English Ales - What's your favorite recipe?

[DuncB]

I'm originally from Cardiff. My go-to beer for many years (1978 to 2013) was Brains Dark.
Closest I've got, which, incidentally, was going to be my post to this thread as favourite ale recipe...

We'll let you in but Brains is Welsh!

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

We'll let you in but Brains is Welsh!

I may live in Scotland but I'm Welsh!

 

[Miraculix]

I may live in Scotland but I'm Welsh!

Most beautiful sounding language I've ever heard. If I wouldn't be learning classical Tibetan and if it would be somehow of any benefit I'd be learning Welsh.

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

I did a clone of Timothy Taylor’s landlord Pale Ale that came out really well.

I'm not really a fan of TT Landlord. It's a beer that I will drink if there's not anything better available ("that'll do") so I suspect I prefer your version. It looks nice.

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

Most beautiful sounding language I've ever heard. If I wouldn't be learning classical Tibetan and if it would be somehow of any benefit I'd be learning Welsh.

Did you know, like many older European languages, Welsh is related to Sanskrit.
Are you sure you don't want to learn? Imagine the fun you could have with mutations.
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/welsh-mutations
(Should probably stop there before the thread goes down a completely wrong alleyway)

 

[balrog]

Okay, it made me look, and freaking OMG

 

[Peebee]

Most beautiful sounding language I've ever heard. If I wouldn't be learning classical Tibetan and if it would be somehow of any benefit I'd be learning Welsh.

Something I put down to there being no caveman "ugh" sounds like in English. "U" is pronounced "ee". Okay, there's some wobbles in pronunciation of "y" (which Welsh doesn't disregard as a vowel like in English ... and adds "w" too). And no "diphthongs", or more controversially, no double letters ... 'cos someone in recent history removed some useful single-letters from the Alphabet.

But I can't speak Welsh 'cos Mum never taught me ("Welsh" was going through a bad patch back then).

Back on subject ... the "Welsh", like "Americans", went through a bad patch with their beer too. The Welsh only prevented its sale on Sundays, but for quite a while (and many just disapproved of it the rest of the time), and it had the same dire effect on quality such that both sides are still having to recover from the impact. Wales had to rely on English beer for any quality! Scotland ... well, they're more interested in making some other hooch to churn out much good beer (but they certainly made some of that too!).



"... it would be somehow of any benefit I'd be learning Welsh.": Hey, remember it is spoken extensively in America! Okay ... South America, somewhere in the Patagonian Andes. Apparently, they speak a very "pure" version of the language 'cos they've been so isolated.

 

[user 246304]

I did a clone of Timothy Taylor’s landlord Pale Ale that came out really well. Nice simple grain bill and uses WY1469 which I had on hand. Never had the original but I really liked it and it was well received by others. I subbed hops for what I had on hand.

1.048 OG
99% Maris Otter
1% Black Malt

1oz Styrian Goldings 60min
1oz US Tettnang 60min
.75oz Styrian Goldings 5min
.75oz US Tettnang 0min

I’ve been using the West Yorkshire yeast in a couple different ales(Ordinary Bitter, Brown Ale), and this was my favorite so far. I think this yeast does better with some more IBU, it definitely has a nuttiness to it as advertised. Overall a nice drinkable beer that still packs great flavor.

Sounds good, but may I suggest trying it with Golden Promise (what TT uses)? I find MO gives a slightly higher degree of nuttiness than GP, and GP gives a slightly higher sense of rounded sweetness. Might be worth a try.

 

[Colindo]

Imagine the fun you could have with mutations.

I learned some Sindarin as a teenager and it is modelled after Welsh. I always found the mutation part confusing. But Japanese has it too.

Sounds good, but may I suggest trying it with Golden Promise (what TT uses)?

I can second this without hesitation. Golden Promise is the best malt for beers that use 100% (or 99% in this case) of it.

 

[user 246304]

I learned some Sindarin as a teenager and it is modelled after Welsh. I always found the mutation part confusing. But Japanese has it too.


I can second this without hesitation. Golden Promise is the best malt for beers that use 100% (or 99% in this case) of it.

Colindo, I have 99.3% GP and .7% black, from Wheeler. Is that what you're meaning?

 

[Colindo]

Colindo, I have 99.3% GP and .7% black, from Wheeler. Is that what you're meaning?

I just meant that Golden Promise suits such a beer much better than Maris Otter.

 

[IslandLizard]

Moderator's Note:

The off-topic discussion @AmarikinBrew started on brewing higher gravity beer, then diluting it after fermentation, was moved to its own thread.

It can be found here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...ented-beer-for-better-yeast-expression.733597

 

[Shenanigans]

Hi All,

If I can wake up a vial of WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale a year past its best before date I'm going to have a go at brewing something like a Hardy's barley wine with a lower OG of 1.100 SG.

When possible I usually just ferment at room temperature in my basement, which is around 19oC.
However, I guess like most high gravity beers I will need to keep an eye on the temperature so that it doesn't creep up into the mid 20's due to heat created from the fermenation activity.
The problem is that I will be brewing a few other beers at the same time.
So I will need my only spare fridge after about a week to cold crash an IPA before dry hopping.
Would it work to just temperature control the barley wine for the first 5 or 6 days and then let it finish off at room temperature?
If I'm to belive what I read most off flavours are produced during the first 3 or so days of fermentation.
After 5 or 6 days it should have calmed down and not be producing so much heat anymore.

Thanks!

 

[Miraculix]

Hi All,

If I can wake up a vial of WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale a year past its best before date I'm going to have a go at brewing something like a Hardy's barley wine with a lower OG of 1.100 SG.

When possible I usually just ferment at room temperature in my basement, which is around 19oC.
However, I guess like most high gravity beers I will need to keep an eye on the temperature so that it doesn't creep up into the mid 20's due to heat created from the fermenation activity.
The problem is that I will be brewing a few other beers at the same time.
So I will need my only spare fridge after about a week to cold crash an IPA before dry hopping.
Would it work to just temperature control the barley wine for the first 5 or 6 days and then let it finish off at room temperature?
If I'm to belive what I read most off flavours are produced during the first 3 or so days of fermentation.
After 5 or 6 days it should have calmed down and not be producing so much heat anymore.

Thanks!

That should work pretty well.

 

[DuncB]

Hi All,

If I can wake up a vial of WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale a year past its best before date I'm going to have a go at brewing something like a Hardy's barley wine with a lower OG of 1.100 SG.

When possible I usually just ferment at room temperature in my basement, which is around 19oC.
However, I guess like most high gravity beers I will need to keep an eye on the temperature so that it doesn't creep up into the mid 20's due to heat created from the fermenation activity.
The problem is that I will be brewing a few other beers at the same time.
So I will need my only spare fridge after about a week to cold crash an IPA before dry hopping.
Would it work to just temperature control the barley wine for the first 5 or 6 days and then let it finish off at room temperature?
If I'm to belive what I read most off flavours are produced during the first 3 or so days of fermentation.
After 5 or 6 days it should have calmed down and not be producing so much heat anymore.

Thanks!

I've brewed the Thomas Hardy clone a few times now.
Follow the plan from the Ron Pattinson info to the letter.

You'll note the very high temperature rise that was achieved in several of the TH ferments.

I do transfer to secondary after main activity settles with airlock and oak blocks. I add a little fresh yeast at month one and then month 2 and leave for 6 months before further yeast. I've used Wyeast 1007 for this and at bottling ( done the other day ) gravity had dropped from 1.047 at first racking to 1.027.

I've always stepped up with year old 099 , you need a big starter or make a weak session ale with it and then pitch your TH wort onto it.
Did also manage a partigyle on the TH grains as well at 1.040 with original at 1.127.
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/03/lets-brew-wednesday-eldridge-pope-1967.html

 

[Shenanigans]

Thanks guys.
That link from DuncB is what my recipe is based on.
I'll see if I can fit it in sometime in October.
I haven't brewed in ages so the list is getting longer and I haven't been able to resist all the summer sales in the online brew shops so I'm starting to stockpile all my ingredients

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

A little off topic, but we harvested one of the hops today. With a little luck and if we get some sunshine in the coming weeks we might get to harvest the other 2 aswell.

 

[MikeScott]

A little off topic, but we harvested one of the hops today. With a little luck and if we get some sunshine in the coming weeks we might get to harvest the other 2 aswell.
View attachment 856334View attachment 856332View attachment 856333

Those are some nice looking hops! What variety are they?

 

[user 246304]

A little off topic, but we harvested one of the hops today. With a little luck and if we get some sunshine in the coming weeks we might get to harvest the other 2 aswell.
View attachment 856334View attachment 856332View attachment 856333

Wow, those are gorgeous and nice yield, man!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Those are some nice looking hops! What variety are they?

It's an old domestic(Swedish) heritage variety.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

It's an old domestic(Swedish) heritage variety.

When used as a Single hop for flavouring it behaves taste wise as sort of a cross between Fuggle and EKG, but with the Fuggle's herbal spicyness turned up to 11.
It is for me strongly reminiscent of spicier varieties of green tea sort of hop flavour, a bit too much as a single hop but should work well with either Fuggle or EKG or the citrus of Celeia.

 

[kmarkstevens]

Ohhhhh, sounds really nice. The mix sounds good.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Dried, packaged and ready for the freezer.
Think I'll brew an AK with these and EKG.

 

[Colindo]

I have a huge plant of the modern German variety Tango here, but harvest date is forecasted as 10 September, so still some time to go.

 

[HM-2]

I have a huge plant of the modern German variety Tango here, but harvest date is forecasted as 10 September, so still some time to go.

I've just made a dry hopped rice lager with Tango. Very impressed with it so far, might be one of my favourite new varietals. Could see it working well in a golden ale or strong bitter with a Fuller's style yeast that pushes orange esters.

 

[Miraculix]

I've just made a dry hopped rice lager with Tango. Very impressed with it so far, might be one of my favourite new varietals. Could see it working well in a golden ale or strong bitter with a Fuller's style yeast that pushes orange esters.

Now you got me curious.

 

[Colindo]

Now you got me curious.

Tango is a versatile hop that behaves mostly like a classic German hop when added to the boil but turns quite fruity when used in the Whirlpool or as dry-hop. The creator of this variety has some useful diagrams for the different flavour when used at different points in the process: https://www.hopfenforschung.de/en/sorte/tango/

My experience with Tango is that as a green hop with tons of it in the Whirlpool it makes intense aromas of grapefruit, lime and red apple. In small quantities in the whirlpool it gives a more classic German aroma with light fruit notes.

Late in the boil, at 10 min, it gave me spice and herbs, though with a grassiness that I did not like that much. I think I need to do more tests here.

I have dry-hopped with it once in small quantities where the extra aroma was pleasant, but delicate.

 

[HM-2]

That broadly mirrors my experience. Decent bittering potential with noble spice and a little earthiness. I've not tried late boil additions but got grapefruit, passion fruit, and a little bit of resin from whirlpooling. Delicate floral citrus leaning towards lime in the DH.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

@Miraculix
You have brewed a bit with Simpsons Imperial Malt, yes?
I have a beer fermenting now(3d day now) I made with it, I think I've mentioned it in earlier discussions.

20L batch
1.56 kg Golden Promise
1.56kg Imperial
180g wheat malt (5%)
370g invert 3 (10%)
Mash 68c/60min

15g Fuggle @20 min and 10g Fuggle at FO apart from the bittering charge
90 min boil
OG 1.044 25 IBU
Fermenting with my house mix of English origin (one is more attenuative and one more flavourful)yeast but at 18c and now ramping up to 20 to finish it.

What to expect? I reckon it will come out something like a contemporary Scottish 80/Export. Have you noticed Imperial being very dextrinous when mashed like Vienna malts or does it behave more like a pale malt?

 

[Miraculix]

@Miraculix
You have brewed a bit with Simpsons Imperial Malt, yes?
I have a beer fermenting now(3d day now) I made with it, I think I've mentioned it in earlier discussions.

20L batch
1.56 kg Golden Promise
1.56kg Imperial
180g wheat malt (5%)
370g invert 3 (10%)
Mash 68c/60min

15g Fuggle @20 min and 10g Fuggle at FO apart from the bittering charge
90 min boil
OG 1.044 25 IBU
Fermenting with my house mix of English origin (one is more attenuative and one more flavourful)yeast but at 18c and now ramping up to 20 to finish it.

What to expect? I reckon it will come out something like a contemporary Scottish 80/Export. Have you noticed Imperial being very dextrinous when mashed like Vienna malts or does it behave more like a pale malt?

You're going to have a really nice beer.

In my experience, imperial behaves just like a pale malt. You're whole beer composition sounds spot on, I would have brewed it the same way.