English Bitter

[ArthurW2]

Hey all thought id jump in on an old thread have been quite busy with work lately so plenty of time to read up on making great beer. Now i have a little time coming up put this down yesterday my second partial to date last was american ale as cant get Amarillo went british this time.

 

Coopers English Bitter Kit 1.7KG

2 x 500 Gram Light Dry Malt

300 Gram Carared (30 Min Steep 66 Degrees)

100 Gram Chocolate malt (30 Min Steep 66 Degrees)

35 Grams EKG Pellets 5.1% AA 35 Min Boil in left over grain steeping water 6 litres.

Mixed the Kit and Light Malt in seperate saucepan with 2 and bit litres hot water.

23 Litres pitched 1 and half packs coopers OS Yeast at 24 degrees on 21 now.

Planning on dry hopping with remainding hops from pack on day 5 about 45 grams [biggrin]

 

Anyone have thoughts as to how the bitterness will be with extra malt too much or not enough?

[PhilboBaggins]

Hi Arthur.

 

The spreadsheet says 42.3 IBU. Sounds like a nice level to me, although it is all dependent on the tastes of the drinker.

 

Kindly send 6 stubbies to me, and I shall report my findings. [innocent]

 

Sounds like a nice drop, although I probably would've gone for a slightly higher OG.

[ArthurW2]

Thanks for that phil i was a bit worried as there were no real maths behind it just something i dreamed about for last few months while been so busy. Now it seems the perfect temp for brewing it sitting on 21 nicely should be consistent wheather all week. Have a nice big old jacket for night time and heater pad just incase.

 

Hardest part is waiting [annoyed]

[ArthurW2]

Just putting down another one of these now as the last one was superb but as phil pointed out could do with more alcohol so my new recepie as follows.

 

1 can Coopers English Bitter

1kg coopers light dry malt

0.5kg dextrose

0.5kg Carared grain (30 steep 66 degrees)

100 grams chockolate malt (30 steep 66 degrees)

35 grams EKG 30 min boil (7 litres)

20 grams EKG 10 min boil

11.5 gm US 05

Once again no real maths behind it but think might be another winner.

[PhilboBaggins]

Sounds nice Arthur.

 

I've never used Carared before, so I can't really comment, but 500g should give you a good whack of whatever it brings to the brew!

 

EDIT: What I meant was, I probably wouldn't have used that much until I'd tried what smaller amounts can bring to the brew.

[ArthurW2]

Thanks phil i really have enjoyed the extra grain and hops so far even though have only done a few and dont have much time being rotating shiftworker with 2 kids. When i do brew i want it to be exciting which unfortinatly have to listen to the woman of house complaining about how much steeping grain and boiling hops smell [whistling

 

I asume their all the same [biggrin]

[King Ruddager]

EDIT: What I meant was' date=' I probably wouldn't have used that much until I'd tried what smaller amounts can bring to the brew.[/quote']

I disagree! I always think it's better to add way too much of something first time around, because I think if you know the two extremes you can find the middle more easily than you can with the "a little more ... a little more" approach. And how can you know when you've found the right balance if you don't know what too much of something tastes like?

[PhilboBaggins]

Each to their own KR for sure, but if you tried using 500g Caraaroma or Black Malt straight off the bat, you'd more than likely be tipping the batch down the sink and never using that grain again!

 

(The Caraaroma one is from experience [crying] even though now I've learned to love it in sensible amounts.)

 

After stuffing a few brews by overdoing it on Crystal or a particular hop, I am now a very firm believer in 'less is more.' [rightful]

[SteveL]

Am rapt with my latest EB:

Coopers EB can, 1kg LDM, 210g medium crystal, 125g carapils, 300g dextrose, 50g bramling cross hops (30g @ 15m, 20g @ 10m). Made to 21 litres.

Now almost 3 months old, has the most beautiful juicy burst of hop flavour...

[weggl]

Muddy, I made this 2 years back was a nice drop, I think the content was around6.5%

 

Can Coopers English bitter

B/E 2

\t\t500 LIGHT MALT

\t CULTURED YEAST

\t\t23 LITERS

 

Your pet Weggl

 

PS. Anybody heard from Slurtis Stagersalot?

\t\t

[PhilboBaggins]

Sounds like a Harry Potter character.

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hey Warren,

 

We haven't heard from Slurtis in a very long time. It's too bad.[pouty] He was the only other Canuck of note to contribute to the Order. He lives pretty close to me (2 1/2 hours) and seemed to be a good bloke. It's too bad we don't hear from him anymore.

 

Glad to have you back around these parts, though.

 

You said you've got out of brewing for health reason... Is everything going well. The reason I ask is that I think things would have to be goiung real bad for me before I had to give up the piss.[innocent]

[wilfw]

I've read through this thread with interest. I'm planning on doing the Extra Smooth Bitter from the How to brew section. Can anyone explain why in that recipe there is no addition of malt extract as the English Bitter kit done as per normal, calls for 500g of light dry malt. Is it because the addition of molasses in the ESB adds enough sweetness to the flavour on it's own without further malt. I do intend adding about 12g of East Kent Goldings by way of boiling them for 15 mins in a little of the wort just to add some extra hop flavour as opposed to bitterness. I'm not after a heavy bodied beer, just something akin to the lighter bodied session bitters we get in our English Pubs, that have a a distinctive hop profile. Something like the ales from Batemans Brewery in Lincolnshire if any of you have had the pleasure of their beers.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Hi Wilf,

 

I just had a look at the recipe, it does have 1kg of BE2 in it which contains 500g Dex, and 250g each light dry malt and maltodextrin, so that'd be where the extra fermentables/malt comes from. [cool]

[wilfw]

Unless my eyes are deceiving me, the recipe calls for BE1, not 2, which I think is 600g Dex and 400g Malto dextrin. I know it's not terribly different, but there must be a difference or they wouldn't sell them both. I was just wondering whether some malt added to the recipe would spoil it and make it too heavy and sweet? I brewed a Brupaks Brewers choice Scottish 80 shilling and whilst my son who has spent a lot of time in Scotland thinks it's really good, it's way to malty and sweet for my taste and I'm trying not to brew anything very similar! Any advice/suggestions gratefully accepted.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Woops, BE1 it is. [lol] Those are the right percentages you've quoted there for it yes. BE2 contains the amounts I mentioned in my other post.

 

I wouldn't have thought 500g LDM on its own instead of one of the BEs would make it too heavy and sweet. It will mostly ferment out instead of leaving 400g of unfermented sugars in the beer. It would probably make a nicer brew to be honest.

[wilfw]

Thanks Kelsy, I was thinking of doing it as per the recipe, but adding an additional 300g ish of dry malt extract. That should coume out at about 4.3% abv according to the beer engine I've used. Also just the addition of some late hopping with East Kent Goldings, 12g boiled 15 mins and 12g boiled 10 mins. Any thoughts on how it might turn out?

[Otto Von Blotto]

I reckon it'll turn out pretty good. You might end up with a couple more points on the ABV because of the molasses but overall I think that suggested recipe will be pretty nice. I haven't brewed the ESB recipe but I have used the EB kit a couple of times and it's pretty hard to muck it up, it's a decent kit. I like the late hop additions, they should help offset some of the sweetness that may be caused by the maltodextrin.

 

I'd say just go for it, you'll never know how it turns out unless you brew it! [cool]

[wilfw]

I'll be doing it this weekend, may just cut down the malto dextrin and increase the dried malt extract, but it will be something close to the recipe given. I'm sure it'll be a decent drop. I know if I can keep a fair amount in store until Christmas my son will do it justice when he visits. And I've got a Coopers original series stout in the cupboard to do for the wife as well [love]

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'll be doing it this weekend' date=' may just cut down the malto dextrin and increase the dried malt extract[/quote']

 

I like this idea. Perhaps you could try using 750g of the BE1 and 500g dry malt plus the molasses. This way you'd have less dex/maltodextrin and a bit more malt in there. I reckon it'll be good with a few months in the bottles.

 

The OS Stout kicks arse. I did a toucan brew with it and the OS Dark Ale plus a kilo of dextrose (the only time I've used that much) and just the two kit yeasts and it turned out brilliant. Very rich flavour and a bit of a kick at 7.1% ABV. [lol] I did this brew over a year ago and still have most of it bottled and just have one every now and then to see how it's going.

 

[PhilboBaggins]

You're a better man than I Kelsey! I am a stout pig (pun intended).

 

As soon as mine are tasting ready I start enjoying them regularly. Usually one at the end of every session. [love]

[Otto Von Blotto]

Well if the truth be known I completely forgot they were there with all the upgrading to AG and making up recipes of my own and stuff. [lol] These have probably been ready for months, but I'm sort of treating them like a "vintage" stout of sorts. I've got my other one there which was an AG recipe, the halfway between brew "storter" I call it. It's really nice as well and I have been enjoying a fair bit of that batch lately!

[Hairy]

I've got my other one there which was an AG recipe, the halfway between brew "storter" I call it.

Tony Grieg used to make a mean "Yeast Storter" in his day [innocent]

[Nick]

Tony Grieg used to make a mean "Yeast Storter" in his day [innocent]

Sounds "Very Norsty"

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'll be making a mean yeast storter myself orfter I bottle this lorger currently in the FV. Don't want a horf horted performance from the yeast in this pale ale it'll be used in. Orfter thet's done I'll be horvesting the yeast to re-use in an amber ale that I'll probably stort fermenting once the pale ales have corbed up in the brew frudge. [lol] [lol]