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Best Bitter #1

This was an attempt to brew something equivalent to an Oxfordshire Ale (Think Old Hooky from Hook Norton, or Hooky Bitter) I wanted something on the dark end of the spectrum, with some residual sweetness.

Brewer: Keith Aschinger Email: -
Beer: Best Bitter #1 Style: English Best (Special) Bitter
Type: All grain Size: 5 gallons
Color:
27 HCU (~14 SRM)
Bitterness: 34 IBU
OG: 1.046 FG: 1.012
Alcohol: 4.4% v/v (3.5% w/w)
Water: Good Old St. Louis Tap water - Fairly hard
Grain: 6 lb. American 2-row
1 lb. American crystal 120L
1 lb. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils)
Mash: 80% efficiency
Basic mash/lauter tun setup (Phil's lauter tun)
120°F rest for 20 minutes
160°F Mash 90 minutes
Sparge 180°F for 45 - 60 minutes ( I recirculate once before collecting wort)
Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.038 6 gallons
I split the boil into 2 pots( 4 Gals each) as I boil on the stove and can't fit an 8 Gal. kettle on the stove. I boil 6 gals of wort to produce 5 gals of beer.
Hops: 1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Fuggles (4.75% AA, 15 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 15 min.)
Yeast: Wyeast 1968 - London ESB Ale
Log: % gal batch - pitched yeast at 75°F fermented at 60°F for 7 days, racked and transfered to secondary for 10 days. Keg.
Carbonation: Used low pressure ((10 lbs)Just enough to push through lines) otherwise naturally carbonated.
Tasting: Not bad, yeast gives a nice fruityness, crystal malt gives a nice maltiness, I may try adding some choclate malt next time to add a different maltiness to the beer. Comments as always are welcome.

Recipe posted 10/27/09.