Ordinary bitter Recipe

[marchio-93]

Hello! Can anyone help me with this recipe? I am concerned about the malty / bitter balance, very delicate in this style. I had bad experiences with Crystal malt, so I thought not to use it alone but to use less and paired with caramunich 3. For the hopping I wanted to "dare" with New Zealand hops, hoping not to overdo it.

84% Maris Otter
6% Flaked Barley
3.5% Table sugar
3.5% Caramunich 3
2,5% Crystal 80
0.7% Carafa Special 3

EK Goldings 60' 14 IBU
EK Goldings 10' 2 IBU
Motueka Flame Out 6 IBU
Waimea Flame Out 12 IBU

OG 1.040 FG 1.011 (?)
IBU 34 BU:GU 0.8
EBC 19

 

[kevin58]

I like to keep my Pale Ale/Bitter recipes simple. Pale Malt and maybe some #1 Invert and that's pretty much it. Sometimes Flaked Rice to lighten the body and if I ever use crystal its 60L at the most. Fuggle and Golding hops are a good choice but brewers in England also liked to use Saaz in the late additions. Your IBU's look spot on for a Pale Ale/Bitter of that OG range.

 

[marchio-93]

I like to keep my Pale Ale/Bitter recipes simple. Pale Malt and maybe some #1 Invert and that's pretty much it. Sometimes Flaked Rice to lighten the body and if I ever use crystal its 60L at the most. Fuggle and Golding hops are a good choice but brewers in England also liked to use Saaz in the late additions. Your IBU's look spot on for a Pale Ale/Bitter of that OG range.

So i should keep IBU lower or higher? Thanks!

 

[McKnuckle]

"Spot on" means just right. IBU level for the gravity looks good. Caramunich, by the way, is a German crystal malt. So the recipe has 6% crystal in it, which is absolutely fine, but just in case you believed the Caramunich to be something else - it's not.

Looks like a perfectly valid bitter recipe to me, with some personal touches thrown in, as they should be.

 

[marchio-93]

"Spot on" means just right. IBU level for the gravity looks good. Caramunich, by the way, is a German crystal malt. So the recipe has 6% crystal in it, which is absolutely fine, but just in case you believed the Caramunich to be something else - it's not.

Looks like a perfectly valid bitter recipe to me, with some personal touches thrown in, as they should be.

I think that maybe Crystal is more about "caramel" and Caramunich about "bready" and less sweet? Just trying in my recent beers.
And does flaked barley help a bit the mouthfeel?

 

[McKnuckle]

Weyermann's page on Caramunich

"Weyermann® CARAMUNICH® Type 1 is a drum-roasted caramel malt made from two-row, German barley. It contributes dark amber to copper hues, and adds a rich malt accent with notes of biscuit and an intense caramel aroma."

It says the same thing for Type 3.

Flaked adjuncts can help, sure. Torrified wheat is also a traditional component of UK pale beers.

 

[Brooothru]

Weyermann's page on Caramunich

"Weyermann® CARAMUNICH® Type 1 is a drum-roasted caramel malt made from two-row, German barley. It contributes dark amber to copper hues, and adds a rich malt accent with notes of biscuit and an intense caramel aroma."

It says the same thing for Type 3.

Flaked adjuncts can help, sure. Torrified wheat is also a traditional component of UK pale beers.

Q: So what's the best yeast (and recipe) for cloning Fuller's London Pride? An authentic yeast seems illusive, so I generally just stick with Notty. Simple, easy, accessible, but lacks 'something'.

Brooo Brother

 

[McKnuckle]

Why not use the Fuller's yeast? The yeast is WLP002 / WY1968, and the recipe has been documented by the Fuller's brewer on Twitter and discussed here at HBT:

Fullers recipes for ESB/Pride/Chiswick, Imperials, NEIPA - from the horse's mouth

Happy reading and brewing! (See post #42, although that's the detail for ESB, the recipes are the same and are blended to different strengths/concentrations for ESB/Pride/Chiswick Bitter.)

 

[Brooothru]

Why not use the Fuller's yeast? The yeast is WLP002 / WY1968, and the recipe has been documented by the Fuller's brewer on Twitter and discussed here at HBT:

Fullers recipes for ESB/Pride/Chiswick, Imperials, NEIPA - from the horse's mouth

Happy reading and brewing! (See post #42, although that's the detail for ESB, the recipes are the same and are blended to different strengths/concentrations for ESB/Pride/Chiswick Bitter.)

Thanks for the info. I'd thought recent PCR analysis had cast some doubt as to the genealogy of Fuller's "house" strain. Good to know 002 & 1968 are considered legitimate strains.

Brooo Brother

 

[McKnuckle]

Even if it's not identical, it seems to be accepted as the closest one can get - short of taking the Griffin Brewery tour and surreptitiously dipping a vial into one of the fermenters!

 

[Brooothru]

Even if it's not identical, it seems to be accepted as the closest one can get - short of taking the Griffin Brewery tour and surreptitiously dipping a vial into one of the fermenters!

I've driven by the brewery many times on the A4 from downtown London on the way to Heathrow, but never had the opportunity to take the tour. Seem to recall that reservations filled up days, if not weeks, in advance and the timing just never matched up with my trips there. It always seems like there'll be "another time". Until there isn't.

Carpe Diem.

Brooo Brother

 

[BigEd]

Hello! Can anyone help me with this recipe? I am concerned about the malty / bitter balance, very delicate in this style. I had bad experiences with Crystal malt, so I thought not to use it alone but to use less and paired with caramunich 3. For the hopping I wanted to "dare" with New Zealand hops, hoping not to overdo it.

84% Maris Otter
6% Flaked Barley
3.5% Table sugar
3.5% Caramunich 3
2,5% Crystal 80
0.7% Carafa Special 3

EK Goldings 60' 14 IBU
EK Goldings 10' 2 IBU
Motueka Flame Out 6 IBU
Waimea Flame Out 12 IBU

OG 1.040 FG 1.011 (?)
IBU 34 BU:GU 0.8
EBC 19

Late to the party but here's my .02. You are overthinking this and unnecessarily complicating what should be a very simple beer. Good UK pale malt, a touch of crystal malt (UK preferred), and a bit of adjunct if you like is all you need for the grain bill. I'd stay with UK hops and use only one or two types and just two hop additions. I would also recommend a 90 minute boil. It doesn't seem like a big deal but years ago after many trial & error batches the 90 minute boil time seemed to really help me achieve what I was looking for in a bitter.

The rule of thumb on the IBUs to OG is 75% of the number. So for a 1.040 OG I'd keep the IBUs at about 10% less than what you show. Again it's not a huge deal but IMO it gets you closer to the traditional balance of the beer. Put the two hop additions at full boil and the last 20 minutes. Dry hop if you must but I'd skip it for your first bitter. Get down with the program and then expand from there. Don't overdo the water minerals but shoot for something in the neighborhood of Ca+2/75-100ppm, SO4-/75-100ppm, Cl-/40-50ppm

Grain: (Mash 60 minutes @ 67C/153F)

90 % MO or any good UK pale malt

5% UK crystal 55L

5% flaked barley or torrified wheat

Hops:

90 min boil: Challenger or other medium alpha (7-8%AA) UK hop

20 min boil: EK Goldings or other UK noble hop (3-5%AA)

 

[McKnuckle]

I've driven by the brewery many times on the A4 from downtown London on the way to Heathrow, but never had the opportunity to take the tour.

I'm from Jersey (the "New" one) and I've been there! So do get yourself over there! It's definitely a nifty visit. It's both an iconic site in London brewing history, and yet still a relatively small place, reminding one that regular people doing a hard day's work make our beer. Of course I am smitten with the UK beer culture in general, so I am far from neutral on the subject.

Plus, you can get unfiltered London Pride and a bunch of other treats on tap in their small tasting area.