So, I'm reading this book right now.
It is really good. I have learned a lot about pale ales - especially about the differences (historical and otherwise) between English Bitters and Pale Ales. Reading this has got me very interested in trying to experience ales that are very authentic to the tradition of the English IPA and Bitter. For instance, the author claims that the earlier IPAs brewed in England (by Bass, etc) started around 1.070 OG and had about 125 IBUs :rockin: . That seems like a lot of hops! Anyone ever done a seriously authentic IPA to get that kind of bitterness?
I am even more interested, though, in the authors discussion of real ale and the manner in which the bottling and conditioning of English Bitter creates a product very different from the "real" ales that are rapidly dissappearing from the planet .
This means that even purchasing a commercial English Bitter in a can or bottle cannot qualify as real ale. Since there is no cask conditioned ale anywhere near where I live (and I've looked), I am finding myself very interested in making one at home.
How can a homebrewer, with homebrewing equipment do an authentic "real ale"? I don't have an oak barrel, but it seems that even early English Bitters were conditioned in pitch lined barrels to avoid oak flavors.
Is it possible, in any way, to make a "real ale" in a bottle? If not, (and I assume that this is the case), I would make the real ale and then have a party when it was ready to drink. I would love to have some way of serving this by gravity rather than carbonation in an half-way original manner. It would have to be consumed at once because of the lack of carbonation, right.
Anyone ever attempted or succeeded at doing an authentic English Bitter . . . served as it might be in an English Pub?
It is really good. I have learned a lot about pale ales - especially about the differences (historical and otherwise) between English Bitters and Pale Ales. Reading this has got me very interested in trying to experience ales that are very authentic to the tradition of the English IPA and Bitter. For instance, the author claims that the earlier IPAs brewed in England (by Bass, etc) started around 1.070 OG and had about 125 IBUs :rockin: . That seems like a lot of hops! Anyone ever done a seriously authentic IPA to get that kind of bitterness?
I am even more interested, though, in the authors discussion of real ale and the manner in which the bottling and conditioning of English Bitter creates a product very different from the "real" ales that are rapidly dissappearing from the planet .
This means that even purchasing a commercial English Bitter in a can or bottle cannot qualify as real ale. Since there is no cask conditioned ale anywhere near where I live (and I've looked), I am finding myself very interested in making one at home.
How can a homebrewer, with homebrewing equipment do an authentic "real ale"? I don't have an oak barrel, but it seems that even early English Bitters were conditioned in pitch lined barrels to avoid oak flavors.
Is it possible, in any way, to make a "real ale" in a bottle? If not, (and I assume that this is the case), I would make the real ale and then have a party when it was ready to drink. I would love to have some way of serving this by gravity rather than carbonation in an half-way original manner. It would have to be consumed at once because of the lack of carbonation, right.
Anyone ever attempted or succeeded at doing an authentic English Bitter . . . served as it might be in an English Pub?