Bass Ale

I made a Bass Ale clone and was shocked how much corn was in the recipe (BYO Clones). It appears to me that it is sort of the BMC of the UK. Please correct me if I am wrong!

1. Can you suggest another English Pale Ale which uses less or no adjuncts?
2. I don't think I have had a Bitter, can you recommend a commercial brew (I can get in the US) so I can get a taste?
3. Are Bitters that much different than an English Pale Ale?

Cheers!!!

1. I make a Bass clone without using any corn using the malt bill in this recipe
2. Fuller's and Boddington's are good examples of traditional English bitters that are available in the US, not sure if you can find them where you live.
3. English Pale Ale is similar to some English Bitters (Bass is occasionally referred to as a Bitter). Check the style guidelines here for more info.

You should be able to get Fuller's at Total wine in Orlando. Although I believe they use 5% corn. It is a wonderful ESB

Thank you Guys!

I am pretty sure commercial Bass is brewed with corn.

I have had both Fuller's and Boddington (love them both). Right now I am drinking (not really now as I am working but you know what I mean) Tetley's Draught, it is canned with a widget so it has a creamy head like Guinness Draught.

Funny Draught is the way it is spelled on the can but spell checker says it is spelled wrong.

bitters are different than pale ales mostly in the lack of hop aroma/flavor, and that they are traditionally casked/kegged and served on tap.

they still use similar ingredients as a pale ale, just the hop rate and gravity differ depending on who you consult.

Regarding other English Pale Ales: of the 30+ beers I tried in London, Old Speckled Hen was by far my favorite. I haven't tried tasting Bah Humbug's recipe, I do have it in primary right now:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21132

Most of what you find over here will be a best or special bitter. If you want to find a commercial example of an ordinary bitter on this side of the pond, you may have to find it in a brewpub. Those beers aren't made for travel.


TL

Chris

Can you post the recipe with the corn adjunct?

Thanks

Dale

Chris_Dog said:

I made a Bass Ale clone and was shocked how much corn was in the recipe (BYO Clones). It appears to me that it is sort of the BMC of the UK. Please correct me if I am wrong!

Click to expand...

But was it good?

Good point.

..Don't get hung up on the classification of a beer. When you walk into a pub in the UK you'll see the name of the beer and that's it.

The whole "must label the style is mainly A US competition thing"
I think it's best to brew to a flavour profile rather than to style guidelines.

There are some historical basis that dictate some styles but that has been diluted over time.

Generally a Bitter may have more bitterness than a Pale Ale and IPA should have more bitterness than a Bitter but this is not always the case with commercial brands.

If you want an example of a good award winning pub ale look at the Boddington's recipe I have listed. It was an award winning commercial beer brewed in Manchester and the recipe I use is a competition winner.

I also highly recommend my Single Malt Pale Ale.

As for comparing a proper English bitter to BMC piss water, you are a million miles off.

I didn't mean to imply that even Bass tastes like BMC. I was just shocked to see how much corn they use in the recipe.

niquejim said:

You should be able to get Fuller's at Total wine in Orlando. Although I believe they use 5% corn. It is a wonderful ESB

Click to expand...

I had a pint at a local pub last Sunday, and was surprised at how sweet it was. Bit of a letdown actually.

Chris

Can you post the recipe with the corn adjunct?

Thanks

Dale

DaleJ said:

Chris

Can you post the recipe with the corn adjunct?

Thanks

Dale

Click to expand...

Here's my version, using the BYO clone recipe.

It was BYO's recipe

--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.18 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 12.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 69.65 %
2.00 lb Corn - Yellow, Flaked (Briess) (1.3 SRM) Grain 19.90 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 9.95 %
0.05 lb Roasted Barley (462.0 SRM) Grain 0.50 %
1.15 oz Northern Brewer [6.90 %] (60 min) Hops 28.8 IBU
0.25 oz Northern Brewer [6.90 %] (15 min) Hops 3.1 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast Labs #1028) [Starter 12Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 10.05 lb

I for one wanna throw out some props for Orfy's Boddington; I made a PM version of it (posted in the recipe thread) and it's my favorite I'm currently drinking. It got some really positive feedback at the last club meeting; I was told to bring more back or not come .

RadicalEd said:

I for one wanna throw out some props for Orfy's Boddington; I made a PM version of it (posted in the recipe thread) and it's my favorite I'm currently drinking. It got some really positive feedback at the last club meeting; I was told to bring more back or not come .

Click to expand...

Good to know!

Thanks guys.

Most appreciated.

I used to love Bass in the states, but the Bass over here is like piss water. Its amazing because it seems to be the same beer, but its horrible and tastes like a cheap, watery ale. The bass on tap in Upstate NY was always a nice nutty, somewhat sweet ale that I really enjoyed.

Maybe thats whats up with the recipe. Could there be two recipes?

I've seen a lot of recipes for Bass Ale, extract & AG, and they are all different. Some use brown sugar, all different hops, corn, different yeast, etc. I wish I could find one good recipe that's close to the real thing.