English Ales - What's your favorite recipe?

[Erik the Anglophile]

Speaking of sanitation and infected beer, I tried some of my Brett'd old ale. One 33cl bottle(minus the last bit of dregs) and topped up with mild. On it's own the brett flavour is a bit overpowering but topped up with mild it's perfect.
Will be very interesting to see how this one develops when I put the bottles in the cellar...

 

[Miraculix]

Speaking of sanitation and infected beer, I tried some of my Brett'd old ale. One 33cl bottle(minus the last bit of dregs) and topped up with mild. On it's own the brett flavour is a bit overpowering but topped up with mild it's perfect.
Will be very interesting to see how this one develops when I put the bottles in the cellar...

Still need to bottle mine....

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

How long has it been going? My Imperial stout that I racked to secondary a few months after the old ale and innoculated with it is up for bottling this weekend.

 

[Miraculix]

How long has it been going? My Imperial stout that I racked to secondary a few months after the old ale and innoculated with it is up for bottling this weekend.

I think it must be a year now. I'm actually not quite sure tbh. I got it written on a sticker on the carboy.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Probably done. Is the pellicle real gnarly?

 

[Miraculix]

Probably done. Is the pellicle real gnarly?

Yep, I'm 100% certain it's done. I'm just not having the time atm to brew something to throw it on the bretty yeastcake. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Miraculix]

Yep, I'm 100% certain it's done. I'm just not having the time atm to brew something to throw it on the bretty yeastcake. Maybe tomorrow.

Well.... Hold my beer!

Multiple problems, one solution. I wanna rack a stronger beer on the Brett cake that is in a 5l carboy. I want to rack abeer on it that's almost done fermenting from a "normal" yeast's perspective.

I don't want to brew a big batch of strong beer for this and the small fermenters I have are too small, they will overflow at peak fermentation.

But I got a nice 5l cooking pot. Well, no soup this week then, it will be my mash tun, my boiling kettle and my open fermenter. Once done, I can transfer on to the lees of the bretted porter.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Modern problems require modern solutions m'dude.

 

[user 246304]

I think it must be a year now. I'm actually not quite sure tbh. I got it written on a sticker on the carboy.

Timely guys. I'm about to brew the 1848 Barclay Perkins/Ron Pattinson and have some WLP545 on its way. I was actually going to post a thread on brett temps, but seems fitting here. I've seen somewhere people talking about the long, slow brett secondary taking place at cellar temps, about 55F. Optima for the yeast is obviously much higher. I exchanged with White Labs a bit, and I suggested a long slow cooling from primary temp (using a blend of 1098 and 1099), to the cellar temp and months on Brett, so as not to shock the brett.

Is this reasonable? Or do you guys secondary the brett at higher temps?

He also suggested monitoring the taste - sourness - after a long while on the brett "because the gravity won't change much." My presumption is that he's talking about somehow killing the Brett at a certain point, something I'd rather not do - I'd rather it finish naturally, with balanced funk and acidity. Any guidelines?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I'd say just chuck it in the basement and let it ride.
You're probably overthinking this.

 

[user 246304]

I'd say just chuck it in the basement and let it ride.
You're probably overthinking this.

Actually don't have basement option, and don't want to tie up the temp-controlled fridge that long (bad enough when I do a lager), so unless 65-68 is a bad choice, I was wondering about just leaving it at room temp for the months of secondary.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Dig an earth-cellar!

 

[Colindo]

@Gadjobrinus I did my Brett beers at room temperature for six months. Worked well and only gave the expected flavours.

 

[user 246304]

Dig an earth-cellar!

I'm done with cave building....too freaking old!

 

[user 246304]

@Gadjobrinus I did my Brett beers at room temperature for six months. Worked well and only gave the expected flavours.

Thanks man! Now I can stuff the fridge with another while the RIS is bubbling away.....

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

That's a nice cheese-cave.
But as others have said, just find the coolest place of the house, place the brett secondary there and forget about it for about a year and you'll be fine.

 

[user 246304]

That's a nice cheese-cave.
But as others have said, just find the coolest place of the house, place the brett secondary there and forget about it for about a year and you'll be fine.

Will do, thanks Erik.

 

[Miraculix]

Timely guys. I'm about to brew the 1848 Barclay Perkins/Ron Pattinson and have some WLP545 on its way. I was actually going to post a thread on brett temps, but seems fitting here. I've seen somewhere people talking about the long, slow brett secondary taking place at cellar temps, about 55F. Optima for the yeast is obviously much higher. I exchanged with White Labs a bit, and I suggested a long slow cooling from primary temp (using a blend of 1098 and 1099), to the cellar temp and months on Brett, so as not to shock the brett.

Is this reasonable? Or do you guys secondary the brett at higher temps?

He also suggested monitoring the taste - sourness - after a long while on the brett "because the gravity won't change much." My presumption is that he's talking about somehow killing the Brett at a certain point, something I'd rather not do - I'd rather it finish naturally, with balanced funk and acidity. Any guidelines?

Just throw the beer on the brett in a secondary, use an air tight fermenter, place it in a cool corner and forget about it for a year. That's what I did.

 

[Shenanigans]

Hi Guys and Gals,

What's your opinion on Pilgrim hops?
I added 100g of leaf hops to one of my last internet orders as they were highly discounted.
Could I use them in place of the more traditional hops (EKG, Fuggles, Northdown, Challenger) in a typical strong bitter or maybe even some kind of stout?
Are they a nice hop for aroma and dry hopping or better to use them only for bittering?

Thanks!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Never used it, but looking it up it seems to be a newer variety with some new world-ish qualities.
I'd expect something along the lines of Harlequin,Jester and the like.

 

[Colindo]

Pilgrim has a very mild bittering quality which I like a lot. I would not recommend it for dry-hopping though, as in one of my tests it gave a leafy vegetable flavour, like wild garlic soup.

Never used it late in the boil, maybe there is some more potential there.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Never used it, but looking it up it seems to be a newer variety with some new world-ish qualities.
I'd expect something along the lines of Harlequin,Jester and the like.

No - she's nothing to do with the Faram breeding programme that only cares about flavour, Pilgrim is arguably the culmination of 100 years of hop breeding at Wye College, where agronomy and in particular disease resistance was always a big priority, she's resistant/tolerant to all of the "big three" hop diseases so was intended to take the place of Target in regions where verticillium is a problem. Which in turn makes her arguably one of the most eco-friendly hops as she needs less pesticides than other hops - and then obviously for British brewers she has less food miles than other bittering options like Magnum from Germany.

I've never had a beer with any late Pilgrim, but I'd imagine it would be fairly mild in the Goldings/Challenger direction, as has been said the bittering is nicely rounded, cool kids like Cloudwater use Pilgrim for bittering.

 

[user 246304]

No - she's nothing to do with the Faram breeding programme that only cares about flavour, Pilgrim is arguably the culmination of 100 years of hop breeding at Wye College, where agronomy and in particular disease resistance was always a big priority, she's resistant/tolerant to all of the "big three" hop diseases so was intended to take the place of Target in regions where verticillium is a problem. Which in turn makes her arguably one of the most eco-friendly hops as she needs less pesticides than other hops - and then obviously for British brewers she has less food miles than other bittering options like Magnum from Germany.

I've never had a beer with any late Pilgrim, but I'd imagine it would be fairly mild in the Goldings/Challenger direction, as has been said the bittering is nicely rounded, cool kids like Cloudwater use Pilgrim for bittering.

Very intrigued and on the hunt. How would you guys compare it to Challenger, in terms of a "clean" and mild bittering quality (not talking late contributions - bittering only, v., say, Target)?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I use challnger as my main bittering hop, aswell as sometimes in later addtions as it is a splendid dual-use variety.
But I don't find it all that clean, it got a little "bite" or harshness to it, obviously not like Target but still somewhat present, wich is why I like it as a bittering hop.

 

[Colindo]

I find Challenger quite mellow, only pure EKG / Fuggle is milder. And Pilgrim follows in the same path as Challenger. Target is significantly harscher.

cool kids like Cloudwater use Pilgrim for bittering.

I believe Otter Ale is also bittered with Pilgrim.

 

[user 246304]

I use challnger as my main bittering hop, aswell as sometimes in later addtions as it is a splendid dual-use variety.
But I don't find it all that clean, it got a little "bite" or harshness to it, obviously not like Target but still somewhat present, wich is why I like it as a bittering hop.

Thanks Erik. Like Colindo I actually find Challenger's bittering quality quite mellow. Of course, I am mad for it as a late hop, all the way through to dry hopping. In fact, tomorrow is the first lager I've brewed in over 20 years, I believe; a festbier at my son's request. And it's going to suck because that ties up the pipeline unless I get a second fermentation fridge. Next up is actually a Coniston's Bluebird, with Ward's here any day from BL. I don't think I can wait - even if it means the second fridge goes in our bedroom. British brewing keeps me going.

 

[Miraculix]

If alcohol just wouldn't be so high caloric....

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I find Challenger quite mellow, only pure EKG / Fuggle is milder. And Pilgrim follows in the same path as Challenger. Target is significantly harscher.

I believe Otter Ale is also bittered with Pilgrim.

This is my hop schedule for Otter Ale that I love.

Hops (75 g)​

30 g (24 IBU) — Challenger 6.5% — Boil — 60 min

20 g (7 IBU) — Fuggles 5% — Boil — 15 min

25 g (2 IBU) — East Kent Goldings (EKG) 5% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C

 

[user 246304]

If alcohol just wouldn't be so high caloric....

Ain't that the truth!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Got a mild to brew tomorrow...