Cold Shot ESB

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 6.5 gal
Estimated OG: 1.061 SG
Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
10.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 88.89 %
0.75 lb Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 6.67 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 4.44 %
2.00 oz Tettnang [4.00 %] (70 min) Hops 26.6 IBU
1.00 oz Willamette [4.50 %] (20 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
1.00 oz Tettnang [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.6 IBU
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Mash 60 minutes @ 155 F, batch sparge to meet full boil volume.


This is a recipe I've been messing with for a year now, and I'm finally very happy with it. It started life as an extract + steeping grains attempt at cloning Red Hook ESB, which I converted to partial mash and then all-grain. With my last few batches I've gone in a decidely British direction with Maris Otter base malt, which lends a wonderfully rich maltiness. At this point, it's closer to Fuller's ESB than Red Hook, but not as sweet or flowery. If I tinker any further, it might be to replace the final Tettnang with EKG...but it's damn good as is!

I'm now pretty comfortable with skipping the secondary and this beer is a good example of how well this method works. There is no time savings, but it's certainly less work. After three weeks in the primary, I racked to a keg which then spent about 10 weeks in my garage fridge, essentially lagering.

It's a beautiful beer as well, crystal clear with a deep copper/brown hue.

In Canada, cold shots are 250ml cans of Molson-made strong beer with a target right on the can for shotgunning. Just saying.

Kai said:

In Canada, cold shots are 250ml cans of Molson-made strong beer with a target right on the can for shotgunning. Just saying.

Click to expand...

Around these parts, "Cold Shot" is a great blues song by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[youtube]mWWxl2J3jKg[/youtube]

I've been considering adding biscuit to my ESB recipe.. what are your thoughts on your recipe with and without the biscuit?

I definitely prefer it with the biscuit, although the difference was more subtle than I thought it would be. Perhaps it's flavor is not as pronounced against the maris otter base as it would be against normal 2 row. Next batch, I may bump it up a bit.

Ok, cool - thanks. I've been working on making my ESB recipe as good as I can, and for some reason the word "biscuit" keeps popping up in my head. I'm glad to see that it works. I think I'll give it a shot in one of my next batches.

Kai said:

In Canada, cold shots are 250ml cans of Molson-made strong beer with a target right on the can for shotgunning. Just saying.

Click to expand...

BlindLemonLars said:

Around these parts, "Cold Shot" is a great blues song by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Click to expand...

Well I am in Canada, where in fact, both are true! And as far as making them at home goes...I can play Cold Shot by SRV on guitar, but I don't have the chemicals required for Cold Shot the beer!!