Anyone help with a good ordinary/premium bitter recipe?

[nath812]

Hi again peeps!

Well Im pretty much sorted on IPA's and I know I can turn around a decent drinkable english or american (or a mix) IPA with my limited knowledge. What Im looking for is a good ordinary or premium bitter (anything in the BJCP 8 catergory).

I have Ray Daniels book and I have tried 3 times with simple grain bills but none of them tasted of what I would think was a good beer.

I mainly used MO pale malt with either crystal malt (135 ebc) or munish or a bit of both. I also think I had some oats in one of them. Now this was before I started water treatments, which have improved my beers but I would love a recipe that tastes good so I can see what works so one day I can produce a good "house bitter".

I have no preference on abv, I just want something that works. I like Fullers ESB, St Austell Tribute, Otter Bitter, Tanglefoot...... quite a few really!

Any help would be great, here are some of the recipes I done which didnt turn out to my liking:-

Number 1
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 17.00 L
Boil Size: 22.91 L
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 11.9 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 55 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.40 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 97.87 %
0.07 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (145.0 EBC) Grain 2.13 %
4.00 gm Pilgrim [10.90 %] (55 min) Hops 6.3 IBU
10.00 gm Pilgrim [10.90 %] (30 min) Hops 12.5 IBU
15.00 gm Pilgrim [10.90 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-SteHops -
45.00 gm Pilgrim [10.90 %] (5 min) Hops 14.5 IBU
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale
-----------------------------------------------

A 6x type which also didnt work
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 5.9 oz 165 grams 4%
Pale Malt 5 EBC 8 lbs. 10.2 oz 3920 grams 93%
Sugar, Household White 0 EBC 0 lbs. 4.4 oz 125 grams 3%

Fuggle Whole 3.9 % 60 mins 0 lbs. 1.7 oz 49 grams 85%
Golding Whole 6.8 % 10 mins 0 lbs. 0.3 oz 9 grams 15%
(I also added the obligatory irish moss in the last 15 mins of the boil and steeped 20g Goldings for 20mins)

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 4.3% ABV
Total Liquor: 32.4 Litres
Mash Liquor: 10.2 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 23 EBU
Colour: 14 EBC
----------------------------------------------

The last one I did (to use up some bits n bobs)
Recipe: tee-tot-ale
Brewer: Nath
Asst Brewer:
Style: English IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 35.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.061 SG
Estimated Color: 16.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 50.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.75 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 90.13 %
0.25 kg Munich Malt (20.0 EBC) Grain 3.98 %
0.21 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (3.9 EBC) Grain 3.23 %
0.17 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (145.0 EBC) Grain 2.66 %
12.00 gm Pilgrim [10.90 %] (75 min) Hops 12.8 IBU
30.00 gm Brewer's Gold [8.40 %] (30 min) Hops 18.1 IBU
30.00 gm Brewer's Gold [8.40 %] (20 min) Hops 14.3 IBU
34.00 gm Cascade (NZ) [7.60 %] (5 min) Hops 4.8 IBU
0.61 gm Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 6.38 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Mash In Add 16.50 L of water at 69.0 C 63.0 C

 

[Moley]

I'm still a novice here, so I hope some of the more experienced brewers will chip in, but some of your times seem a little short to me. I usually make big, dark, malty ales, but my Batham's clone turned out very well for a simple bitter.

For 23 litres:
Pale malt, 4500g
Mash liquor 11.25 litres
90 minutes at 66°C
Sparge liquor around 22 litres

90 minute boil
30g Fuggles (90)
15g Northdown (90)

Irish moss or protafloc (15)

10g Goldings at flame-out.

OG: 1.044
S-04 yeast
FG: 1.008
4.9% abv

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Try some choc malt, about 2 - 3% should make a nice dark beer.
BB

 

[nath812]

Ta for the replys lads.

So should I include chocolate malt with crystal or base a recipe around pale and chocolate?

@Moley - Ta for the times I will do longer boils for me malty ones! Im looking for more colour than just pale malt though, thats where I get confused due to recipe formulation.

Take wadworths for example, the recipe I done was based on their recipe from their webby as it has percentages used but when I done it it tasted nothing like it and I cant believe its just the yeast they use, it was way off (apart from the colour!)

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'd have crystal, torrified wheat and choc malt with challenger hops.
BB

 

[micmacmoc]

I always think of Wherry when I think of tasty, English and session bitter. Heres one I did last month, thebarrel lasted less than a fortnight, lovely session ale, I'm doing double brew with it on Wednesday in the hope that it may last a bit longer!

23lt
Wherry
M Otter 3800
Crystal 400

15 Lt mash at 17C

Fuggles 3.8% 90 mins 17g
Challenger 7.5% 90 mins 20g
Goldings 4% 15 mins 30g
Styrians/bobek 5.2% 90 mins 20 g

Hops to IBU of 44 then threw some goldings in too I'm not sure wherry should be this bitter since I have'nt had it in years but its what I call it, developed from someone's wherry recipe on here or on Jims. I suppose you can't really think of it as being true English Ale with those Bobeks in but its certainly the sort of thing you'd have with a ploughmans, some pickles and good company whilst watching a cricket match on a hot July afternoon.
Mmmmm. Get it on!

Moc
Cornwall

 

[nath812]

Cheers again. So it looks like I wasnt a million miles away with the amount of crystal used just the hop schedule and time. I think for my next I will have a look on what others are brewing and base a recipe. I had a look at big kenny, I take it thats along the lines im looking for?

Ta,

Nath

 

[TheMumbler]

You need to be careful adding chocolate malt as it can be pretty dominant. The Brupaks guide to grains is a useful reference.

90 minutes for mash and 90 minutes boil seems pretty standard so I'd go with those in the first instance. Maybe think about a recipe book to get a good point of reference to start from, perhaps Graham Wheeler's most recent. Barley Bottom has some recipe kits and give the recipes so you could buy or copy one of those I'm sure other people can make more suggestions. I'm not all that experienced, but I'm sure a more steady hand will be along in a bit :) There are plenty of brewday threads and guides on the forum so those may help until then.

Big Kenny is a nice pint IMO, I'd give that a try.

 

[Hawks]

Big Kenny is a nice pint IMO, I'd give that a try.

I'll second that, it's a cracking pint :thumb: - from the list you have mentioned, you'll like it

 

[markp]

I really enjoyed my 'Big Kenny', so another vote for that here.

I'll post my 'Comfort Seeker' bitter recipe for you later when I get home, I've brewed this a couple of times now and it may end up being my 'stock bitter'.

ATB

 

[nath812]

Thanks again guys, I have GW's brew your own book and also Ray daniels designing great beers book so I will have a closer look soon.

It would be great to see your house brew markp, thanks for sharing!