Big Brew recipe honors Michael Jackson.
http://beertown.org/events/bigbrew/recipes.html
The two Big Brew recipes for this year hold significance to all brewers for different reasons. The first recipe is a commemorative recipe honoring
Michael Jackson who passed away last August:
Ordinary Bitter for an extraordinary man. The second recipe was chosen in light of the current hop shortage and the approaching warmer months: a
Blonde Ale recipe using any hops you can get your hands on.
Chiswick Bitter in honor of Michael Jackson
This year, we chose the
Chiswick Bitter recipe to honor Michael Jackson, the world-renowned beer writer, who passed away in August 2007. When Michael was in his local pub, the Andover Arms in Hammersmith, Chiswick Bitter was often his beer of choice. The idea of using this recipe came from a commentary Charlie Papazian wrote about Michael and Chiswick Bitter in the November/December 2007 issue of
The New Brewer, the professional brewers magazine published by the Brewers Association.
Luckily for us, Drew Beechum, an AHA Governing Committee member used his connections at
Fullers Brewery to get the recipe specifics from which this Big Brew recipe was developed. As it turns out, John Keeling at Fullers was happy to contribute the recipe parameters, especially as a tribute to his friend Michael.
This Big Brew Day, let's all raise our glasses in a toast to Michael Jackson, a man who celebrated beer and brewing by appreciating the brewers' efforts and extolling their virtues in his writing. Here’s to Michael!
Chiswick Bitter in honor of Michael Jackson – All Grain Recipe¹
For a 5 gallon (19 L) yield:
O.G.: 1.040
F.G.: 1.010
IBU: 33
Fermentables
7.0 lb (3.2 kg) 2-Row Pale Malt
0.35 lb (160 gm) Crystal Malt (120º L)
Hops
0.5 oz (14 gm) UK Target, (11% AA), 60 min.
0.25 oz (7 gm) UK Northdown, (8.5% AA), 15 min.
0.25 oz (7 gm) UK Challenger, (7.5% AA), 15 min.
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in primary fermenter
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in secondary fermenter
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in keg/cask
¾ tsp (3 gm) Irish moss, added at 15 minutes
Yeast
Wyeast 1968 London ESB Ale Yeast or White Labs WLP013 London Ale Yeast
Directions for All-Grain Recipe
Mash grains at 149°F (65°C) and hold for 60 minutes. Mash out at 160°F (71°C) and sparge with 170°F (76°C) water. Collect enough runoff to end up with 5 gallons (19 L) after a 60-minute boil (approximately 6 gallons, or 22.7 L). Bring to a boil and add the first hops. Boil for 45 minutes before adding the second and third hops and the Irish moss. Boil 15 minutes. After the 60-minute boil, chill to 63-68°F (17-20°C), transfer to a fermenter, pitch the yeast and aerate well. After 3 or 4 days, add the first dry hop addition. Continue fermenting at 63°F (17°C) for a total of one week to 10 days. Rack to secondary with the second dry hop addition and store for three weeks [if you have the capability, cool to 50°F (10°C) for aging]. Rack to keg and add the last dry hop addition in a hop bag. If you are bottling rather than kegging, add the second and third dry hop addition to the secondary, and then bottle as you normally would.
Carbonation
Force carbonate at 1.0 – 1.5 volumes of CO2.
or
Bottle condition using 1/2 cup (117 ml measure) corn sugar.
¹The all-grain recipes assume 75% efficiency unless otherwise stated. Adjust the grain bill to match your system.
Chiswick Bitter, in honor of Michael Jackson – Extract with Specialty Grains 5 gallons (19 L) yield with a 3-gallon (11.4 L) boil
Fermentables
6 lb (2.7 kg) Pale Liquid Malt Extract
0.35 lb (160 gm) Crystal Malt (120° L)
Hops
0.6 oz (17 gm) UK Target, (11% AA), 60 minutes
0.25 oz (7 gm) UK Northdown, (8.5% AA), 15 minutes
0.25 oz (7 gm) UK Challenger, (7.5% AA), 15 minutes
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in primary fermenter
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in secondary fermenter
0.5 oz (14 gm) East Kent Golding, (4.75% AA), dry hop in keg/cask
¾ tsp (3 gm) Irish moss, added at 15 minutes
Yeast
Wyeast 1968 London ESB Ale Yeast or White Labs WLP013 London Ale Yeast
Directions for Extract Recipe
Steep grains in 2 quarts (1.9 L) of water at 150º F (66º C) for 30 minutes, raise temperature to 170º F (77º C) then strain and sparge with 2 quarts (1.9 L) of hot water. Add an additional 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water then stir in extract and bring to a boil. At the beginning of the boil, add the first hops. Boil for 45 minutes then add the second and third hops and the Irish moss. Boil for 15 more minutes. After a 60-minute boil, cool the wort to 63º-68º F (17º-20º C). Transfer wort to fermenter and top-up to 5 gallons, if necessary. When the wort temperature is down to 63º F (17º C), pitch the yeast and aerate well. After 3 or 4 days, add the first dry hop addition. Continue to ferment at 63º F (17º C) for a total of one week to 10 days. Rack to secondary with the second dry hop addition for three weeks [if you have the capability, cool to 50º F (10º C) for aging]. Rack to keg and add the last dry hop addition in a hop bag. If you are bottling rather than kegging, add the second and third dry hop addition to the secondary, and then bottle as you normally would.
Carbonation
Force carbonate at 1.0 – 1.5 volumes of CO2.
or
Bottle condition using 1/2 cup (117 ml measure) corn sugar.
Optional Water Treatment
For the brew chemist, if you are looking to emulate Fullers water, aim for the following profile.
Calcium (Ca): 268 ppm
Magnesium (Mg): 62 ppm
Sodium (Na): 30 ppm
Sulfate (SO4): 638 ppm
Chloride (Cl): 36 ppm
Bicarbonate (HCO3): 141 ppm
Hops Note
We have tried to stay true to the recipe provided to us by John Keeling of Fullers Brewery in London. Due to the hop shortage, some or all of the hops listed may not be available at your local shop. If any of these are unavailable, please feel free to substitute comparable hops. Ask your local homebrew supply shop owner for hop substitution recommendations.
- UK Target is a floral, fruity hop that is sometimes also herbal.
- The UK Northdown and UK Challenger both have spicy hop characteristics.
- East Kent Golding hops are a floral hop that is sometimes also spicy and/or grassy/earthy.
