English Ales - What's your favorite recipe?

[Braufessor]

I have had zero problems with it, and I really like it..... it is the one you can order through Northern Brewer. I don't have beer hooked up to it all the time though. I have some 2.5 and 3 gallon kegs. So, often, I will brew a batch of bitter and put it into a 3 and a 2.5 gallon keg. That way I can put 2 gallons on the beer engine when I have friends over or something like that, to make sure we drink it all up. Or, if I have a gallon or so left of some kind of beer (bitter, porter, mild, etc. ) I will throw that on the beer engine as it gets low.

the keg just sits under my bar at basement temp (55) and I open the pressure relief valve - so it is getting exposed to oxygen at that point and so it really only has a couple days of life.

It takes 10 minutes to clean it up and run hot water, star san, line cleaner etc. through it when I am done using it. But that is not a big deal, and well worth the little bit of extra effort to serve a beer in a way that makes it even better.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I'm planning on going the beer engine route myself, I just don't have the mounting space for it at the moment. But some day, definitely.

 

[DavidJP]

I'm working on the next version of clone of Coniston Bluebird Bitter now.

7 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM) Grain 7 95.1 %
6.0 oz Crystal, Dark - 150L (Muntons) (150.0 SRM) Grain 8 4.9 %
0.80 oz Challenger [8.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 27.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Challenger [8.90 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 10 10.6 IBUs
0.70 oz Challenger [8.90 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Coniston Yeast (cultured from bottle and then repitched from previous batch)ve been meaning on having a crack

Est Original Gravity: 1.042 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.2 %
Bitterness: 38.5 IBUs
Est Color: 9.2 SRM

The most recent batch I bottled/casked last night was really close, hopefully this'll hit it on the money.

Thanks for posting your recipe, I've been meaning on having a go at this, I like the almost flowery to me at least aroma. So do you think the yeast from the bottle is the actual fermenting yeast, I'd heard discussion that it might be a bottling strain. Sounds like you've done a few iterations of this so assume you think that's not the case.
I was a little surprised by the higher lovibond crystal as it seem very light to me, I would have probably gone with a 75L to start with. But I've seen comments by Protz that would fit in with your SRM figure so I guess that must be it. In your other variants did you use the same crystal or have you tried it with lighter ones as well.
I would almost have used more challenger at knockout and maybe 10mins but I'm assuming you find this level pretty good for the aroma, flavour.

Thanks for taking the time to post something about this, I'll definitely give this a go.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Thanks for posting your recipe, I've been meaning on having a go at this, I like the almost flowery to me at least aroma. So do you think the yeast from the bottle is the actual fermenting yeast, I'd heard discussion that it might be a bottling strain. Sounds like you've done a few iterations of this so assume you think that's not the case.
I was a little surprised by the higher lovibond crystal as it seem very light to me, I would have probably gone with a 75L to start with. But I've seen comments by Protz that would fit in with your SRM figure so I guess that must be it. In your other variants did you use the same crystal or have you tried it with lighter ones as well.
I would almost have used more challenger at knockout and maybe 10mins but I'm assuming you find this level pretty good for the aroma, flavour.

Thanks for taking the time to post something about this, I'll definitely give this a go.

Some internet searching has uncovered that it's 95% MO, 5% crystal. I started with a higher percentage of 45L crystal, too light. Tried again with 77L, still too light. The difference between last batch and this batch is the swap from 77L to 150L, dialing it from ~6.5% to ~5%.

Allegedly the yeast they use to ferment isn't commercially available, it's a strain they got from a now defunct brewery that has become their own unique house strain.

However, after successfully culturing from the bottle, it does appear to be their fermentation strain. I tried a few others (White Labs Burton Ale and Wyeast West Yorkshire) and neither were close enough, but it's uncanny how similar it is with the bottle yeast.

Past versions did have much more late hops, and were over-hopped. This hopping rate is the closest I've come yet.

Every batch I get closer and closer. I'm going for triangle-test approved.

 

[lowtones84]

Every batch I get closer and closer. I'm going for triangle-test approved.

An admirable goal. I hope you get it down so I can steal it!

 

[Hanglow]

I've only had it in the Lakes on cask recently, excellent pint it is too, unfortunately the bottle is not stocked up in scotland by the major supermarkets so I don't get the bottle. It's quite rare in that most bottled bitters are stupidly pasteurised, at least ones that have a wide distribution. I believe that the bottled version is contract brewed, so might use the contract brewers yeast.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I've only had it in the Lakes on cask recently, excellent pint it is too, unfortunately the bottle is not stocked up in scotland by the major supermarkets so I don't get the bottle.

My mother's half of the family is from a few towns over. I spent a bunch of time there as a young child when I still lived on that side of the ocean. Coincidental that I like the beer though. But point is, I plan on making my way back over to the Lake District and hitting the Black Bull one of these days for a proper pint of it.

It's quite rare in that most bottled bitters are stupidly pasteurised, at least ones that have a wide distribution. I believe that the bottled version is contract brewed, so might use the contract brewers yeast.

I've read that as well. As I've never had the cask version, I don't know for sure. I heard that Brakspear brews the bottled version and they use WLP023, so I tried it, and it's definitely not the right yeast. Whatever yeast is in that bottle though, it seems like it's the brewing strain.

 

[JKaranka]

I've never seen any Coniston beers...

 

[Hanglow]

I try and visit the lakes yearly, it's a great place for walking and pubbing There are many very good breweries around there now, although a lot of the pubs where I was last time were Jennings owned, so the beer selection was a bit less. That said I stopped in a couple of places to buy bottles and Booths, a supermarket chain from cumbria has a great selection too

I think Tesco stocks bluebird, at least in England it does. They do quite a few good beers, Infinity IPA is excellent and their barley wine is good too. Hawkshead are my favourite cumbrian brewery though, they are consistently excellent

 

[JKaranka]

I'll have to wait till 2016... my new year resolution was not to buy any beer in bottles, cans or kegs!

 

[lowtones84]

I need some advice from those that have used the cubitainers for packaging/serving before. I got two 1 gallon cubitainers and I'm going to be carbing the mild that I recently brewed in them and then serving it, hopefully for the Superbowl.

So I know to only carb to about 1 volume in them, but how full do you fill them before carbing? I realized with water from a faucet you can't really fill them 100% full, but if you're siphoning into them I'm sure you could. Do you fill them about as full as you can? Leave a bit of headspace? Any other advice for using them?

Thanks gents!

 

[Qhrumphf]

I prime mine to 1.3-1.4 volumes and keep an eye on them, and almost never need to vent them. I also fill them with about 0.9-1 gallons (almost all the way). If you pop the neck for the spigot out, they'll hold just slightly more than a gallon. So in other words, I leave a little headspace, but not much. I purge out the headspace by collapsing it down before sealing it. After about 5 days they're very inflated, but not at bursting level.

 

[lowtones84]

Great, thanks for the advice. So you don't vent them at all even when carbing to 1.3 or 1.4 volumes? How long does it take to condition beers on the low gravity side in your experience? You say that they're very inflated after 5 days, but should I wait the customary about 2 weeks like with bottles, or is it a little faster?

 

[Qhrumphf]

Great, thanks for the advice. So you don't vent them at all even when carbing to 1.3 or 1.4 volumes? How long does it take to condition beers on the low gravity side in your experience? You say that they're very inflated after 5 days, but should I wait the customary about 2 weeks like with bottles, or is it a little faster?

I tap the first at 5 days and go through em fast.

If you prime with the spigot on like i do, they do slowly lose carb over time. Not long term storage by any means. If you use a cap and then put a spigot on later it may be different.

 

[lowtones84]

Alright, so I want to brew a quick ordinary bitter tomorrow but am a little short on supplies. Here's what I've got.

Malts:
Plenty of MO
Flaked Oats
8 oz Melanoidin Malt
Unmalted Spelt
Plenty of turbinado sugar to make invert if I desire.

Hops: (This is the bigger issue...)
.45 oz UK Fuggles (5.3% AA)
.18 oz EKG
...half a pound of Centennial that has been in the back of the freezer for over two years sealed fairly well, but not vacuum sealed, 8.7%AA.

The Centennial doesn't smell cheesy or anything like that, but has certainly lost some life over the years. Do you guys think it will matter if it's being boiled for 60-90 minutes? Even at an OG of 1.035 the Fuggles and EKG will only get me into the 14-16 IBU range for a four gallon batch (standard for my setup).

Worth a shot for a quick ordinary bitter? Don't bother until I have better supplies? Thanks for any input, and cheers as always!

 

[kmcrae]

Slap some of that stuff in @ 90 minutes!!!! Maybe because of the age and the long boil... it won't be presence other than for some bittering.

 

[azscoob]

Slap some of that stuff in @ 90 minutes!!!! Maybe because of the age and the long boil... it won't be presence other than for some bittering.

This is pretty solid advice, I tend to bitter with what I have on hand with no ill effect, it's the later additions that become problematic

 

[lowtones84]

Awesome. I didn't end up doing it, but very well might this coming week.

 

[lowtones84]

Does anybody have issues with priming sugar calculators at low volumes? I keep getting around .6 oz of sugar in 4 gallons of beer (@65 F) to achieve 1.2 volumes of carbonation. But if I bump that number up to 1.5 volumes, the calculators jump to 1.3 oz of sugar in 4 gallons. Seems odd that the amount of sugar would double for .2 volumes of carbonation...

If I were only bottling I wouldn't care, but I'm using cubitainers for the first time and don't want them to spring a leak or be entirely flat.

 

[Qhrumphf]

When I'm going low carbonation/low volume/low weight of sugar, I usually use grams. And 1.2 volumes isn't much beyond what's already in solution at that temperature (just shy of a volume). So there isn't much to add with sugar. To go from a residual .91 volumes at 65 (according to the Brewer's Friend calculator), it's accurate to double the amount of sugar to put it at 1.2 and then 1.5 volumes.

 

[lowtones84]

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. I know that some amount is in solution, but I hadn't really considered that it's barely over what should already be in solution. I'll go with grams when I package tomorrow. Thanks again!

 

[JKaranka]

If the cubitainer looks like a balloon after two days you can purge some off. I had a cubitainer explode and start leaking. I had purged continuously but you can't be careful enough. It's demise was a 20 mile trip at the back of a van.

 

[lowtones84]

Any of you guys put some hops in a hop sack in there? I've heard of people doing it with polypins. I don't have any hopsacks around but I have a tea infuser ball that will probably fit in there...

 

[Hanglow]

Brewing this today, am hopeful it will be good


OG 1.077
FG 1.015

8%

68% crisp MO
10% invert (Added during fermentation)
9% wheat malt
6% crisp amber
6% crisp crystal medium
1% crisp roast barley

hops
first gold 40 IBU 60mins
" 8 ibu 15min
" 2 ibu 5 min

dry hop 50g EKG

Gervin g-12 (notty)



tasting the wort mid boil and there's a great spiceyness from the First gold

 

[JKaranka]

That sounds great! Try to post a picture!

 

[Hanglow]

Yeah I'm looking forward to it

Not used the gervin yeast before, supposed to be repackaged notty but it's almost half the price in my LHBS

 

[JKaranka]

Sounds like half way between one of the Fullers Past Masters (one of the X ales, I think), and Robinson's Old Tom!

 

[Hanglow]

The good thing about notty is that it can ferment at lower temps, which is handy when you sit down for a wee glass of wine and the next time you check your cooling wort its 13C .

I don't have o2 to aerate so I decided as I only used one pack that at about midnight I'll stir the **** out of it for a bit more aeration. It should be ok but a bit extra shouldn't hurt this beer

 

[lowtones84]

Well, looks like I'm gonna be stuck at home for a day and a half with this Northeast blizzard rolling through. What a perfect time to brew that throw together bitter I was talking about! Whatcha all think? 4 gallon batch as always.

Cabin Fever Bitter (ordinary bitter)

Est OG: 1.040
EST IBU: 30ish

3.5 lb Crisp Maris Otter
1.5 lb. Flaked Oats (lightly toasted)
8 oz. Light crystal (home made)
4 oz. Melanoidin malt

.5 oz Centennial @ 90 (old but still smelling decent. I'm assuming a slight loss in AA)
.5 oz UK Fuggles @ 15-20
Tiny bit of EKG at flameout or added in with Fuggles.

WLP 002 repitch

I don't have a -whole- lot of room to mess around since I probably won't even be able to get out to a grocery store. I know the oats aren't totally common, but I have them and I think they will help out the mouthfeel of a low OG brew.

Cheers all!

 

[dyqik]

I think I'd keep the amount of oats much smaller. Tomorrow is looking like the brewday for a Founders All (Snow) Day IPA for me. That uses flaked oats, but nowhere near that amount - 8oz only in the recipe I have (5.5 gal). Bitter shouldn't have too much mouthfeel, it should be dryer and not too thick, and WLP002 should leave it with enough body anyway.

If you have the MO, replace at least 1lb of the oats with base malt.