Otto Von Blotto Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I don't usually use much in the way of late hops in my bitters either, after reading the style guidelines which suggested late hops aren't really used in the style, as well as trying commercial examples which weren't particularly hoppy. They usually turn out pretty well but there is definitely improvement there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 20 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said: I see you used no late hops. Interesting. I don't really see the need for late hops in some styles. Moderate to low hop flavour says BJCP...... And it is funny as I just happened to have ordered the Toasted Malt, and it was there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Ben 10 said: I don't really see the need for late hops in some styles. Moderate to low hop flavour says BJCP...... And it is funny as I just happened to have ordered the Toasted Malt, and it was there.... Yes, you are right. I may have added too many late hops. I can't do anything about the hops already in my brew, but think I will skip the dry hopping....Next time I will switch to using the APA kit as the base, and add less hops late in the boil. Regarding the toasted malt, I see I have an error in my recipe. I actually used toasted barley, not toasted wheat....I hate not being able to edit stuff anymore, since they upgraded the site. Cheers, Christina. Edited June 23, 2019 by ChristinaS1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I like a little late hopping in my English Bitters. Nothing over the top and using English hops which don't really pack a big punch. Not that I strictly adhere to the style guidelines when brewing for myself but I guess it would be considered moderate hop flavour and still be in style. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted June 24, 2019 Author Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) I like a little late hopping in my English Bitters. Nothing over the top and using English hops which don't really pack a big punch. Not that I strictly adhere to the style guidelines when brewing for myself but I guess it would be considered moderate hop flavour and still be in style. I am with you Hairy, on liking a bit of late hops in my English Bitters. I will continue to use them, but I may have overdone it with this one. I think I am going to follow your example Hairy and try Wyeast 1469 on my next ordinary bitter. They say that because of their low starting gravity it is important to keep the FG up around 1.011 or it ends up being too watery. I have been playing around with my brewing software and even if I leave out Demerara sugar, mash at 68C, and use a ratio of 2L/kg for my partial mash, the FG gets too low with most yeasts, including the MJ Liberty Bell I used in this one. But Wyeast 1469 looks like it might be the ticket....If I try it, it will be my first time using liquid yeast. I don't know why I am such a liquid yeast chicken. If I can get three brews out of it, it is not that expensive. I need to go back and look at Kelsey's thread on yeast viability, the one he made after he got his microscope. While I love English Bitter, I am not sure I want to make three in a row. When you make your bitter Hairy, can you please post a copy of your recipe in this thread? Thanks! And that goes for everyone: if you make a bitter, please copy your recipe here. Cheers, Christina. Edited June 24, 2019 by ChristinaS1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Brew day tomorrow; time for my Frankenbitter. Definitely not to style but I came up with this when playing around with some different grains and really liked it. I might follow it up with a more traditional bitter. 4kg Gladfield Ale Malt 650g Gladfield Munich I 200g Weyermann Special W 150g Caraaroma 50g Choc malt (English) 20g Target @ 60 minutes 10g Challenger @ 10 minutes 15g Challenger @ whirlpool 15g Bramling Cross @ Whirlpool 15g Styrian Gouldings @ Whirlpool 23 litres Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale OG - 1052 FG - 1015 IBU - 36 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 I usually use Special B but the LHBS didn’t have any. I used Special W in my last version of this beer for the same reason and it seemed to work well. I’m also looking forward to seeing what Bramling Cross adds to this beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 I misjudged how much Ale Malt I had left so I had to go with: 2kg Gladfield Ale malt 2kg Gladfield American Ale malt It really is a Frankenstein beer now. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 6 hours ago, Hairy said: I misjudged how much Ale Malt I had left so I had to go with: 2kg Gladfield Ale malt 2kg Gladfield American Ale malt It really is a Frankenstein beer now. Is there much difference between the two malts anyway?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 The ale malt is more like Maris otter. The other one is less malty apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: The ale malt is more like Maris otter. The other one is less malty apparently. I’d be very be surprised if people could pick between a 100% Ale malt vs 50/50 ale/American ale beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 23 hours ago, Hairy said: I misjudged how much Ale Malt I had left so I had to go with: 2kg Gladfield Ale malt 2kg Gladfield American Ale malt It really is a Frankenstein beer now. The most Maris Otter I can fit in my (partial mash) brews is 1kg, so you are doing better than me. And your hops and yeast are English. Never heard of Special W. Is that like Special B but made out of wheat? Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 On 6/11/2019 at 5:22 PM, King Ruddager said: Just did a search for "blackcurrant" on the LHBS website and the two results that came back were Bramling Cross and Brewers Gold ... ...and Pacific Gem. I used Gem in a bitter, obviously too much because it was bloody awful. Tasted like steeped twigs. I later followed with another bitter using Bramling Cross instead. It also tasted pretty woody. If by 'blackcurrent' they mean 'dried rotting wood' then, yeah... lot's of 'blackcurrent' in these hops! In hindsight I think the main problem was I simply used too much of these hops, too late... and in fact I think I also had a steep addition in one of these beers. These hops are definitely going to give you earthy/woody notes, dunno about the berries though! I'd approach with some caution - particularly if using Pacific Gem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 2 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said: Never heard of Special W. Is that like Special B but made out of wheat? Cheers, Christina. I think it is the Weyermann version of the Belgian Special B. It is supposed to be pretty similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) I'll be putting this one down in the next day or so. Last batch for a while which will be bottled before I head off to the UK for a few weeks! Pretty straight forward 60/40 (grain/kit) partial mash recipe: 1.7kg Coopers OS lager 2kg GF Ale Malt 250g GF Med. Crystal 150g GF Biscuit Malt 50g Carafa III 25g Fuggles @ 20mins 25g EKG @ 5mins 5g Gypsum M36 Edited July 1, 2019 by BlackSands 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Still drinking mine.... still enjoying it. Have just ordered a bag of Marrissssssssssssss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, BlackSands said: I'll be putting this one down in the next day or so. Last batch for a while which will be bottled before I head off to the UK for a few weeks! Pretty straight forward 60/40 (grain/kit) partial mash recipe: 1.7kg Coopers OS lager 2kg GF Ale Malt 250g GF Med. Crystal 150g GF Biscuit Malt 50g Carafa III 25g Fuggles @ 20mins 25g EKG @ 5mins 5g Gypsum M36 Lucky you, going to the UK. Be sure to hit some pubs (or actual breweries) and bring back some tasting notes. Nice looking recipe. Edited July 1, 2019 by ChristinaS1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 10 hours ago, BlackSands said: ...and Pacific Gem. I used Gem in a bitter, obviously too much because it was bloody awful. Tasted like steeped twigs. I later followed with another bitter using Bramling Cross instead. It also tasted pretty woody. If by 'blackcurrent' they mean 'dried rotting wood' then, yeah... lot's of 'blackcurrent' in these hops! In hindsight I think the main problem was I simply used too much of these hops, too late... and in fact I think I also had a steep addition in one of these beers. These hops are definitely going to give you earthy/woody notes, dunno about the berries though! I'd approach with some caution - particularly if using Pacific Gem. They are two different things. Woody is due to cayrophylleneI whereas "blackcurrant" is usually due to 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (4MMP) which comes across as catty to some people. I have read that 4MMP does not appear in European hops and I have not been able to find mention of Brambling Cross and 4MMP, but they say one of its parents was a wild Manitoba hop, which are high in 4MMP. I used to have two black currant bushes and they smelled a lot like cat pee to me, when I was picking them. Not something I necessarily want in my beer, but might be okay in small amounts. 4MMP is said to be an aroma "lifter." I have also read blackcurrant can come from 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3SH) and 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4MSP), but not much information about them. Cheers, Christina. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John304 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 @ChristinaS1 this more of a northern English brown ale, l call it a bitter, still very good 4.20kg coopers ale malt 0.410kg caramel/ crystal 0.160kg choc malt 16.00g challenger boil 60min 16.00g east kent- goldings boil 60min English ale s-04 yeast cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 7 hours ago, John304 said: @ChristinaS1 this more of a northern English brown ale, l call it a bitter, still very good 4.20kg coopers ale malt 0.410kg caramel/ crystal 0.160kg choc malt 16.00g challenger boil 60min 16.00g east kent- goldings boil 60min English ale s-04 yeast cheers John Yes, as you say, more of a Brown Ale, but it still looks yummy. Thanks! What brand and type (pale vs dark) of chocolate malt do you use? Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John304 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 16 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said: Yes, as you say, more of a Brown Ale, but it still looks yummy. Thanks! What brand and type (pale vs dark) of chocolate malt do you use? Cheers, Christina. Item Sku Qty Subtotal Coopers Ale Malt COOPERALEMALT 4 AU$15.00 Gladfield Light Crystal Malt 50 °EBC GFLIGHTX 0.48 AU$2.64 Gladfield Supernova Malt 114°EBC GFNOVA 0.18 AU$0.99 Subtotal AU$18.63 Shipping & Handling AU$0.00 Tax AU$1.69 Grand Total AU$18.63 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Supernova isn't chocolate malt. The EBC is way too low. Choc malt ranges from about 500-600 to over 1200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I use Supernova in my pale ales. Definitely not choc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 On 6/19/2019 at 2:13 PM, ChristinaS1 said: Just put this baby down: Brown Sugar Bitter with Toasted Malt 1.7kg Coopers Mexican Cervesa 1.0kg Maris Otter 30.9% 200gm home toasted malt 6.2% 350gm Demerara sugar 10.8% 125gm C75L 3.9% 60gm TF Pale Chocolate 1.9% 30gm Willamette 3.5% AA boiled x 30 min 15gm Willamette boiled x 10 min 20gm Willamette at FO + hop stand x 20 minutes 23L reverse osmosis water 10mL Clarity Ferm 10gm MJ's Liberty Bell yeast, dry pitched OG 1.041 FG 1.009 ABV 4.17% IBU 28 BU:GU 0.73 EBC 24 Decided to use Demerara sugar this time around, instead of making Inverted Sugar No. 2 syrup. Looking forward to tasting this one. Cheers, Christina. Bottled this yesterday, using Demerara sugar for bulk priming, for a wee bit more flavour. Bottling leftovers tasted quite carmel-y. I held the dry hops. Looking forward to trying it when it carbs up. Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 Crystal 75 & Toasted Wheat Bitter 1.7kg Coopers Lager 650gm Briess Golden Light LME (half container) 18% 750g Maris Otter 20.8% 200gm home toasted wheat malt 5.5% 250gm C75L 6.9% 60gm TF Pale Chocolate 1.7% 15gm Willamette boiled x 20 min 15gm Willamette hop stand x 20 minutes 22L reverse osmosis water 10mL Clarity Ferm sloppy slurry from previous batch MJ's Liberty Bell yeast. Fridge set to 20C. OG 1.043FG 1.0011 ABV 4.6% IBU 33 BU:GU 0.64 EBC 19 Tried for a thicker mash using 2L/kg x 60 minutes but it seemed too thick for comfort. Added a bit more water to thin it out and ended up missing my target temp of 68C, and mashed at 66C instead. OG 1.042 FG 1.009 ABV 4.21%+ 0.5% = 4.7%; IBU 33 BU:GU 0.78 EBC 20.5. Will use Demerara sugar for bulk priming again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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