English Pale recipe Critique request

[2doorsdown]

I've been knee deep in IPA's and belgians for the past two years. Going to change up the rotation this weekend.

All grain, 5 gallon batch.

Looking for an English Bitter/Pale using what I have on hand:

9 lbs Marris Otter
1 lb Victory
3 oz Carafa II

Mash at 152

Hops:

Northern Brewer Hops 1.1 oz at 60
Tettnang US .5 oz at 15
Tettnang US 1.0 oz at 0


Yeast is Safale S-04

Ferment at 68 F (Have a temp controlled mini fridge fermenter).

Thoughts?

I have Willamette, Citra, Columbus and cascade hops on hand as well, but none fit the profile I'm looking for. I also have a 1lb of C-20, C-60 and Biscuit if I need to change it up.
Thoughts?

 

[estricklin]

Have you used Victory much in the past? I'm asking really just for my own information, I've used it before and haven't learned to use it in a way I really like it yet.

But yeah recipe looks solid to me, I actually like Cascade in some of my English style beers but nothing wrong with Tettnang either.

 

[2doorsdown]

I'v only used it once and got a maltier profile than I expected, so I thought it would be decent for this recipe.

 

[jsguitar]

Just a couple of thoughts.

For my taste, I'd probably cut the Victory in half. If you're going for biscuity, I think a half-pound along with the MO is probably enough. I'd add some of the crystal in there too, maybe a .5-.75lb of the 60. I forget what color the carafa III is but you could probably go with less depending on the color you're after. Maybe 1-1.5 oz off the top of my head.

Not sure of the hops as I usually just use EKG for bitters and the like.

 

[lhommedieu]

I agree. Cut the adjuncts down and add 7 per cent Crystal 60.

 

[slymaster]

I agree with using some Crystal. If you'd like to have a taste closer to an real English ale, I'd use Willamette instead of Tettnang.

 

[Cider123]

I think your recipe as is will make great beer, but the crystal suggestions are good ones. Crystal 60 is a staple for many a British beer.

One thing to consider is what type of bitter you're looking for. If your after an Ordinary bitter then 10 lbs of grain might be too much. I also prefer to ferment a bit cooler, near the 64F range for bitters using British yeast.

 

[JKaranka]

I'd cut the Victory (never seen it here) either entirely or drop it to 1/4lb. You could give it 1/2lb medium Crystal. Depends a lot what kind of bitter / pale you want, but you could drop the carafa entirely or use some chocolate malt. Lots of British bitters are pale and hoppy, some are light, dark and caramelly, etc. Not quite clear what way you want to go with this one. I'd suggest 4-6oz of some simple sugar like flaked maize or invert syrup for that slightly dry finish. Keep an eye on your water, if you want to go pale and hoppy up the sulphur a bit, if you want dark and caramelly, keep it low.

 

[2doorsdown]

I'm shooting for a medium dark caramel/toasty with subtle hop flavor. I thought the victory would be good for the body and flavor.

With the recommendations, I'm going to replace 1/2 a lb of Victory with the Crystal 60.

I've used the Carafa II for black IPAs in the past and had good luck with small amounts for head retention and darkening of color without an effect on flavor. I'm going to keep that one as is.

The optimum temp for S-04 is 59-68, so I guess I'm on the high side. I'll be bumping that down to the 64 suggested by Cider123.

Making the starter this afternoon, brewing tomorrow. Thanks for the input all!

 

[electric_beer]

I'd use the willamette hops, personally, because they are basically the American Fuggles. Great English style taste.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Victory is Briess's tradename for Biscuit malt. I like a little Biscuit in my Bitters (although it's not particularly traditional), but I use Dingemans Biscuit. Victory would be a little different, but not particularly noticeably. Agree with everyone to cut it back to half a pound.

7% Crystal is a good suggestion, but anywhere in the 5-10% would be good. I'd suggest using an English crystal malt, not an American one, as the flavors really are different. I'm partial to Crisp 45L or Crisp 77L for my Bitters.

Of your hops, definitely go with the Willamette. Northern Brewer would be alright for bittering (wouldn't use it late), but Tettenang is inappropriate. If you can get different hops, I'd go with a more traditional UK varietal for your later additions (or even your bittering). Target, Challenger, Fuggles, Kent Goldings, Brambling Cross, Northdown, etc. I love the combo of Challenger and Kent Goldings. Target would be good for bittering. And of the hops you have, Willamette is fairly similar to Fuggles (enough that I'll sub in a pinch).

 

[JKaranka]

Tettnang, saaz and spalt hops have always been very valued in British brewing. They are just out of fashion right now. But yeah, half Tettnanger half Willamette would be more like it.