You may have already read our latest article about crystal malts. To keep the focus on these malts the recipe of this month is a traditional English style ale, that relies on various crystal malts.
British Bitters emerged from English Pale Ales in the late 1800’s. They have been mainly served as drought beers – very fresh, without any pressure (usually with a hand pump) at cellar temperatures. The use of crystal malts became more widespread in the 1920’s and 30’s, and Bitters developed to a more complex and palatable style.
Today numerous variations of Bitter exist. From darker, sweeter versions served with almost no head retention, to brighter, hoppier examples with decent foam. We bring you a recipe for Best Bitter (also known as Special or Premium Bitter), that is in the middle of the “Bitter range”. It’s more flavourful than Ordinary Bitters, but not as complex as Extra Strong Bitters. In general Best Bitter is a stronger and hoppier type of Bitters, that should be firmly bitter without overwhelming the maltiness.
| Original gravity | 1040 – 1048 |
| Final gravity | 1008 – 1012 |
| Colour EBC | 16 – 24 |
| Colour Lovibond | 6.5 – 12 |
| IBU | 25 – 32 |
| ABV % | 3.8 – 4.6 |
Grain bill
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | Colour EBC | Colour ºL | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swaen Ale | 3.5 kg | 7.7 lb | 7 | 2.6 | 84% |
| Gold Swaen Red | 0.3 kg | 0.66 lb | 50 | 19 | 7% |
| Gold Swaen Brown | 0.2 kg | 0.44 lb | 220 | 83 | 5% |
| Black Swaen Biscuit | 0.15 kg | 0.33 lb | 80 | 30 | 4% |
Pale Ale malt is the key component of any Bitter recipe. To have a full malt backbone we recommend ~10% of caramel (crystal) malt. Keep in mind that darker varieties will give the caramel and toasty tones, while lighter ones will give sweeter caramel character. Some Biscuit malt is added to give a crispy hint. A moderate one-step mash around 152 °F (67 °C) should work great for this style.
Hops
| Variety | Quantity | Quantity | Duration | Alpha acid | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger | 14 g | 0.5 oz | 60 min. | 9% | 18 |
| East Kent Goldings | 28 g | 1 oz | 20 min. | 4.5% | 11 |
| East Kent Goldings | 28 g | 1 oz | 5 min. | 4.5% | 4 |
Hop bitterness and flavour should be noticeable, but should not fully dominate malt flavours. As can be expected, traditional English style varieties are recommended.
Yeast
As for fermentation feel free to try the most suitable yeast: Gozdawa Withbread (Original British Ale Yeast 04). It’s a famous UK origin yeast strain, applied for the top fermentation beers with neutral final aroma.
| Temperature | Optimal temperature | Attenuation | Flocculation | Alcohol tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-22⁰C | 16-19⁰C max. | 75% | High | Up to 10% |
Results
| Batch size | 19 L / 5 gallon |
| Efficiency | 70% |
| Original gravity | 1044 |
| Final gravity | 1010 |
| Colour EBC | 22 |
| Colour Lovibond | 10 |
| IBU | 32 |
| ABV % | 4.5 |
| Carbonation | 1.8 |
| pH | 5.2 (adjusted by 1 tsp citric acid) |
Appearance
Orange colour, creamy foam.
Taste profile
Great introduction to the balance of English style malts and hops.
Food pairing
BBQ, burgers, English pub dishes.