Samuel Smith's Best Bitter Clone (attempt)

[WesM63]

Backstory: I have no idea if this is right. I had about 4 pints in London at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese this time last year. Hell, I'm not even positive this is the beer I was drinking. However, after some research, I'm fairly certain this is the beer I was drinking. (The color and description sound accurate)

I'm pretty sure the grist is pretty close. I have no idea on the hops, based on the description on their website and what I remember, this is what I came up with. The recipe was since modified from my original post to use all the ingredients I purchased.

Recipe: SS Best Bitter (GF)
Brewer: Wes
Asst Brewer:
Style: Standard/Ordinary Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.40 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.41 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.08 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.68 gal
Estimated OG: 1.039 SG
Estimated Color: 5.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
8 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) 97.0 %
4.0 oz Crystal Malt - 60L 3.0 %
0.75 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.10 %] 90min 13.5 IBUs
0.75 oz Fuggles [3.30 %] 90min 8.7 IBUs
9.00 g Burton Water Salts
1 Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)
0.75 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.10 %] 15min 6.3 IBUs
0.75 oz Fuggles [3.30 %] 15min 4.0 IBUs
0.50 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.10 %] 0min 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Fuggles [3.30 %] 0min 0.0 IBUs
West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469)

Mash 152 for 75min

It'll be a few weeks before I can get to this, but i'll brew it and report back. Suggestions are always welcome.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

That's very close to a TT landlord recipe I've made a few times. The main difference is a bit of Styrian Goldings in the last five minutes. It's an excellent drop.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on how close either recipe is (to Landlord or Samuel Smiths) because I've never had either of them.

 

[Hanglow]

Here are the two SS bitter recipes I have, one for Old Brewery Bitter - their only cask beer and the other for Sovereign bitter, which is kegged. Looks like you had best bitter, their other kegged bitter which i don't have a recipe for

I've not had either for ages and have never brewed either of these recipes though, so YMMV ! I'd have thought there would be a small flavour addition for obb though, it was definitely a more malt led bitter iirc.

OBB

OG 1.040
27 IBU - equal mix of fuggles and golding at 90mins. No flavour or aroma hops

Marris otter 91%
Dark Crystal 9%

Brewlabs Yorkshire yeast


Sovereign Bitter
OG 1.040
IBU 31

MO - 91%
light Crystal 9%

All Sovereign hops for bittering and aroma

Brewlabs Yorkshire yeast


Good luck with what you brew

 

[JKaranka]

I think your original recipe looks good for a standard bitter. 3% crystal is good. 1.040 to 35IBU is good as well, but I'd probably move some of the flavour addition to bittering (less late hops).

 

[WesM63]

Thanks everyone!

I think your original recipe looks good for a standard bitter. 3% crystal is good. 1.040 to 35IBU is good as well, but I'd probably move some of the flavour addition to bittering (less late hops).

What would you suggest? If you move the flavor hops back or earlier you're going to gain bitterness. I was thinking about even moving a portion of the 15min additions to 5min or 0min. I recall the beer I drank to have a small but noticeable amount of aroma. I don't recall it being all that bitter. (Well, relatively speaking. It wasn't 50+ IBU)

 

[jmitchell3]

Awesome! Yeah chesire is a sam smiths pub so it was definitely a sam smith beer. Love me some chesire cheese AND some awesome SS beer, their bitters are great! Glad youre doing this.

Is there a reason for the 90 min boil vs a 60 min? Does samuel smiths do longer boils?

Ill take notes, try the recipe, and report back!

 

[jmitchell3]

Oh, also if it was a cask beer you had it might have been dry hopped in addition or instead of late hop additions...i understand dry hopping is common with cask bitters, is that true?

 

[JKaranka]

Oh, also if it was a cask beer you had it might have been dry hopped in addition or instead of late hop additions...i understand dry hopping is common with cask bitters, is that true?

Yes

 

[JKaranka]

Thanks everyone!



What would you suggest? If you move the flavor hops back or earlier you're going to gain bitterness. I was thinking about even moving a portion of the 15min additions to 5min or 0min. I recall the beer I drank to have a small but noticeable amount of aroma. I don't recall it being all that bitter. (Well, relatively speaking. It wasn't 50+ IBU)

I meant:
- Reduce 15m addition to 1oz
- Increase 60m addition to keep IBU the same
- If you dry hop, try just 1/2 oz

 

[WesM63]

Awesome! Yeah chesire is a sam smiths pub so it was definitely a sam smith beer. Love me some chesire cheese AND some awesome SS beer, their bitters are great! Glad youre doing this.

Is there a reason for the 90 min boil vs a 60 min? Does samuel smiths do longer boils?

Ill take notes, try the recipe, and report back!

I don't have a technical reason for a 90min boil. However, every SS clone I've seen used 90min boil's, so i stuck with it.

I meant:
- Reduce 15m addition to 1oz
- Increase 60m addition to keep IBU the same
- If you dry hop, try just 1/2 oz

Gotcha, That's pretty much what I did after my previous post (0min instead of DH).

All the ingredients are en route, i'll try to brew this next weekend, if possible.

 

[WesM63]

Finally got some spare time. Brewing this today on a grainfather (first brew with it), strike water is heating as I type.

I adjusted the original recipe I posted (i'll update it) with what I had on hand and to use all the hops I bought for this recipe. (4oz total)

I'll be sure to report back.

 

[WesM63]

Primary fermentation is complete. FG of 1.011 for 3.8% ABV.

I did get some off flavors (plastic) in the otherwise tasty sample. I'm hoping it goes away once it's kegged, if not i'll have to figure out what caused it.

 

[WesM63]

The culprit for the plastic taste was a new garden hose attachment. Ended up dumping the first attempt.

Ingredients are inbound for attempt #2, should be able to get to it this weekend.

 

[Hanglow]

That's a shame, good luck with the next attempt

 

[WesM63]

I re-brewed this 10days ago. I'm pretty busy right now, so it will likely be going in the bottle/keg this weekend for a 14day primary.

Just a couple minor hiccups on brewday.
1. I wasn't paying attention and added double the amount of C60 (8oz instead of 4oz)
2. Efficiency was much higher than anticipated, I overshot my gravity by 4 points. (OG of 1.044)

 

[WesM63]

I re-brewed this 10days ago. I'm pretty busy right now, so it will likely be going in the bottle/keg this weekend for a 14day primary.

Just a couple minor hiccups on brewday.
1. I wasn't paying attention and added double the amount of C60 (8oz instead of 4oz)
2. Efficiency was much higher than anticipated, I overshot my gravity by 4 points. (OG of 1.044)

Just as an update.

Finished at 1.011 for 4.3%. Carb'd and tapped this the other day. Tastes great, a little heavy on the caramel, likely due to the increased C60.

While a great beer, its not the beer I had in London. I remember quite a bit more floral hops in the nose and flavor. It was also substantially lighter.

I'm not sure where I would go next. Reduce the C60 to the 3% as originally planned but beyond that i'm not sure.

Suggestions?

 

[JKaranka]

If you had it in cask it was likely to be dry hopped. You could add a small amount of invert or some light adjunct (maize, rice) to replicate body.