Need help with ESB recipe (Sharp's Style)

[user 47756]

Hello Guys
I am a fan of Sharp's Sea Fury so I thought I'd give it a go, so using your comments in the Forum, I cobbled together the recipe below, and no doubt with some beginnner's luck came up with a brew that's quite close to the real thing:
Malts: Mash at 66C for 1 hour
4 kg Maris Otter
1 kg Special B
0.5kg Cara Munich 111
0.5kg Dark Crystal Malt
Hops: Boil: 0.5oz Northdown + 0.5oz Challenger for 90 minutes, 0.3oz Target + 0.3oz East Kent Golding + Teaspoon Irish Moss 10 minutes, 0.3oz East Kent Golding 0 min
WPL 002 Yeast

 

[The Baron]

Welcome to the forum @miles .
You would be better starting a new thread as this one is 5 years old so that people can respond to your exact recipe request
Thanks The Baron

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You would be better starting a new thread as this one is 5 years old

Sorted

 

[MrRook]

Hello Guys
I am a fan of Sharp's Sea Fury so I thought I'd give it a go, so using your comments in the Forum, I cobbled together the recipe below, and no doubt with some beginnner's luck came up with a brew that's quite close to the real thing:
Malts: Mash at 66C for 1 hour
4 kg Maris Otter
1 kg Special B
0.5kg Cara Munich 111
0.5kg Dark Crystal Malt
Hops: Boil: 0.5oz Northdown + 0.5oz Challenger for 90 minutes, 0.3oz Target + 0.3oz East Kent Golding + Teaspoon Irish Moss 10 minutes, 0.3oz East Kent Golding 0 min
WPL 002 Yeast

I've never had Sea Fury, but 33% crystal malt seems like an awful lot.

 

[foxy]

I've never had Sea Fury, but 33% crystal malt seems like an awful lot.

And all that Special B! Plus can’t understand why Poms use imperial and metric measurements in the same breath!

 

[RichardM]

And all that Special B! Plus can’t understand why Poms use imperial and metric measurements in the same breath!

They don't usually

 

[Tickles58]

I’m wandering if anyone could help me. I’m looking for a recipe for Prince bishop golden ale from the big lamp brewery. Having known and drank it whenever it’s available and I would like to replicate it myself

 

[.Peter.]

And all that Special B! Plus can’t understand why Poms use imperial and metric measurements in the same breath!

Agree, very strange

 

[JockyBrewer]

Hello Guys
I am a fan of Sharp's Sea Fury so I thought I'd give it a go, so using your comments in the Forum, I cobbled together the recipe below, and no doubt with some beginnner's luck came up with a brew that's quite close to the real thing:
Malts: Mash at 66C for 1 hour
4 kg Maris Otter
1 kg Special B
0.5kg Cara Munich 111
0.5kg Dark Crystal Malt
Hops: Boil: 0.5oz Northdown + 0.5oz Challenger for 90 minutes, 0.3oz Target + 0.3oz East Kent Golding + Teaspoon Irish Moss 10 minutes, 0.3oz East Kent Golding 0 min
WPL 002 Yeast

That's way too much special B. Special B is a roasted crystal malt and has a very prominent taste when used any more than 5% of the grist, so I really wouldn't use it at all, I just don't think it has a place in a bitter. Even the dark crystal is a bit high, and you'll end up with something closer to a porter.

I've not tasted Sea Fury, but it sounds an awful lot like other ESBs, which is a strong bitter where really the difference is in the yeast. Here's my recipe for a 1st place winning ESB: Epsom Special Bitter - London Amateur Brewers Wiki

While I used yeast grown from bottles of 1845 for that, it can be hit and miss as to how well it works. I've since found that Imperial A09 pub is a great yeast with a lot of lovely fruity esters that I use instead. WLP002 is ok, but it's just a bit muted in comparison.

 

[Jan.]

For an English ESB, a VERY general rule of thumb for a recipe is:

85-95% good base malt (mariss otter, golden promise etc)
5-15% medium - dark crystal 150-250 EBC
30ish IBUs from 60 minute hop
relatively large amout of English hops at flame out

I could give a specific recipe but @JockyBrewer already gave a competition-winning one and I can't top that :-) and I find sometimes giving just the bare bones to be helpful.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

For an English ESB, a VERY general rule of thumb for a recipe is:

85-95% good base malt (mariss otter, golden promise etc)
5-15% medium - dark crystal 150-250 EBC

No - only the US would use that much crystal. Fuller's use 7.2% light crystal, which is more than enough - there's plenty of strong bitters with less.
And you miss the most important bit, which is a good characterful yeast, which isn't left for so long that it "cleans up" all the flavour compounds.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...imperials-neipa-from-the-horses-mouth.642756/

 

[JockyBrewer]

And you miss the most important bit, which is a good characterful yeast, which isn't left for so long that it "cleans up" all the flavour compounds.

Absolutely this.

Yeast plays as much a part in British bitters as it does in Belgian ales.

 

[Clarence]

Hello Guys
I am a fan of Sharp's Sea Fury so I thought I'd give it a go, so using your comments in the Forum, I cobbled together the recipe below, and no doubt with some beginnner's luck came up with a brew that's quite close to the real thing:
Malts: Mash at 66C for 1 hour
4 kg Maris Otter
1 kg Special B
0.5kg Cara Munich 111
0.5kg Dark Crystal Malt
Hops: Boil: 0.5oz Northdown + 0.5oz Challenger for 90 minutes, 0.3oz Target + 0.3oz East Kent Golding + Teaspoon Irish Moss 10 minutes, 0.3oz East Kent Golding 0 min
WPL 002 Yeast

Welcome Miles
I'll have to look up Sea Fury, but I'm not sure about that malt bill. But let's have a look at sea Fury, first.

Hmm. I've read the comments above. I think you can use up to 20% Special B, which is a double roasted crystal- a bit like SImpson's. But then what do the cara munich and the dark crystal bring to the table? I don't know. Not a fan of Doom Bar by any means in fact I'd go to another pub rather than have to drink it all night, but I' m fascinated to learn what others think of this beer.

 

[Jan.]

No - only the US would use that much crystal. Fuller's use 7.2% light crystal, which is more than enough - there's plenty of strong bitters with less.
And you miss the most important bit, which is a good characterful yeast, which isn't left for so long that it "cleans up" all the flavour compounds.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...imperials-neipa-from-the-horses-mouth.642756/

Completely hold my hands up to forgetting the yeast, absolutely vital. I think you can push a lighter crystal up a bit more than 7% though. Maybe 15% is stretching it but I stand by the recipe bare bones.

 

[An Ankoù]

Welcome Miles
I'll have to look up Sea Fury, but I'm not sure about that malt bill. But let's have a look at sea Fury, first.

Hmm. I've read the comments above. I think you can use up to 20% Special B, which is a double roasted crystal- a bit like SImpson's. But then what do the cara munich and the dark crystal bring to the table? I don't know. Not a fan of Doom Bar by any means in fact I'd go to another pub rather than have to drink it all night, but I' m fascinated to learn what others think of this beer.

I use a goodly slug of Special B, W, X or Simpsons twice roasted crystal in a mild to very good effect. I reckon they're all much the same, but I think the recipe is overloaded with crystal/caramel malts, especially for an ale with no roast to take the edge of the sweetness.
Know what you mean about the ubiquitous Doom Bar, but I'd give Sea Furry at least a try.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

For an English ESB, a VERY general rule of thumb for a recipe is:

85-95% good base malt (mariss otter, golden promise etc)
5-15% medium - dark crystal 150-250 EBC

I think you can push a lighter crystal up a bit more than 7% though. Maybe 15% is stretching it but I stand by the recipe bare bones.

So you're saying Fuller's don't brew ESB correctly? I know I'm from up north so my taste is naturally for less crystal, but honestly, Fuller's ESB has enough crystal for me and I really wouldn't want more. Much more than that and it loses the balance which is one of the characteristics of the bitter family - US attempts in particular can get very one dimensional.

Just having a quick skim through the last 2 years of Ron's recipes, there really aren't that many bittery-ish ones with any crystal at all, most of them are stouts and brown ales. I guess you could regard ESB as the spiritual successor to some of the Burton Ales - Barclay Perkins KK in 1891 and 1941 both had around 6.4% crystal whilst dropping the strength down from 7.4% to under 5%, although Fuller's own Old Burton Extra used no crystal right until the end in1969. It was replaced by Winter Bitter, which became ESB.