Recipe Wanted - Kent Bitter

[Robusto]

Hi all.
I’m looking for a little (maybe a lot) of help here. I’m trying to find an all-grain recipe for a beer that I had at a friend of my wife’s wedding in Kent (in the UK). They said that it was a local beer from a local little brewery. When I pressed for more info about exactly what type of beer it was or the exact name, they just kind of gave me a dumb look and said it was made in their “village”. The beer was awesome, and came in a cardboard box with a liner in it (kind of like box wine), and was just gravity poured- no CO2 or pump.

I have tried searching for a Kent Bitter or Kentish Bitter as they called it, but you can imagine the problems of trying to search for a British beer with the word Kent in it (if you can’t, think Kent Goldings).

Any help would be appreciated

thanks

 

[alane1]

what town was it in?

 

[BlackGoat]

You're probably not going to find a recipe for anything made in a tiny little village that nobody has really heard of. If you're just looking to make a really good quality bitter, there are some great sources, this is a killer place to start: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f64/common-room-esb-83878/

Another tried and true formula is the 80/10/10, with 80% 2-row (use Maris Otter or one of the other great english base malts), 10% crystal, and 10% sugar. A good english yeast strain is a must, as is english hops.

 

[alane1]

I think I may have found something http://www.therealalecompany.co.uk/real-craft-ale-beer/ales-by-brewery/kent-brewery.html

 

[Robusto]

what town was it in?

It was in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

You're probably not going to find a recipe for anything made in a tiny little village that nobody has really heard of.

I know ... I was just hoping that maybe someone from the area might be a member here... slim chance, probably...

 

[alane1]

here's another one http://www.tonbridgebrewery.co.uk/tonbridgebrewery%20ourbrewery.htm

 

[DavidJP]

Heres another brewery fairly nearby Tunbridge wells.

Probably can't go to wrong with the recipe advice above or go with something along the lines of these suggestions from a local brewery

http://westerhambrewery.co.uk/spirit-of-kent/

I think Kentish bitter is a generic term, I've had some before, I think that just means standard bitter 3.5-4% alc with lots of late hops. Serve at cellar temp and as near as cask as you can get and should be good, probably not so good as you had but close nevertheless.

I worked in a pub in a nearby county for several summers and keeping cask ale isn't always that easy. The flavour from a cask would change over time. Providing you had good throughput and knew what you were doing it was truly wonderful, go to a different pub with the same beer that didn't keep it so well and it could be dire. I think that was one reason it fell in popularity as by and large most places didn't keep it well and as the system of tied houses changed and more beers became available in one pub the chances of the publican paying enough attention or having enough throughput on a particular cask to do it justice fell.

Good luck whatever you eventually decide on making.