Ordinary Bitter Pride of Raubsville

[CalmYourself]

I'm planning on brewing this up on Sunday. SWMBO might have other plans though, so hold thumbs!

Also, I'm subbing a local hop for bittering (switching Target for Southern Promise) since I can't get Target easily and Fuggles instead of East Kent Goldings (I have in stock).

Will post pictures of brewday and tasting notes when available.

 

[Bob]

Excellent! I wish you every success. Fuggles is an excellent choice for English late hopping.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[CalmYourself]

Just pitched this one.

I substituted Southern Promise for the Target bittering hops and fuggles for aroma. I love Fuggles, and Sourthern Promise is roughly the same AA as target anyway.

Since it's a variation from the original, I'm going to call it "Pride of Raubsville - The Vuvuzela Herald"

Also accidentally let the boil go on too long (before adding the bittering hops thankfully) as I got distracted Just means I have a little less beer than I really should and the OG is a little high (1.050).

 

[NickyD]

I brewed this a few weeks ago, and since I've learned that some nasty bug has set up camp in my brewery. My fermenter has the same smell, so it is going down the drain. However, I was so excited about this one i'm going to grab the stuff for another batch while I'm replacing my plastic equipment. Hopefully I nipped this sucker in the butt!

 

[Bob]

Oh noez! I hope you have better success with the next batch.

The wise brewer replaces his plastic equipment periodically anyway; it's just smarter that way. I turn mine over once a year.

Bob

 

[GuldTuborg]

I may be trying your 80/10/10 model on Wednesday, Bob. I've been playing around with a small bitter recipe for a while, but there's always been just a little something off each time. Not bad, but I keep thinking it could be better. Sometimes it seems tough to get the small beers right. Maybe this formula is the ticket.

Do you still prefer the S-04 for this recipe, or have you moved on to anything else?

 

[Bob]

Nope. Still S-04. I've tried Windsor a couple of times and was pleased with that also.

Bob

 

[GuldTuborg]

Here's the recipe I brewed yesterday:

80% MO
10% Crystal 120L
10% Torrified wheat

Phoenix, bittering to 32IBU
Fuggles at flameout

S-04 to make the booze

I overshot my gravity a bit and hit 1.042-43, but it was close to the 1.039 I was shooting for. Still, I guess I can't complain about 80%+ efficiency (except for it being a surprise and all). It's fermenting along nicely, though a bit warmer than I would have liked. Let's hear it late summer heat waves!

 

[Bob]

Excellent! Here's to your success!

Bob

 

[wildwest450]

How would this sugar work?
http://www.mexgrocer.com/9696.html?productid=9696&channelid=FROOG

 

[GuldTuborg]

Small update from my brew. Life got in the way, in a spectacular way, and my planned 2 weeks in the primary turned into 2 months. Then as soon as I do bottle it and put it in the basement, cold weather arrives and it gets down below 55F where I was storing it. Ugh. Of course, it can't dawn on me in time, either, so they spend 2.5 weeks down there not carbonating.

A week and a half after bringing them up to a higher temp (in the dining room, much to the girlfriend's dismay), it's showing promise, but it's still not fully carbed. Still sweeter than the sample from bottling day, and with very little carbonation. I'm hoping a few more weeks will fix this, but most of the aroma hop character has already left. Still, with a little tweaking and some better attention to bottling on time, this recipe may prove to be a winner.

Next time, though, I'm going with an even split of the crystal 120 and something lighter, like a 60 or 80, for a bit more balanced flavor. It may be that the 120 alone turns out better, but I'd like to compare. I like the fairly dry, toffee-ish flavor it imparts. Despite my concerns early on, it's really not overpowering.

 

[elkdog]

Just ordered my grains for an ESB based on this ratio (8:1:1). I'm using WLP002 because I want a bit of sweetness, and haven't settled on a hop schedule yet (I've got EKG, Fuggle, Target, and Northdown in the freezer), but I'm planning to keep it pretty straight-forward. English bitters are pretty perfect, imo.

 

[beeton]

When brewing this beer, does the sugar go in the mash, or in the boil?

 

[Hex]

I'd assume - boil.

 

[Bob]

Boil it is!



Last batch of this went over pretty well. 5 gallons in three hours!

Bob

 

[beeton]

Thanks.
I've done it in the mash 4 times.
Made mighty nice beer.
Today , while looking back over my notes,
I wondered why I had decided to put in the mash.
newby decision - made good beer , so continued, I guess.

 

[jfr1111]

I "lifted" your hopping approach (1oz at the start/ 1oz at flameout) and have been using it for all my bitters. Great success ! Vibrant flavour and aroma that balances very well with the malt. Better than when I used smaller additions spread out over 20-30 minutes before the end of the boil.

 

[dmcoates]

I brewed this about a month ago. I really like it and used S-04. However it came out very dry around 1.004, makes me wounder if next time i will mash higher around 156. I mashed @ 154 this time.

The only changes i made was a used sugar in the raw.

Also i have no head at all on this beer. Is that due to the dryness, Low carb level or using the sugar in the raw? Has anyone else brewed this and had no head at all?

 

[Bob]

A higher mash may help. Is the beer too thin?

Turbinado sugar is is an excellent substitute for Demerara.

Lack of foam can come from any number of causes. Low carbonation level is one, and probably the culprit here. Have you had many - or any - beers with UK Real Ale levels of carbonation? It may be as simple as getting used to it. It may also be something in your mashing routine or the base malt chosen. It may also be serving vessels and technique. Sugar on its own in this proportion will not inhibit foam creation and retention.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[dmcoates]

Yes its a little thin. But dont get me wrong its a very good beer and really drinkable. I think the lack of head just just the low crab level. After reading the BJCP guidelines it is well within styles.

To answer your question, NO i have not had any real beers from the UK that is why i brewed this. I think your right, about getting used to it. After about half of a keg, i like the low carb level, its something i can drink a lot of. Thanks again for the recipe

 

[bengerman]

oi.

brewed something resembling this one today as a stovetop BIAB
all the comments on this beer (not to mention the recipe itself) sound good. i'm sure it is an amazing beer.

what i made, on the other hand...

first of all, no Targets at the LHBS. subbed for nugget per their chart (at roughly half the ibu, so i roughly doubled the amount...)
forgot to get the sugar, subbed for 5 oz dark brown sugar on a shot in the dark.


missed every volume.
nailed the dough in temp. got distracted (trying to rack another beer at the same time....bad idea) and let it go *way* too hot (168ish) for who knows how long. couldn't hold a solid temperature after. then my thermometer broke, so i had to use a candy thermometer for the last 20 minutes of mash and for 30 minutes of sparge.

putthe wrong hops in at boil, swaped them out for the right ones. two boilovers, and only ended up with 4 gallons, which i topped off withsome boiled-then-cooled water to make approx 5.


we'll see what happens
in 4 weeks, i can start RDWHAHB. until then, though...... i'll just try not to worry.

 

[wildwest450]

When do you suggest adding the sugar to the boil?


_

 

[Bob]

Read up.

 

[bengerman]

Sugar in the Raw is Turbinado which, in my experience, is only slightly different than Demerara. In the proportions specified, it shouldn't make a bit of difference.

If an American hops variety must be substituted, I don't think you could make a better choice.

Yeah, I do pitch the 80/10/10 a bit strongly, don't I?

Anyway, I wish you all the success in the world. Kindly let me know how it works for you, preferably in this thread.

Cheers!

Bob

on the 80/10/10, what other adjuncts have you worked with/would you suggest?

 

[Bob]

In my experience, most Bitter brewers use simple sugar. Some use flaked maize, which is a good choice for experimentation, up to 20% of the total grist.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[bengerman]

thank you.

and, for the record, i have a 2nd (much more successful) batch of this going right now, ready for bottling today.

i'll let you know how it is in 3 weeks.

 

[Bob]

Hurrah!

 

[duckmanco]

Bob- what temp do you ferment so4 at for the pride? Also what temp would you use for Windsor? Can't wait to brew this one.

 

[Bob]

Whatever temperature my basement finds itself. I don't mean to be glib, but that's it, really. This is not one on which I use my controlled fridge. I'm lucky; I have an old house with a stone basement, so the temperature down there never really gets above 65°F.

Stick with the middle of whatever temperature range is specified by the yeast you choose. You don't want to ferment too warm, nor do you want to go too cold. That's because it's really easy to take this beer out of balance; you want enough ester formation to be detectable, but not so much that ester-derived fruitiness dominates the flavor profile. Err on the side of cool.

Fermentis specify a temperature range of 15° to 24°C (59° to 75°F) for S-04. S-04 isn't as assertive an ester producer as Windsor, so it's safe to ferment in the relative upper regions of its range, like 70°F.

Danstar recommend 17° to 21°C (64° to 70°F) for Windsor. That's tricky. I prefer the low range for Windsor in this recipe, like 65°F. More than that and you get as fruity as a street market.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[wildwest450]

This really is a great session beer(used S-04). DON'T over carb this gem, it absolutely kills the delicate hop flavor in English beers, imo. Once again another fan favorite, kudos Bob.