additions look good to me.
I wouldn't even think about using Nottingham or Windsor (unless I was having a nightmare). I would use S04 if I had to use a dry yeast, or there are many liquid yeasts that would work as well or better. My choice would be WLP002 or WY1968.
As regards the mash, I mash at 150F with a thickness of 1 qt/lb. This is traditional for English beers and works great when using MO, but I'm not so sure that it would work with US 2 row.

Hope this helps.

-a.
 
That helps a lot, thanks guys. :)

I think I might hold off on an ESB until I can get my hands on the proper malt. As far as the Nottingham, would it just dry it out too much? I was thinking about just mashing higher/thicker and increasing the unfermentables via extra Crystal, but admittedly I have very little idea how that would turn out.
 
I like Notty for beers that don't rely on the flavors generated by the yeast. But I've never had an ESB style beer that fitted into that category.
IMO mashing higher/thicker, and adding extra crystal produces a beer that will have more body, and may be perceived as a bit sweeter, but will not make up for the lack of yeast character.

-a.
 
I just brewed a ESB this fall that turned out very good. I used 2 row,120,40, biscuit, very small amount of Black malt. Also went with 1098 British ale yeast and it gave a nice clean flavor. A good beer to drink any time of the year. Good Luck
 
I ordered a pound of Willamette once, only to discover I don't like how it tastes. At 5%, it wasn't the most efficient bittering hop. So some ideas...
1. You could mix an ounce or two of Fuggles into citrus-heavy American beers, as a sort of earthy hop counterpoint.
2. Use Fuggles in any Belgian recipe wherever it says "Styrian Goldings," as SG is just an advertiser's name for Fuggles grown in Slovenia.
3. Toast 5-10% of your 2-row to make a fake MO when combined weith the rest. I've seen 300F for 15-20 minutes, but I've also seen 350F for 30 minutes.
4. Make Orfy's Mild. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/mild-mannered-ale-ag-e-uk-us-52776/
 
ajf said:
I brew a lot of ESBs, and find that I much prefer my brews to most of the commercially available brews when I go back to England (once every 2 - 3 years). English friends who visit me also generally agree that my beers are as good as or better than what they can buy in the pub.
I use MO instead of US 2 row, and find that this makes a big improvement, but as SkiNuke said, a small amount of Victory or Special Roast with the US 2 row could help in that respect.
For my brews, I use 95% MO and 5% crystal 60 (both Muntons because that is what the LHBS sells). You may want to add some darker crystal malt to adjust the color as the US 2 row is lighter than MO, but use less dark crystal than the 60L crystal, and don't exceed 7.5% crystal in total.
I use Northern Brewer for bittering, an EKG for flavor and aroma. I think you need to increase your IBUs a bit. I usually hit about 45 - 50 IBUs, but your late hop additions look good to me.
I wouldn't even think about using Nottingham or Windsor (unless I was having a nightmare). I would use S04 if I had to use a dry yeast, or there are many liquid yeasts that would work as well or better. My choice would be WLP002 or WY1968.
As regards the mash, I mash at 150F with a thickness of 1 qt/lb. This is traditional for English beers and works great when using MO, but I'm not so sure that it would work with US 2 row.

Hope this helps.

-a.
Click to expand...

Wonderful tips for brewing an ESB. Thanks. I am curious what your hop schedule looks like.

I am quite new to brewing, so please excuse my ignorance. If you used a different hop for bittering, would it change the taste of your beer? Also, do you dry-hop your ESB?
 
Gold_Robber said:
Wonderful tips for brewing an ESB. Thanks. I am curious what your hop schedule looks like.

I am quite new to brewing, so please excuse my ignorance. If you used a different hop for bittering, would it change the taste of your beer? Also, do you dry-hop your ESB?
Click to expand...

I have a false bottom in my kettle, and use whole leaf hops which act as a great filter when draining the wort through the CFC.

I usually use 1 oz Northern Brewer at 60 minutes for bittering, then an ounce of Kent Goldings at 15 minutes and another ounce at flame-out.

I don't dry hop

-a.
 

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