Big Sister Bitter

This is our house bitter.
I use American grains to distinguish it a little from Brit cousins;
and quinoa to really set it apart.

Brewer:	Jon Olsen		Email:	burnunit@waste.org
URL:	http://waste.org/~burnunit
Beer:	Big Sister Bitter		Style:	English Best (Special) Bitter
Type:	All grain		Size:	5.5 gallons
Color:	11 HCU (~8 SRM)		Bitterness:	30 IBU
OG:	1.039		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	3.5% v/v (2.7% w/w)
Water:	Boil water for 30 minutes the night before. Add 1 tsp. gypsum to mash.
Grain:	5 lb. American 2-row 2 lb. American Munich .5 lb. American crystal 60L 1 lb. Quinoa
Mash:	80% efficiency
	Single infusion mash in at 153°F. Also have mashed at 156°, but haven't tasted that yet. Cook the quinoa in twice its volume of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Add it hot to the mash about about 40 minutes in. I tend to batch sparge if I can help it. My efficiency stuff is pure conjecture. Usually mash around 1.1qt per pound. I've also made this with 1# carastan malt instead of the quinoa. It's awesome, but quinoa makes it a touch more "daring".
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.033	6.5 gallons
	Sometimes boil for 75 minutes. Sometimes have boiled 1gallon of first runnings down to 1.5 qt. and added back toward end of boil (10 minutes or so).
Hops:	1 oz. Cascade (6.5% AA, 60 min.) 1 oz. Willamette (5% AA, 15 min.) 1 oz. Willamette (aroma)
Yeast:	Wyeast Thames Valley. Absolutely the most essential factor in my house bitter is this specific yeast. I'm flexible with hops, some grains, mashing, and boil times. But I won't budge on the yeast. Usually smack pack or Activator pack stepped up to 1L starter for 12-24 hours.
Log:	Ferment around 60-65F. Dry hop for 7 days in secondary after 3-5 days in primary. Usually I dry hop with Cascade, actually, but Willamette tastes great too. First brewed in fall of 2004.
Carbonation:	1/2-2/3c corn sugar. The calculator is also nice if you want to go more exact to the style.
Tasting:	We can hardly get enough of this stuff. Quinoa adds to head and a little haze. But it's got a hard-to-pin-down flavor that I love. I've done this with British hops too. The flavor is intended to be clean and malty with just a hint of "something else" (some of which may come from the Munich, actually) that could be nutty, could be ...earthy, if you can believe it. The last batch might have gotten a little diacetyl, which I actually found quite charming in this brew.

Recipe posted 04/21/05.