English Ales - What's your favorite recipe?

[lowtones84]

Cool, thanks for the Barclay Perkins link, I was thinking something along those lines: nice and simple ingredient wise. As far as OG, I'm not totally set but probably in the 1.090-1.100 range. With my current BIAB system I can baaaaarely fit up to 12 lbs. of grain in my mash pot, so I may even go down to 3 gallons for this one.

That recipe suggests WLP013, London Ale Yeast. Sound good? I'm thinking something that will attenuate more than 002, but yeah I don't want to use some super-yeast that will chew it all the way down. If I do a multi-strain pitch, I still want them to be "appropriate" English yeasts.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

I may have mentioned it previously on this thread, but I'd take a look at 007. It will attenuate more than 002, but will still leave good English character. Finishes relatively dry from my experience, but I've never had it go overboard.

 

[JKaranka]

Look at lower OG and including 2lb of invert sugar. You should just about squeeze 1080 or so!

 

[FlyDoctor]

Yeah, I want to try that black treacle stuff too. I'll look for it at amazon.

I made a English blend of something yesterday. I don't know what you call it, but I have hopes. I just thought it would be a good summer session ale.

4.5 lbs MO
3 lbs light wheat
1 lb flaked wheat
8 oz honey malt

1 oz fuggles @ 60 min
.5 oz fuggles @ 20 and 2 min

mashed at 154F, 60 min boil.
Pitched a packet of 04 and it's bubbling away down in the 63F cellar. The heat of fermentation has bumped up the fermenter temp to 68F. I usually use 1469, but I didn't think ahead to make a starter. I'm looking forward to kegging this one up.

How did this turn out? I was thinking of doing a similar beer.

 

[lowtones84]

Look at lower OG and including 2lb of invert sugar. You should just about squeeze 1080 or so!

I actually do a "two vessel" BIAB with two pots, so I mash with a "typical" amount of water rather than the full volume as most do. Even if it's a 4 gallon batch I should be able to get to the mid 1.090s

4 gallons-

10 lbs. MO
2 lbs. Invert

At 75% efficiency that gives an estimated OG of 1.094, and I typically get closer to 80%, which would push it up to 1.099 :rockin:

I'll check out WLP007 as well.

 

[BarkingSpider]

I'm brewing my third generation (attempt) of my White W'Ale experiment today..

I've decided that Maris Otter is definitely not the grain for this recipe. I think it would be fine in a brown, porter, or stout, but I'm just getting way too much toasty biscuit from it for my tastes. I think it might be better as a portion of the grist perhaps (maybe 20-35%). So the main grain in this version is Golden Promise, and I'm on to a different yeast (Yorkshire Square). This is a 1 gallon batch:

Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.016
ABV (standard): 4.66%
IBU (tinseth): 35
SRM (morey): 12.19

1.5 lb - United Kingdom - Golden Promise (80%)
2 oz - United Kingdom - Crystal 50L (6.7%)
1 oz - United Kingdom - Crystal 140L (3.3%)
3 oz - Turbinado (10%)

HOPS:
0.3 oz - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 30

YEAST:
Wyeast - West Yorkshire 1469
Pitch @ 64F and let rise to 70F over several days.

Future batch will most likely be using Malting co. of Ireland Stout Malt for the main malt, and either Whitbread 1099, or Ringwood 1187 for the yeast.

 

[Wolfdust]

So far I like Ol' Bitter Bastard in the recipe database with wlp London ale yeast. I also did an innkeeper variation with Maris Otter that was really good. So how about you guys give me some more recommendations to try.

 

[bierhaus15]

There is still time to pick up a vial or two of WLP006 Bedford British, which IMO is about the best possible yeast for English bitters and is a great yeast all around.

 

[unionrdr]

I brewed a batch of dry stout (allegedly English in origin, like guiness) & made whiskely out of it. Well, y'all, I've found that I shouldn't try a new batch when eating bbq with a salty, spicy rub. Sheez, did that burn out my tastebuds! I caught the smoother, less roasty/bitter Black Prinz malt's coffee/chocolate(?) flavors. Roasty, but not bitter, it seems to definitely give a rich stout flavor without the downside. It has a nice brownish head on it too. Kinda wild that it's clear, but so pitch black you can't see through it. Gotta try another one later & see if I can get a better handle on the taste. This is also the recipe I named " Queen Anne's Revenge" with Blackbeard on the label in my Time Lords 2034 series.

 

[Hanglow]

Brewing an oatmalt stout loosely based on Maclays Oat stout from 1909 . Got myself a new boiler so trying it out

3548.05 g Low Colour Muntons spring blend (2.0 EBC) Grain 1 67.0 %
741.38 g Oats, Malted (2.0 EBC) Grain 2 14.0 %
476.60 g Black (Patent) Malt (1280.0 EBC) Grain 3 9.0 %
264.78 g Brown Malt (140.0 EBC) Grain 4 5.0 %
264.78 g Invert no 2/3 (147.8 EBC) Sugar 5 5.0 %

20.00 g Admiral [14.75 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 33.2 IBUs
15g admiral 15mins 5 IBU
15.00 g Styrian Goldings [3 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 2.5 IBUs
15g Styrian Goldings 3% 5 min
1.0 pkg Burton Ale (White Labs #WLP023) [35.49 ml] Yeast 8 -


Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color

Est Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.7 %
Bitterness: 40 IBUs
Est Color: 83.2 EBC

 

[JKaranka]

Looks tasty. I wouldn't be surprised if it finished lower.

 

[Hanglow]

Yeah could do

Decided to collect a bit more wort so ended up boiling just five litres worth with some chillies, coriander and coffee at the end. Got to go all crafty sometimes

 

[lowtones84]

I brewed this bitter a while back and it was a big hit among myself and friends. The one thing I wasn't happy with was the hop presence though, more on the flavor/aroma front. The numbers are a little weird to get IBUs correct (and it's a 4 gallon batch) but here was the hop schedule. OG was 1.046

.33 oz. Target (11 %) @ 60
.13 oz. Target @ 20
.25 oz. EKG @ 20
.17 oz. Target @ FO
.25 oz. EKG @ FO
.12 oz. Target Hopstand @ 142-150ishF for 30 min. (Target temp for both additions was 170)
.5 oz. EKG Hopstand @142-150ishF for 30 min.

Should I take out the 20 minute addition and add it to the hopstand? Add the FO addition to the hopstand? Keep both the 20 minute and FO, and just add to the hopstand? Just dryhop the thing?

I have Fuggles and Challenger as well as EKG and Target to play with too, but I did enjoy the profile of the original. It was also my first time trying a hopstand, and something I would like to continue playing with. Thanks in advance all!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Welp, I just ordered some hops I normally don't have access to (Northdown, Progress, Phoenix, and WGV) that I'm looking forward to playing with. I'm going to have to order some Bramling Cross from a different source. It's a shame my LHBS doesn't stock much English variety (Target, EKG, Fuggles, Challenger, sometimes First Gold, and that's pretty much it, they allegedly stock Northdown and WGV but I don't think I've ever seen em in stock).

 

[z-bob]

This is my latest ESB. It needs a little something; some Vienna malt, or light crystal, I dunno. (any suggestions?) Or maybe I just mashed at too low a temperature -- it's a little thinner that I was shooting for but still tastes pretty good. This is a 4 gallon recipe:

7 pounds American pale ale malt
4 ounces Special B
1 oz Bramling Cross (6.5 AA) @ 60 minutes
1 oz Bramling Cross @ 5 minutes
S-04 yeast
RO water plus 1/2 tsp gypsum and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride

 

[Puddlethumper]

This is my latest ESB. It needs a little something; some Vienna malt, or light crystal, I dunno. (any suggestions?) Or maybe I just mashed at too low a temperature -- it's a little thinner that I was shooting for but still tastes pretty good. This is a 4 gallon recipe:

7 pounds American pale ale malt
4 ounces Special B
1 oz Bramling Cross (6.5 AA) @ 60 minutes
1 oz Bramling Cross @ 5 minutes
S-04 yeast
RO water plus 1/2 tsp gypsum and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride

Try subbing Maris Otter for the American 2 Row. Fawcett, Simpsons or Crisp - doesn't matter. All are a little "toothier" and bring a little more flavor/color/mouth-feel to the party + are more authentic to British beers in general. The addition of some British medium crystal always goes well (IMO) with any bitters recipe. A few ounces of torrified wheat will improve head retention. If it still isn't what you're looking for and want a little more "chewiness" try adding 4-6 oz. of Maltodextrine with 20 min. left in the boil.

I love the addition of the Bramling Cross at the end (5 min) but I would prefer to use something like Target, Challenger, Fuggles or E. Kent Goldings for the bittering addition. (Got to check the IBUs on BeerSmith for amounts.) You should get all the nice ESB flavors but with a little less spiciness.

 

[z-bob]

Try subbing Maris Otter for the American 2 Row. Fawcett, Simpsons or Crisp - doesn't matter. All are a little "toothier" and bring a little more flavor/color/mouth-feel to the party + are more authentic to British beers in general. The addition of some British medium crystal always goes well (IMO) with any bitters recipe. A few ounces of torrified wheat will improve head retention. If it still isn't what you're looking for and want a little more "chewiness" try adding 4-6 oz. of Maltodextrine with 20 min. left in the boil.

I love the addition of the Bramling Cross at the end (5 min) but I would prefer to use something like Target, Challenger, Fuggles or E. Kent Goldings for the bittering addition. (Got to check the IBUs on BeerSmith for amounts.) You should get all the nice ESB flavors but with a little less spiciness.

Thanks. This isn't plain 2-row, it's the slightly darker "pale ale" malt, but I agree a British malt would be better in a British beer. I bought a 50 lb bag of pale ale malt and I'm using it as a base malt in everything until I use it up.

I should have used a half a pound of medium crystal malt instead of 4 oz of very dark Special B. And maybe a handful of flaked barley?

I think I have 4 oz of Fuggles, I'll use that next time for the bittering (not the whole 4 oz)

 

[BarkingSpider]

I'm brewing a Bitter tonight, and trying to use up some grains floating around...
64% American Pale malt
20% Maris Otter
6% Bairds 70/80 Crystal
10% Golden Naked Oats

EKG @ 60 & 15 minutes for 30 IBU
O.G. 1.040 F.G. 1.012
3.7ABV
Yeast: Yorkshire Square

 

[unionrdr]

My ESB uses 1/2lb crystal 40L, 1/2lb honey malt, & 1/4lb special roast with 7lbs marris otter LME. With 1oz northern brewer for bittering, 1oz EKG @ 10 & 5 minutes. Nice color & great flavor balance for an E/SG 5 gallon batch.

Flavor is well balanced between hops & toasty, maltiness.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Thanks. This isn't plain 2-row, it's the slightly darker "pale ale" malt, but I agree a British malt would be better in a British beer. I bought a 50 lb bag of pale ale malt and I'm using it as a base malt in everything until I use it up.

I should have used a half a pound of medium crystal malt instead of 4 oz of very dark Special B. And maybe a handful of flaked barley?

I think I have 4 oz of Fuggles, I'll use that next time for the bittering (not the whole 4 oz)

British Pale Ale malt should do you just as well as Maris Otter. American can work just fine but you need to make some adjustments. Either are still great base malts for almost anything you might want to brew.

I like the Special B for the raisin notes and a little color. Many ESB recipes call for some Victory malt to bring biscuit notes to the party.

I messed around with your recipe and found it came up short of the ESB guidelines in several points. So with a few tweaks hit on something for you to consider:

8.5 lb. Pale Ale Malt
1.0 lb. Victory Malt
12 oz. British Medium Crystal (OK to sub American C40)
3 oz. Special B Malt

60 min. mash @ 154
60 min. boil

2 oz. Fuggles @ 60 min.
1 oz. Bramling Cross @ 5 min.

S-04 Yeast

Assuming 70% efficiency you should end up with an ESB something like this:

OG 1.044
FG 1.011
ABV 4.3%
IBU 31.1
Color (SRM) 11.2

All these numbers fall within BJCP guidelines for an ESB. At 11.2 SRM it will be a fairly light colored ESB which is just fine for the style. But if you'd like it a little darker you can always add an ounce of chocolate malt or roasted barley.

I'm thinking you're going to get a fairly complex flavor profile with the biscuit notes from the Victory, a little raisin from the Special B and some spiciness from the Bramling Cross. Sounds good enough I may make a batch myself!

Cheers!

 

[JKaranka]

I usually think the sweet spot for strong bitters is around 9-12SRM. Not that different from SNPA, maybe like a lighter coloured American Amber / Red. There are some that are unusually dark, though, like the Shepherd Neame beers. You have lots of exceptions in British brewing, I wouldn't discard a strong bitter being made with 100% pale malt, although it could get easily labelled as a golden ale.

 

[BarkingSpider]

Just wrapped my second brew for the weekend. This one I'm calling "Monkey-Butt" Brown Porter... I'm just doing small-batch's right now (1gallon).

ABV: 4.75% IBU: 35 SRM: 22 O.G. 1.050 F.G. 1.015

50% American Pale
25% Maris Otter
10% Bairds Crystal 80
10% Brown Malt
5% UK Pale Chocolate

Mash @ 152 for 60 minutes
EKG .35 oz @ 60 minutes

Yeast: Yorkshire Square
Ferment @ 68F

 

[z-bob]

I messed around with your recipe and found it came up short of the ESB guidelines in several points. So with a few tweaks hit on something for you to consider:

8.5 lb. Pale Ale Malt
1.0 lb. Victory Malt
12 oz. British Medium Crystal (OK to sub American C40)
3 oz. Special B Malt

60 min. mash @ 154
60 min. boil

2 oz. Fuggles @ 60 min.
1 oz. Bramling Cross @ 5 min.

S-04 Yeast

Assuming 70% efficiency you should end up with an ESB something like this:

OG 1.044
FG 1.011
ABV 4.3%
IBU 31.1
Color (SRM) 11.2

All these numbers fall within BJCP guidelines for an ESB. At 11.2 SRM it will be a fairly light colored ESB which is just fine for the style. But if you'd like it a little darker you can always add an ounce of chocolate malt or roasted barley.

I'm thinking you're going to get a fairly complex flavor profile with the biscuit notes from the Victory, a little raisin from the Special B and some spiciness from the Bramling Cross. Sounds good enough I may make a batch myself!

Cheers!

Thanks. What size is that recipe? (looks like about 5.5 gallons; mine was 4) Where was I outside the guidelines? I don't doubt that it was, I'm just trying to learn something.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Thanks. What size is that recipe? (looks like about 5.5 gallons; mine was 4) Where was I outside the guidelines? I don't doubt that it was, I'm just trying to learn something.

OK, that one was my bad. I missed the 4 gal batch size. Your recipe would be just right. Calculations in the one I sent was based of 5.5 gal.

Sorry for the confusion.

Cheers!

 

[z-bob]

OK, that one was my bad. I missed the 4 gal batch size. Your recipe would be just right. Calculations in the one I sent was based of 5.5 gal.

Sorry for the confusion.

Cheers!

I think my biggest problem is I've been drinking it too cold for the style. I opened a 750ml bottle tonight. The second pour, after the bottle had been sitting out for a half an hour, was much more flavorful.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I think my biggest problem is I've been drinking it too cold for the style. I opened a 750ml bottle tonight. The second pour, after the bottle had been sitting out for a half an hour, was much more flavorful.

Completely agree that serving temp is important with English beers. Too cold and the flavors pretty well disappear IMO. I have a running disagreement with my son about that very point...he thinks every beer should be served one degree warmer than ice. LOL Maybe someday the old man will make some inroads on that discussion but I'm not holding out a lot of hope.

Cheers!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Hey folks who actually know and brew these styles who's opinions I trust-

Any recommendation on a source/malster for Mild Malt available in the US? I know that Briess makes a "Mild" malt, but my experience with Briess is their "English" styled malts are across the board inferior to the true English counterparts. Some places seem to sell Munton's Mild Malt, but again Muntons malts are not my favorite.

 

[lowtones84]

The only ones I've ever found are Briess, and the Bell's online store has Munton's. I know this isn't super helpful, but if you end up tracking something down I may be interested as well. It's getting to be mild season around my house...

 

[Qhrumphf]

Given for English beers Muntons makes better malts than Briess does, I suppose I'll go with the Muntons. I'll report back.

 

[Qhrumphf]

For the record, the English maltsters I know and love (Crisp and Thomas Fawcett) don't seem to produce it according to their website. Neither does Bairds or Simpsons. At least not according to any of their websites. So it really may just be Muntons.