EKGSB - Recipe Feedback, Please

[wittmania]

I am brewing a Special Bitter this weekend that is loosely based on KingBrianI's Common Room ESB. I dialed back the Maris Otter to get the OG down out of the ESB range, and I'm going with all East Kent Goldings rather than an EKG/Fuggles blend. The beer is right down the middle for OG, IBUs, color, and ABV for the 8b Special/Best/Premium Bitter category. Perhaps the biggest change I'm making is talking a half pound of the Maris Otter and toasting it (15 min. @ 350*) to impart more of a toasty, bready flavor that I'm hoping will give the beer more body and character despite the smaller grain bill than an ESB would have.

By the way, the name EKGSB stands for East Kent Goldings Special Bitter. I'm planning on entering it in a local competition here in Lincoln, Nebraska in a couple of months. The first round is judged by BJCP certified judges and the head brewer at the brew pub putting on the competition. Only 21 beers are entered, and the top 10 go on to a public tasting/ranking event. The public picks the winning beer, which is then brewed and sold as a special release through the brewery. If I make the finals, presentation is almost as important as the beer itself, so I've put together the logo below to make it a memorable drinking experience for all.

At any rate, here's the recipe. I'd love to hear any feedback you may have.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.04 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.10 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated Color: 11.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type %/IBU
7 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 83.3 %
8.0 oz Toasted Maris Otter Malt (27.0 SRM) Grain 5.6 %
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.3 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 2.8 %
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - First Wort Hop 28.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop 4.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 11.25 qt of water at 168.2 F 156.0 F 60 min

 

[Skyforger]

I'd go with WLP002, myself. Add some malty character, bring out the Maris Otter toasted goodness. S-04 is an adaptable powerhouse, but if it's for a competition you want the right yeast not its second cousin.

 

[wittmania]

Maybe. I've never used 002, but I have always had good results with S-04. Have you tried both?

 

[daksin]

IMO, I think an ESB yeast like 1968 is going to do a lot more justice to your beer than S-04. I know it's an english yeast, but 1968 is going to give you a really great english character in your bitter.

 

[Skyforger]

Yes, I've used both. S-04 adds very little character to the beer; it's great if you want a very clean beer, or want to bring out something like the hop profile. IMHO it's mostly good for making slightly maltier American-style beers. 1968 is a very good English strain; it really lets the hops and especially the malt stand for themselves, unlike some more characterful strains like WLP023, but still adds a real distinctive british savoryness to beers.

It tends to finish sweet, so if you want a drier beer maybe WLP005 would work. Haven't tried it myself, though.

 

[ne0t0ky0]

IMO, I think an ESB yeast like 1968 is going to do a lot more justice to your beer than S-04. I know it's an english yeast, but 1968 is going to give you a really great english character in your bitter.

Just brewed an Best Bitter with 1968 and it's *fantastically* english. I'm a big big fan of 1968.

 

[ryanpaulnorris]

I'm also submitting a beer (ESB) for this BeerQuest Comp. Done it a few times, and made it to the top 10 once. Hope to see you there!

 

[wittmania]

Ryan, this is just my second competition. I scored an avg. of 31 last time, so I think I was just outside the finals. I will be in Colorado on a ski trip that weekend, but my brother and I entered together and he'll be representing us if we make the finals.

By the way, we did end up using the WLP002 for this and it turned out really nice. I am sort of hoping we don't make the finals just so I'll have all of this beer to myself!

 

[ryanpaulnorris]

haha. I'm thinking the same thing. I wouldn't mind keeping all of theses brews for myself!!

 

[wittmania]

Just found out my brother and I made the finals!!!

 

[Skyforger]

Alright! What's the recipe you ended up using?

 

[wittmania]

The final recipe is listed below. First, some notes. We obviously went with the Maris Otter for the style, but we also took a half pound of it and toasted it in a glass baking dish for about 15 minutes at 350*. That gives the beer a very subtle toasty note in the malt profile. We also used 2 oz. of black patent, which was based on something that Charlie Papazian once wrote about a small amount of black patent actually being able to clarify a beer. It added a touch of color (think sunset orange) and, while I haven't seen the score sheet yet, I would guess we got very good marks on clarity. Despite it being unusual for the style, we also used first wort hops for the entirety of the bittering. The result was a very smooth bitterness that is subtle but persistent, leaving a very smooth bitter after taste that is surprisingly pleasant. We also went with a 75 minute boil, though the reason escapes me now. We used WLP002, no starter, and kept it about 62-63* for the entire month-long primary. I cold-crashed it at about 35* for a week after that, and then kegged it at 38* and 9 PSI. This may account for the aroma being pleasant but faint, considering that the beer was 2 months old (from boil) when the judges got to it.

So, we ended up with a very good beer that fits within the style but stands out just enough to make it memorable. Toasted malt. Black patent. First wort hops. All together, I am very pleased with how this beer turned out.

I would post a picture here, but I need the rest of the beer for the public tasting part of the competition. Maybe we'll take a picture of it there and post it. I'll probably also post this in the recipe database once I get around to it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Beer Quest - EKGSB
Brewer: Mike Wittmann
Asst Brewer: Ben Wittmann, Tre Faaborg
Style: Special/Best/Premium Bitter
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.10 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated Color: 15.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name
7 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
8.0 oz Toasted Malt (27.0 SRM)
2.1 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)
1.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.10 %] - First Wort Hop
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.90 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.90 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop
1.0 pkg English Ale (White Labs #WLP002)


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 2.1 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 11.41 qt of water at 170.9 F 156.0 F 45 min

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com

*** Edited because BeerSmith had the ingredients in a weird order when I exported the recipe.