Tetley's Cask - Recipe?

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and to the world of homebrewing. I have 2 Pinter kits bought for me as a Christmas present and I'm going to brew a few batches of their Ancestor ale (bitter is my favourite beer style), and then once I have confidence, buy some proper kit.

I would be really excited to brew a clone of a beer that, as far as I'm aware, they no longer make.

I used to drink pints of Tetley's Cask beer in the early 2010s in Fagan's Pub, Sheffield. It was a lovely beer, very drinkable and moreish and thankfully a lower ABV (def <4%, I think 3.6%). I remember it used to lace the glass so well, and having gotten to know the Landlord Tom (who also used to drink half pints of it!), it was live in the cask. I remember when the barrel was changed the first pint was always very cloudy and full of sediment; and was chucked down the sink.

From Googling I can find a recipe for pre 1945 Tetley's but it's around 5% ABV so I don't think it's the same beer?

It's funny, because most people under 50 outside of Yorkshire probably think Tetley (and John Smith's) is a "creamy ice cream" beer that came off a tap.

When in fact both beers, when served well, came out of a task very well across the country.

Most Bitters were indeed less than 4%. In fact, most lagers were also 4% or less - Carlsberg, Fosters, Heineken, Carling (BL) and so on. If you were feeling flash, you'd go for a pint of Stella or Kronenbourg.

Anyhow, to answer your question, although Ronald likes to use some colourful language, his blog is really good for "traditionalists"
and behold, he has a recipe for you! (comes in at 3.67%)
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/search?q=Tetley+cask+Bitter+specifications

Sadly, you have to read through the whole thing (there are 7 parts and I can't find a way of putting them in order)

Stu said:

It's funny, because most people under 50 outside of Yorkshire probably think Tetley (and John Smith's) is a "creamy ice cream" beer that came off a tap.

When in fact both beers, when served well, came out of a task very well across the country.

Most Bitters were indeed less than 4%. In fact, most lagers were also 4% or less - Carlsberg, Fosters, Heineken, Carling (BL) and so on. If you were feeling flash, you'd go for a pint of Stella or Kronenbourg.

Anyhow, to answer your question, although Ronald likes to use some colourful language, his blog is really good for "traditionalists"
and behold, he has a recipe for you! (comes in at 3.67%)
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/search?q=Tetley+cask+Bitter+specifications

Sadly, you have to read through the whole thing (there are 7 parts and I can't find a way of putting them in order)

Click to expand...

Thank you for this! Great to see that all those notes come from Tetley's actual brewing manual.

Not sure what this site's policy on AI is but most people don't mind it when you declare it. Given the weird formatting of that blog site, I put the individual bits into chatGPT and asked it to write a recipe for a 20ltr brew. I will post it here for review and in case it would be useful to others!

I am quite excited at the concept of brewing a beer that holds so many memories for me and that I don't think you can even get anymore?

Practical Homebrew Recipe for Tetley’s Bitter (1985 Version)​

Here’s a recipe tailored for a 20-liter batch using ingredients readily available in the UK homebrew market. This adaptation aims to recreate the classic Tetley’s Bitter you remember, with a focus on its dry, drinkable, and well-balanced character.

---

Target Stats​

• Batch Size: 20 liters
• Original Gravity (OG): 1.035 (adjust as needed)
• Final Gravity (FG): 1.007
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV): ~3.6%
• Bitterness (IBUs): ~30
• Color (EBC): ~21
• Mash Temperature: 63°C
• Boil Time: 90 minutes
• Fermentation Temperature: 18°C

---

Ingredients​

Malt:​

1. Pale Malt (Maris Otter):3.1 kg (75%)
   • Base malt for a clean, slightly biscuity malt profile.
2. Torrified Barley:0.4 kg (10%)
   • Improves head retention and adds subtle graininess.
3. Brewing Sugar (Dextrose or Sucrose):0.5 kg (15%)
   • Increases fermentability for a dry finish.

---

Hops:​

1. Northdown Hops:
   • 20 g at 60 minutes (bittering)
   • 5 g at 0 minutes (aroma)
   • 5 g for dry hopping (optional but recommended to replicate the recipe).

• Substitute Hops: If Northdown is unavailable, use Challenger or East Kent Goldings.

---

Yeast:​

1. Primary Yeast: Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale) or Safale S-04.
   • These yeasts produce a clean, slightly fruity profile with good attenuation.
2. Optional Dual Strain: Combine Wyeast 1469 with Safale US-05 (60:40 ratio by weight). This mimics the dual yeast approach from Tetley’s 1985 recipe.

---

Water Profile:​

1. Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum):Add to achieve:
   • Sulfate: ~150 ppm
   • Calcium: ~100 ppm
   • Chloride: ~50 ppm
2. Adjustments: Ensure water is balanced but leans slightly toward sulfate for a drier finish.

---

Brewing Process​

1. Mash:
   • Mash grains at 63°C for 60 minutes to produce a highly fermentable wort.
   • Sparge at 75°C until pre-boil volume is reached (~25 liters).
2. Boil (90 Minutes):
   • Add bittering hops (Northdown) at the start of the boil.
   • Add Irish moss or other finings with 15 minutes remaining.
   • Add aroma hops at the end of the boil (0 minutes).
3. Chill:
   • Cool wort quickly to 18°C and transfer to a sanitized fermenter.
4. Fermentation:
   • Pitch yeast (or yeast blend) and aerate well.
   • Ferment at 18°C until gravity stabilizes (~5-7 days).
5. Conditioning:
   • Dry hop (if desired) in the fermenter for 3 days.
   • Transfer to a keg or bottles. Prime with 3.5 g/L of sugar for cask-level carbonation.
   • Condition at 12°C for 2-3 weeks.
6. Serving:
   • Serve slightly chilled (12°C) for an authentic cask ale experience.

---

Notes:​

• Caramel Coloring: If you don’t care about matching the original color, omit it. The beer will be paler, resembling a golden ale.
• Adjust OG: If your efficiency differs, adjust the malt or sugar content to hit the target OG.
• Dual Yeast: While optional, blending yeast strains can subtly enhance the complexity and mimic Tetley’s 1985 fermentation process.

bitter said:

Thank you for this! Great to see that all those notes come from Tetley's actual brewing manual.

Not sure what this site's policy on AI is but most people don't mind it when you declare it. Given the weird formatting of that blog site, I put the individual bits into chatGPT and asked it to write a recipe for a 20ltr brew. I will post it here for review and in case it would be useful to others!

I am quite excited at the concept of brewing a beer that holds so many memories for me and that I don't think you can even get anymore?

Practical Homebrew Recipe for Tetley’s Bitter (1985 Version)​

Here’s a recipe tailored for a 20-liter batch using ingredients readily available in the UK homebrew market. This adaptation aims to recreate the classic Tetley’s Bitter you remember, with a focus on its dry, drinkable, and well-balanced character.

---

Target Stats​

• Batch Size: 20 liters
• Original Gravity (OG): 1.035 (adjust as needed)
• Final Gravity (FG): 1.007
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV): ~3.6%
• Bitterness (IBUs): ~30
• Color (EBC): ~21
• Mash Temperature: 63°C
• Boil Time: 90 minutes
• Fermentation Temperature: 18°C

---

Ingredients​

Malt:​

1. Pale Malt (Maris Otter):3.1 kg (75%)
   • Base malt for a clean, slightly biscuity malt profile.
2. Torrified Barley:0.4 kg (10%)
   • Improves head retention and adds subtle graininess.
3. Brewing Sugar (Dextrose or Sucrose):0.5 kg (15%)
   • Increases fermentability for a dry finish.

---

Hops:​

1. Northdown Hops:
   • 20 g at 60 minutes (bittering)
   • 5 g at 0 minutes (aroma)
   • 5 g for dry hopping (optional but recommended to replicate the recipe).

• Substitute Hops: If Northdown is unavailable, use Challenger or East Kent Goldings.

---

Yeast:​

1. Primary Yeast: Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale) or Safale S-04.
   • These yeasts produce a clean, slightly fruity profile with good attenuation.
2. Optional Dual Strain: Combine Wyeast 1469 with Safale US-05 (60:40 ratio by weight). This mimics the dual yeast approach from Tetley’s 1985 recipe.

---

Water Profile:​

1. Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum):Add to achieve:
   • Sulfate: ~150 ppm
   • Calcium: ~100 ppm
   • Chloride: ~50 ppm
2. Adjustments: Ensure water is balanced but leans slightly toward sulfate for a drier finish.

---

Brewing Process​

1. Mash:
   • Mash grains at 63°C for 60 minutes to produce a highly fermentable wort.
   • Sparge at 75°C until pre-boil volume is reached (~25 liters).
2. Boil (90 Minutes):
   • Add bittering hops (Northdown) at the start of the boil.
   • Add Irish moss or other finings with 15 minutes remaining.
   • Add aroma hops at the end of the boil (0 minutes).
3. Chill:
   • Cool wort quickly to 18°C and transfer to a sanitized fermenter.
4. Fermentation:
   • Pitch yeast (or yeast blend) and aerate well.
   • Ferment at 18°C until gravity stabilizes (~5-7 days).
5. Conditioning:
   • Dry hop (if desired) in the fermenter for 3 days.
   • Transfer to a keg or bottles. Prime with 3.5 g/L of sugar for cask-level carbonation.
   • Condition at 12°C for 2-3 weeks.
6. Serving:
   • Serve slightly chilled (12°C) for an authentic cask ale experience.

---

Notes:​

• Caramel Coloring: If you don’t care about matching the original color, omit it. The beer will be paler, resembling a golden ale.
• Adjust OG: If your efficiency differs, adjust the malt or sugar content to hit the target OG.
• Dual Yeast: While optional, blending yeast strains can subtly enhance the complexity and mimic Tetley’s 1985 fermentation process.

Click to expand...

Looks good.
In the notes it mentions caramel colouring but not in the recipe, I wonder how much to use and when.
Incidentally, people here have laughed when I have said you can use gravy browning to colour beer. Gravy browning is caramel colouring, it was used by many commercial brewers.

I am not laughing Rich it has been used for years as a colouring in baking, cooking and yes I have seen old recipes with gravy browning in them.
Also good for legs when you have no stockings or tights ask Elsie Tanner

RichardM said:

Looks good.
In the notes it mentions caramel colouring but not in the recipe, I wonder how much to use and when.
Incidentally, people here have laughed when I have said you can use gravy browning to colour beer. Gravy browning is caramel colouring, it was used by many commercial brewers.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I think I said in the prompt something along lines of: if caramel colouring is purely for colour and not for taste, can I omit it? It said yes.

Lads, you don't mean bisto gravy granules do you? lol

bitter said:

Thanks, I think I said in the prompt something along lines of: if caramel colouring is purely for colour and not for taste, can I omit it? It said yes.

Lads, you don't mean bisto gravy granules do you? lol

Click to expand...

No, this stuff, https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/274753098

bitter said:

Thank you for this! Great to see that all those notes come from Tetley's actual brewing manual.

Not sure what this site's policy on AI is but most people don't mind it when you declare it. Given the weird formatting of that blog site, I put the individual bits into chatGPT and asked it to write a recipe for a 20ltr brew. I will post it here for review and in case it would be useful to others!

I am quite excited at the concept of brewing a beer that holds so many memories for me and that I don't think you can even get anymore?

Practical Homebrew Recipe for Tetley’s Bitter (1985 Version)​

Here’s a recipe tailored for a 20-liter batch using ingredients readily available in the UK homebrew market. This adaptation aims to recreate the classic Tetley’s Bitter you remember, with a focus on its dry, drinkable, and well-balanced character.

---

Target Stats​

• Batch Size: 20 liters
• Original Gravity (OG): 1.035 (adjust as needed)
• Final Gravity (FG): 1.007
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV): ~3.6%
• Bitterness (IBUs): ~30
• Color (EBC): ~21
• Mash Temperature: 63°C
• Boil Time: 90 minutes
• Fermentation Temperature: 18°C

---

Ingredients​

Malt:​

1. Pale Malt (Maris Otter):3.1 kg (75%)
   • Base malt for a clean, slightly biscuity malt profile.
2. Torrified Barley:0.4 kg (10%)
   • Improves head retention and adds subtle graininess.
3. Brewing Sugar (Dextrose or Sucrose):0.5 kg (15%)
   • Increases fermentability for a dry finish.

---

Hops:​

1. Northdown Hops:
   • 20 g at 60 minutes (bittering)
   • 5 g at 0 minutes (aroma)
   • 5 g for dry hopping (optional but recommended to replicate the recipe).

• Substitute Hops: If Northdown is unavailable, use Challenger or East Kent Goldings.

---

Yeast:​

1. Primary Yeast: Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale) or Safale S-04.
   • These yeasts produce a clean, slightly fruity profile with good attenuation.
2. Optional Dual Strain: Combine Wyeast 1469 with Safale US-05 (60:40 ratio by weight). This mimics the dual yeast approach from Tetley’s 1985 recipe.

---

Water Profile:​

1. Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum):Add to achieve:
   • Sulfate: ~150 ppm
   • Calcium: ~100 ppm
   • Chloride: ~50 ppm
2. Adjustments: Ensure water is balanced but leans slightly toward sulfate for a drier finish.

---

Brewing Process​

1. Mash:
   • Mash grains at 63°C for 60 minutes to produce a highly fermentable wort.
   • Sparge at 75°C until pre-boil volume is reached (~25 liters).
2. Boil (90 Minutes):
   • Add bittering hops (Northdown) at the start of the boil.
   • Add Irish moss or other finings with 15 minutes remaining.
   • Add aroma hops at the end of the boil (0 minutes).
3. Chill:
   • Cool wort quickly to 18°C and transfer to a sanitized fermenter.
4. Fermentation:
   • Pitch yeast (or yeast blend) and aerate well.
   • Ferment at 18°C until gravity stabilizes (~5-7 days).
5. Conditioning:
   • Dry hop (if desired) in the fermenter for 3 days.
   • Transfer to a keg or bottles. Prime with 3.5 g/L of sugar for cask-level carbonation.
   • Condition at 12°C for 2-3 weeks.
6. Serving:
   • Serve slightly chilled (12°C) for an authentic cask ale experience.

---

Notes:​

• Caramel Coloring: If you don’t care about matching the original color, omit it. The beer will be paler, resembling a golden ale.
• Adjust OG: If your efficiency differs, adjust the malt or sugar content to hit the target OG.
• Dual Yeast: While optional, blending yeast strains can subtly enhance the complexity and mimic Tetley’s 1985 fermentation process.

Click to expand...

Oh, I regularly use ChatGPT for recipes.

If you don't have the right yeast, for instance, but you have a pile of other yeasts, ask ChatGPT to suggest which one might be best.

Also, if you have leftovers (you'll get the hang of this), throw them into ChatGPT and ask for a suitable recipe. It's absolutely amazing. It'll suggest hops and the correct yeast.

Be aware that whilst gravy browning is just caramel and a tiny bit of salt, it isn't exactly the same type of caramel apparently (I can't for the life of me remember the difference) and can drop out of suspension over time, something I have experienced myself. It's nothing serious, just a bit annoying. Brewers caramel doesn't do this. Brupacs sell it.

And regarding chatgpt, if you read Ron's article, Marris Otter wasn't allowed in Tetley, you'd be better off with Golden Promise.