I need to brew an Ordinary Bitter, recipe review

[BongoYodeler]

That is a helluva pint man! I might have forgotten (I am forgetful), but regardless, thanks for sharing.

Thanks. That recipe has a small amount of Special Roast, which from my understanding is not required, or possibly even frowned as not being traditional. In an attempt to brew something more traditional I'd like to keep my Ordinary recipe, in post #1, much simpler. Based on some of the suggestions I may even drop the chocolate altogether. There's something to be said about still getting a lot of flavor and character from a very limited set of ingredients.

 

[eshea3]

FWIW, my take is that the lower ABV isn't what distinguishes a mild from a bitter. It's more a function of the hopping rate and grist. That's of course if there was agreement on the definition of a mild as that is used currently.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I never commented on bitters at 3.6%-4%, I did however on 3.3% which is too low. Personally I only brew bitters at 4% and above but for me Best Bitter should be 4%-5% not 3.8%-4.5%as classified by BJCP. I notice that the list of beers below 4% that none are called Ordinary Bitter, however many beers are called Best Bitter.

 

[DBhomebrew]

There's something to be said about still getting a lot of flavor and character from a very limited set of ingredients.

That's probably THE major difference between traditional European brewing and American craft. American craft attempts at recreating European styles required heavy use of specialty malts because they were starting with domestic 2-row. Start with a full-flavored European base and you're already there.

Ordinary, best, special, strong. If there's a best and a special, there's likely a normal, basic, typical, dare I say ordinary. They're all just descriptors.

Pattinson has shown that A) breweries often call beers differently than what's offered at the pub or bottle and B) beer categories change drastically over time and place.

A brewery's ordinary lowest gravity bitter in 1980 likely had the same brewers' designation and likely trade name, a different grist and BU:GU, and different ABV than their ordinary lowest gravity bitter today. In the same year, a brewery in London will be making a different ordinary lowest gravity bitter than one in Manchester. Different enough that they might as well be different 'styles'.

C) British breweries don't care much about strict adherence to style categories. Least of which those defined by BJCP.

I want to brew an English bitter. Ok, London? Northern? Modern with some New World hops? CAMRA approved? Pre-CAMRA 80s? Post-war? Cask or bottle?

 

[user 246304]

I never commented on bitters at 3.6%-4%, I did however on 3.3% which is too low.

I was just responding to this, Cheshire:

I would never go below 3.8% for an Ordinary Bitter but the term isn’t used in the UK. Who is going to buy something called Ordinary.

I just thought excluding any Ordinary below 3.8% was cutting out a lot of possibilities - as shown by the examples. And not trying to bust your chops, but when you said the term isn't used:

There is no such thing as Ordinary Bitter, I should know I’ve been drinking Bitter for 56 years.

I'd just seen it used, that's all. I am only guessing but it does seem with the outweighing-influence of BJCP here in the States, we Americans tend to more religiously use the terms - by far - than over there. But my point was, I have seen the term used over there, if not as much.

Basically I was pushing back a bit because I think it would be a shame for anyone wanting to explore British bitter making to somehow think low-gravity bitters are a waste of time. And particularly when we're new to it, referencing your experience of 56 years lends a kind of, well, gravitas that may naturally close off some avenues, especially for those of us who admire British brewing and sincerely seek to make authentic British ales as best we can. Hope it's clear what I'm saying.

Personally I only brew bitters at 4% and above but for me Best Bitter should be 4%-5% not 3.8%-4.5% as classified by BJCP. I notice that the list of beers below 4% that none are called Ordinary Bitter, however many beers are called Best Bitter.

Yeah, that was my point.

Chester's Best Bitter - 3.7% (something I often find interesting - what a given brewery may call its "best" bitter is down in the lower ABV range)

These are commercial English brewers calling these low-strength, 3.6-3.7% ales their best bitter, which is something I always found interesting. They're not being guided by BJCP, obviously, just choosing to call lower strength ales best bitters.

 

[bwible]

I do not have your experience in any way, but I do have to disagree. Yes, the BJCP gets a lot wrong. But personally I am not a fan of dogmatic approaches in general. And I have seen the term "Ordinary" among many English sources. Ron Pattinson, for one:

Let's Brew: 1970's Youngs Ordinary Bitter



Ultimately is the word "ordinary" a deal breaker? "Best Bitter" is also there, and many breweries do use the term. And from reading Graham Wheeler and others, there are plenty of British bitters in the 3.* range. And a look at Wikipedia:



Before we hammer the source, the source they cite is: Statistical Handbook / A Compilation of Drinks Industry Statistics. British Beer and Pub Association: 21. 2003. So I don't know. I'm not too concerned about the word "ordinary" personally.

This is just from Graham Wheeler's Brew Your Own British Real Ale:

Adnams Southwold Bitter - 3.7%
Boddington's - 3.6%
Brakspear Bitter - 3.7%
Bunce's Benchmark - 3.6%
Cameron's Traditional Bitter - 3.7%
Chester's Best Bitter - 3.7% (something I often find interesting - what a given brewery may call its "best" bitter is down in the lower ABV range)
Coniston's Bluebird Bitter - 3.6%
Everard's Beacon Bitter - 3.8%
Hook Norton Best Bitter - 3.7% (ditto to Chester's "best")
Marston's Burton Best Bitter - 3.7% (again)
Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter - 3.8%
Shepherd Neame Masterbrew Best Bitter - 3.7% (again)
Smiles Brewery Bitter - 3.8%
Tetley Bitter - 3.6%
Timothy Taylor Best Bitter - 3.8%
Tolly Cobold Bitter - 3.6%

Too many to list, but if you look through Roger Protz's Real Ale Almanac, there are tons in the 3.* range there. Theakston Best, Vaux's Lorimer's Best and Vaux Best, Bass's Light 5 Star, Special Bitter and Piston Bitter, Clark's HB, Garthwaite and Traditional, Franklin's Linfit Bitter - all 3's abv. The book's not even out of NE England and Yorkshire yet.

My point being I think the 3-something abv bitter is definitely there and very much worthy of attentin. I do think it's one of the harder things to pull off well, which goes to my general philosophy (former French chef), that the hardest thing to pull off on a plate is to rely on total simplicity - wizardry on a plate may impress, but it takes mastery to strip things down and trust. Matt Brynildsen of Goose Island (now Firestone-Walker head brewing honcho), with whom I worked, said exactly this to me one day (brewing low gravity, simple malt and hop bill beers) and the notion stuck from that point forward.

I will never forget my first taste of Bluebird and it has been a kind of background mission ever since.

They’re all over the place and they’re not even consistent with each other. One brewery’s Best is the same as another brewery’s Ordinary. Another brewery’s Best is the same as somebody else’s Strong.

 

[user 246304]

They’re all over the place and they’re not even consistent with each other. One brewery’s Best is the same as another brewery’s Ordinary. Another brewery’s Best is the same as somebody else’s Strong.

I agree. I actually appreciate that. I am not a fan of slavish adherence to anything, really. British IPA for instance. Ron Pattinson has shown me, forget about it. All bets are completely off.

Though I do think there's some usefulness to a kind of loose-hand approach to "style," if it helps sort of provide a context within which to explore something.

 

[bwible]

I’ve been drinking Bitter for 56 years.

I envy you for that! We just don’t usually see it here in the US. I see very little British beer except for stuff like Boddington’s in nitro cans. Fullers London Pride or ESB are around in 4 pack bottles. Bitter is rare, Mild here is non-existstent.

Even Bass ale which I used to see all the time here years ago is much less common now. We used to see more of the pale ales - Bass and Whitbread being the most common - but Bitter was never really a thing. The average American drinks Bud and Coors and doesn’t know a lager from an ale.

British bitters and milds were beers I started brewing from my early days of brewing 26 years ago or so and I still regularly brew them because I like them and they are not commonly available here. And few of us can do casks on a homebrew scale due to equipment plus the time it takes to go through one.

There is one specialty place not too far from me that is a re-creation of a British Pub called the Bull’s Head Tavern. They do table service, serve the Traditional Breakfast, and have Bluebird on cask. They used to do a cask festival once a year but that stopped with covid. Its a little over an hour drive and I don’t get there nearly as much as I’d like.

 

[user 246304]

I envy you for that! We just don’t usually see it here in the US. I see very little British beer except for stuff like Boddington’s in nitro cans. Fullers London Pride or ESB are around in 4 pack bottles. Bitter is rare, Mild here is non-existstent.

Even Bass ale which I used to see all the time here years ago is much less common now. We used to see more of the pale ales - Bass and Whitbread being the most common - but Bitter was never really a thing. The average American drinks Bud and Coors and doesn’t know a lager from an ale.

British bitters and milds were beers I started brewing from my early days of brewing 26 years ago or so and I still regularly brew them because I like them and they are not commonly available here. And few of us can do casks on a homebrew scale due to equipment plus the time it takes to go through one.

There is one specialty place not too far from me that is a re-creation of a British Pub called the Bull’s Head Tavern. They do table service, serve the Traditional Breakfast, and have Bluebird on cask. They used to do a cask festival once a year but that stopped with covid. Its a little over an hour drive and I don’t get there nearly as much as I’d like.

We used to get all kind of British ales in Chicago, even if they weren't in the best shape by the time they reached our shores. For years. Even the Hook Norton we had as part of a brewing tour swing through England was available seemingly everywhere. But everything has dried up. It's such a drag.

 

[eshea3]

I've had a lot of beer in England over the last 14 years. I don't really ever remember many of them being designated as bitters.

 

[Miraculix]

Just brew this one and be happy, it never fails.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/miraculix-best-classic-english-ale.661073/

 

[UdonPete]

An ABV of 3.2% isn’t a bitter in my opinion it’s a mild. I would never go below 3.8% for an Ordinary Bitter but the term isn’t used in the UK. Who is going to buy something called Ordinary.

Agree, if you want a pint of ordinary bitter just ask for a pint of cookin'
I would also say a pint of ordinary bitter drawn from a cask is a wonderful session beer and difficult to beat

 

[DuncB]

Just an fyi, and I was surprised to hear this from the horse's mouth, but Coniston's Bluebird Bitter is BU:GU 1.0 (OG = 1.036, IBU = 36). I believe the bottled version of Bluebird is much lower - iirc, OG = 1.042, IBU = 26, BU:GU .62. That same individual indicated 1.0 BU:GU isn't unknown in English bitters - he mentioned Hepworths Sussex Bitter as an example.

Had a couple of pints in the Hepworth Brewery tap the other week. Didn't seem overly bitter or unbalanced.
Very good brewery tour of Hepworths on the get er brewed youtube. Head brewer used to be at the sadly long closed King and Barnes brewery.

 

[user 246304]

Had a couple of pints in the Hepworth Brewery tap the other week. Didn't seem overly bitter or unbalanced.
Very good brewery tour of Hepworths on the get er brewed youtube. Head brewer used to be at the sadly long closed King and Barnes brewery.

Thanks for the experience points and for the link!

 

[user 246304]

I've had a lot of beer in England over the last 14 years. I don't really ever remember many of them being designated as bitters.

I recall now a British brewer I really respect saying essentially the same thing.

On a general note on reflection I'd like to apologize to @Cheshire Cat and anyone else for whom my posts here have come off pretty arrogant, which I think they ultimately where. Helluva far cry from my reading Graham Wheeler or Roger Protz or other written sources, then opining, when guys like Cheshire and others with direct, long-time experience state what actually is in reality. I love British ales and British brewing traditions as best as I can know them - about 98% of what I brew. But it all pales in comparison to direct, lived experience. So - sorry guys for my "know it all" posts.

My intent really was to suggest might be worthwhile to take a look at sub-1.040 or 4% abv bitters. I've certainly not cracked the code and I myself prefer my everyday bitters to be up at the 1.046 OG range. But until I can get an ale as satisfying as that original taste of Bluebird, I know I've got miles to go before I sleep. Each to their own and happy brewing.

 

[BigEd]

But until I can get an ale as satisfying as that original taste of Bluebird, I know I've got miles to go before I sleep. Each to their own and happy brewing.

I've posted this recipe elsewhere in the Recipe Forum but I'll put it here too. Bluebird is lovely stuff although I have only been exposed to the bottled import in the US. My take does bump up the OG from the real stuff but the balance and flavors are pretty good.

Do try brewing this with a 90 minute boil and just two hop additions. I mash this at 67C/153F for an hour.

10 US Gallons
Est OG 1.050, Est IBU 40

15.5 lb (95%) MO Pale malt
.75 lb (5%) Crystal 55L

2 oz Challenger (~7.5% AA) @ 90 min
1 oz Challenger @ 15 min

London Ale Yeast, White Labs WLP-013

 

[user 246304]

I've posted this recipe elsewhere in the Recipe Forum but I'll put it here too. Bluebird is lovely stuff although I have only been exposed to the bottled import in the US. My take does bump up the OG from the real stuff but the balance and flavors are pretty good.

Do try brewing this with a 90 minute boil and just two hop additions. I mash this at 67C/153F for an hour.

10 US Gallons
Est OG 1.050, Est IBU 40

15.5 lb (95%) MO Pale malt
.75 lb (5%) Crystal 55L

2 oz Challenger (~7.5% AA) @ 90 min
1 oz Challenger @ 15 min

London Ale Yeast, White Labs WLP-013

Thanks Ed, that's actually pretty close to mine, though I keep to the draft gravity of 1.036. 95% MO, 5% C 55 (mine is Baird's), .76 oz. Challenger at 60, .33 oz Challenger at 30, .60 Challenger at 10 for IBU 36 and BU:GU .998. I did have lower late hopping but overall IBU the same. Just want more Challenger so upped the late hop and adjusted earlier additions to keep IBU's at 36.

I'm doing some yeast trials so have been using Cullercoats, N. English yeast. I actually have a slant of Wards, ostensibly the Bluebird strain, so it will be nice to try it with that again.

 

[eshea3]

I recall now a British brewer I really respect saying essentially the same thing.

Good to hear that it's not my fading memory.

 

[DuncB]

Good to hear that it's not my fading memory.

Are you sure!!!

 

[Miraculix]

I recall now a British brewer I really respect saying essentially the same thing.

On a general note on reflection I'd like to apologize to @Cheshire Cat and anyone else for whom my posts here have come off pretty arrogant, which I think they ultimately where. Helluva far cry from my reading Graham Wheeler or Roger Protz or other written sources, then opining, when guys like Cheshire and others with direct, long-time experience state what actually is in reality. I love British ales and British brewing traditions as best as I can know them - about 98% of what I brew. But it all pales in comparison to direct, lived experience. So - sorry guys for my "know it all" posts.

My intent really was to suggest might be worthwhile to take a look at sub-1.040 or 4% abv bitters. I've certainly not cracked the code and I myself prefer my everyday bitters to be up at the 1.046 OG range. But until I can get an ale as satisfying as that original taste of Bluebird, I know I've got miles to go before I sleep. Each to their own and happy brewing.

I've recently brewed a very simple blonde bitter which fits your description. It is so light in colour and alcohol that you can easily have two without being tipsy and so delicious that you actually want at least three.

MO as base with 10% invert no. 1 plus 10% carafoam (probably unnecessary, I wanted to experiment with it). OG 1.038, ibus 30 with the noble hop of your choice, preferably goldings or something else British. German hops also work well, I used a German Perle. Only 60 minute addition plus 15 minute addition.

Mash hochkurz (62c +72c, each 30 minutes) mashout 20 minutes at 77c.

Yeast safale 04, 3 gram in a two liter starter to remove the drying shock. Fermentation around 18-20c.

Man this beer is so good....

 

[eshea3]

Are you sure!!

Are you sure!!!

What were we discussing?

 

[Early8]

But until I can get an ale as satisfying as that original taste of Bluebird, I know I've got miles to go before I sleep.

One of my favorites as well despite only having had the US import in the bottle! I have brewed many attempts but never quite equalled it.

 

[user 246304]

One of my favorites as well despite only having had the US import in the bottle! I have brewed many attempts but never quite equalled it.

I'd first had the bottle I don't know how long ago, 90's, then lucky enough to have it on draft when we went to England not much longer later. But like you, not even close. Don't suspect I will ever be (am I forgetting - is Coniston's a multi-strain yeast), but if I can get something as low an OG as that that is also as good as that, I'll be a happy brewer.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Ah - so many points to address.

But just to get the big one out of the way - Ordinary Bitter is like American football. The locals just call it "football", but to anyone from the civilised world who is looking to classify it among the wider family, it gets called American football. And even the BJCP now call it "Standard/Ordinary Bitter" - standard bitter is the more common phrase in the trade here, but punters always call it just bitter. Young's is an exception - Ordinary in their case was almost a brand name, like Fuller's having ESB.

And we just know what bitter looks like, it doesn't need to be spelled out on a label. Technically Budweiser is a lagerbier, maybe even a Pilsner lagerbier - but in the US it is just "beer". It's sort of like that.

And they are damned difficult to do well, truly one of the hardest styles to brew, in fact I know enough not to have even tried to make one, I'm just not that good a brewer. Whilst I'm not quite as ancient experienced as CC, I do have several decades of drinking bitters of all kinds, mostly on cask in a pub - and before Covid knackered my senses I have judged local stages of the Champion Beer of Britain.

What I would say is that something happens once a bitter gets above about 4.2% and they just work a lot better, there's enough mouthfeel to balance everything else - and balance is everything in these beers, it's about balancing all the ingredients from hops to carbonation to malt to minerals. That's how you get the sessionability, that keeps people in the pub and keeps the tills ringing.

So if people are new to British beers, I always suggest they start with a best in the 4.2-4.5% range, things just taste better there. Outside city centres pubs generally either have either a loose or explicit limit of 4.5% on cask beer as above that it usually doesn't get the turnover you need for cask. And if your best is in that range then 3.8% is a reasonable place for the ordinary to be - you'll find that's where the decent breweries tend to end up, whereas the ones below that are driven more by accountants than beer lovers. The latest vandalism has come from the taxman increasing the ABV of his low strength duty rate to anything below 3.5%. Previously it was less than 2.8% which was so low the big boys knew it wasn't worth chasing. Whereas <3.5% is close enough that it's very tempting to save £millions by nudging their ordinary bitters down from 3.7 or 3.8%, but it's going to be the death of classic bitter as they all taste like pish.

Anyway, if you're stuck with 8A then my tip for impressing the guys at the brew club would be - make it as close to a best as you can. So you definitely want to be up at the 3.8-3.9% end of things (personally I would say 4% is the dividing line between standard and best), mash high, maybe even sneak a little dextrin malt or similar in there for more body. Use the best malt you can, ideally floor-malted, ideally Otter or Promise. Personally I probably wouldn't use sugar - why thin it out when you're fighting for body?

There's a bit of a decision to whether you're going for more of a northern or southern style. Growing up in the Blessed Lands I acquired a taste for beer with less crystal, often around 7% torrefied wheat and more bitterness - but probably around BU:GU 0.85 is my ideal for something in bottle, anything higher is really designed to be served through a sparkler.

Whereas in the Degenerate Wilds you generally find more crystal (Fuller's use 7.2% light crystal in their partigyle, I wouldn't go much more than that) sometimes a bit of maize, and bitterness of 0.7-0.75-ish.

100ppm calcium is an absolute minimum for any British beer, you need it for cask beer to get the yeast to drop out. Play around with Cl:SO4 ratios to see what you like, somewhere around 120:180 is a good starting point but I wouldn't get too hung up on it, it's a very personal thing.

For your first one, the cost of hops is marginal so instead of a more authentic "cheap rubbish from Eastern Europe" just go with the best, EKG. In future you can play with Challenger or First Gold, maybe you will find one of them more to your taste, but just go with the classic for now. Everyone likes Goldings, not everyone like Fuggles. Oh, and vintage variation is a big thing in English hops, far more so than almost any other hopgrowing region.

Another not-quite-authentic cheat is just to be generous with the hops and spread them around, some in the whirlpool, some dry hop.

Yeast - use the most characterful you can, so not Lallemand London! If you're not going the authentic route of harvesting or buying Brewlab then 1469 is probably the best bet of the US lab yeasts, maybe Imperial Pub if you want the Fuller's orange thing (forget WLP002 and 1968). I must admit I have quite a soft spot for WLP041 Pacific Ale - it's not flashy, but it just produces a really drinkable pint.

People tend to underestimate the carbonation of British beers, unless they've been squirted in the face whilst tapping a cask! And you seem to lose a bit in bottle, for me targeting about 1.7-1.8vol is about right - but you don't want to overcarbonate, it's all part of the balance. And of course don't serve too cold, it wants to be cellar temperature, somewhere around 50-55F. And do give it a bit of time to mature, it takes time for everything to knit together.

 

[BongoYodeler]

Thank you for this very informative and well written post, @Northern_Brewer

Lots to think about here.

 

[Early8]

I'd first had the bottle I don't know how long ago, 90's, then lucky enough to have it on draft when we went to England not much longer later. But like you, not even close. Don't suspect I will ever be (am I forgetting - is Coniston's a multi-strain yeast), but if I can get something as low an OG as that that is also as good as that, I'll be a happy brewer.

I share your goals completely. And I am really struggling at the moment without a quality source for Challenger; In fact I am about to plant some to help with that problem. Regarding the yeast, I have not really ever found an answer to that question. But getting back on topic, to me the style is a great test of a brewer, and it is incredibly rewarding when it all comes together. And the suggestions here are all good, the “A team” is on the thread.

 

[user 246304]

I will second Bongo's post - very much appreciate the substantial information, @Northern_Brewer . I'm going to sit with this one for a long while.

I will say - the "Bluebird" I brewed is "OK." It will pass. But I'd say not exactly an "I'll have another" and I'm putting the breaks on further "standard bitter" exploration for the time being. I'm returning to a best I enjoy a lot. Cask, and a sparkler. Shooting for 1.3 vCO2. Ca 128.5, 42 Mg, 49 Na, 304 SO4, 185 Cl, 25 alkalinity (my tap treated with H2SO4 and salts).

Northern, my "typical" bitter mash is 150 F x 90 minutes - unless it's in the low OG range, in which case I'll take it up to as high as 154. Also as you can see, this bitter is 82% MO, 5% torry wheat, 3% crystal, and 10% invert sugar. When you talked about avoiding sugar and mashing higher/using some dextrin malt, were you talking of a lower gravity bitter, or is this something you advocate for moderate-OG bitters in general?

 

[user 246304]

I share your goals completely. And I am really struggling at the moment without a quality source for Challenger; In fact I am about to plant some to help with that problem. Regarding the yeast, I have not really ever found an answer to that question. But getting back on topic, to me the style is a great test of a brewer, and it is incredibly rewarding when it all comes together. And the suggestions here are all good, the “A team” is on the thread.

I got 1# Challenger from Northwest Hop Farms. Some bumps from them in terms of shipping but I'm going to try them again. I also just bought a pound from Michigan Hop Alliance. So far, so really good.

Good luck on your quest, too, Early. Would love to hear how things turn out.

 

[BigEd]

And they are damned difficult to do well, truly one of the hardest styles to brew, in fact I know enough not to have even tried to make one, I'm just not that good a brewer.

- and balance is everything in these beers, it's about balancing all the ingredients from hops to carbonation to malt to minerals. That's how you get the sessionability, that keeps people in the pub and keeps the tills ringing.

I suspect you are selling yourself short in regards to brewing talent. Cannot agree more about the elusive "balance" that is one of the main attributes of these ales. I love the mellow but rich flavor of good UK malt with the support and accent of just the right amount of hops. I'm an advocate of keeping it simple. There's no need for a laundry list of ingredients. Everything in the grist bill should be there for a reason and nothing should be there if it isn't needed.

I have brewed bitters with additional ingredients like torrified wheat, maize, sugar and/or syrups, and multiple crystal malts. However, I always come back to an outline similar to my Bluebird homage with 95% pale malt and 5% crystal. That foundation remains my favorite.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Ah - so many points to address.

But just to get the big one out of the way - Ordinary Bitter is like American football. The locals just call it "football", but to anyone from the civilised world who is looking to classify it among the wider family, it gets called American football. And even the BJCP now call it "Standard/Ordinary Bitter" - standard bitter is the more common phrase in the trade here, but punters always call it just bitter. Young's is an exception - Ordinary in their case was almost a brand name, like Fuller's having ESB.

And we just know what bitter looks like, it doesn't need to be spelled out on a label. Technically Budweiser is a lagerbier, maybe even a Pilsner lagerbier - but in the US it is just "beer". It's sort of like that.

And they are damned difficult to do well, truly one of the hardest styles to brew, in fact I know enough not to have even tried to make one, I'm just not that good a brewer. Whilst I'm not quite as ancient experienced as CC, I do have several decades of drinking bitters of all kinds, mostly on cask in a pub - and before Covid knackered my senses I have judged local stages of the Champion Beer of Britain.

What I would say is that something happens once a bitter gets above about 4.2% and they just work a lot better, there's enough mouthfeel to balance everything else - and balance is everything in these beers, it's about balancing all the ingredients from hops to carbonation to malt to minerals. That's how you get the sessionability, that keeps people in the pub and keeps the tills ringing.

So if people are new to British beers, I always suggest they start with a best in the 4.2-4.5% range, things just taste better there. Outside city centres pubs generally either have either a loose or explicit limit of 4.5% on cask beer as above that it usually doesn't get the turnover you need for cask. And if your best is in that range then 3.8% is a reasonable place for the ordinary to be - you'll find that's where the decent breweries tend to end up, whereas the ones below that are driven more by accountants than beer lovers. The latest vandalism has come from the taxman increasing the ABV of his low strength duty rate to anything below 3.5%. Previously it was less than 2.8% which was so low the big boys knew it wasn't worth chasing. Whereas <3.5% is close enough that it's very tempting to save £millions by nudging their ordinary bitters down from 3.7 or 3.8%, but it's going to be the death of classic bitter as they all taste like pish.

Anyway, if you're stuck with 8A then my tip for impressing the guys at the brew club would be - make it as close to a best as you can. So you definitely want to be up at the 3.8-3.9% end of things (personally I would say 4% is the dividing line between standard and best), mash high, maybe even sneak a little dextrin malt or similar in there for more body. Use the best malt you can, ideally floor-malted, ideally Otter or Promise. Personally I probably wouldn't use sugar - why thin it out when you're fighting for body?

There's a bit of a decision to whether you're going for more of a northern or southern style. Growing up in the Blessed Lands I acquired a taste for beer with less crystal, often around 7% torrefied wheat and more bitterness - but probably around BU:GU 0.85 is my ideal for something in bottle, anything higher is really designed to be served through a sparkler.

Whereas in the Degenerate Wilds you generally find more crystal (Fuller's use 7.2% light crystal in their partigyle, I wouldn't go much more than that) sometimes a bit of maize, and bitterness of 0.7-0.75-ish.

100ppm calcium is an absolute minimum for any British beer, you need it for cask beer to get the yeast to drop out. Play around with Cl:SO4 ratios to see what you like, somewhere around 120:180 is a good starting point but I wouldn't get too hung up on it, it's a very personal thing.

For your first one, the cost of hops is marginal so instead of a more authentic "cheap rubbish from Eastern Europe" just go with the best, EKG. In future you can play with Challenger or First Gold, maybe you will find one of them more to your taste, but just go with the classic for now. Everyone likes Goldings, not everyone like Fuggles. Oh, and vintage variation is a big thing in English hops, far more so than almost any other hopgrowing region.

Another not-quite-authentic cheat is just to be generous with the hops and spread them around, some in the whirlpool, some dry hop.

Yeast - use the most characterful you can, so not Lallemand London! If you're not going the authentic route of harvesting or buying Brewlab then 1469 is probably the best bet of the US lab yeasts, maybe Imperial Pub if you want the Fuller's orange thing (forget WLP002 and 1968). I must admit I have quite a soft spot for WLP041 Pacific Ale - it's not flashy, but it just produces a really drinkable pint.

People tend to underestimate the carbonation of British beers, unless they've been squirted in the face whilst tapping a cask! And you seem to lose a bit in bottle, for me targeting about 1.7-1.8vol is about right - but you don't want to overcarbonate, it's all part of the balance. And of course don't serve too cold, it wants to be cellar temperature, somewhere around 50-55F. And do give it a bit of time to mature, it takes time for everything to knit together.

Great post NB well done.