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English Bitter


SteveL

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What cleaner/sanitiser do you use?

 

I have used a few different cleaning/sanitising methods over the last 8 months, i.e. bleach, the stuff that coopers sell, and metasomething (that came with the brig kit - not used any more). this is one thing I didn;t record for for each particular brew. I have cans of genuine Pommy beer (John Smiths Extra Smooth & Boddingtons Pub Ale) in the fridge, I'll crack one (at a time) and do a side by side comparo with my ESB and report back - only in the name of science, honestly!

 

I'm glad that Muddy thinks there's something wrong with my brew, because as stated in another topic on ESB, I had a realy high (alcohol affected) opinion of ESB, in particular the John Smiths Extra Smooth, from some time spent in the old dart a few years ago. I will try the kit again and ensure plastic (or polyester, or even spandex) is not within 100m when brewing!

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One thing I've noticed with my EB based beer is that there is some hop flower pieces (at least that is what I think it is). The hops I added were dry hopped pellets in bag - so I'm guesing the bits came from the kit? Is this likely Paul?

 

Not really a problem for me but I am curious.

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I guess it must have come from the fuggles hops pellets then [unsure] . I've never had it happen before - lots little bits of green leaf-like matter each about 2-3mm in diameter.

 

(When I say lots I mean about 5 pieces per bottles with most just sticking to the glass)

 

[alien]

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Gentlemen (and ladies),

 

Would appreciate your collective wisdom for a brew I have been contemplating for about a month now... I am looking to brew a beer that will be good to cellar for a couple of years and in the style of an English Bitter. I have noted that most people cellar stouts or porters for a few years. Can it be done successfully with Cooper's home brew English Bitter?

 

I am hoping to brew something special that I can drink to mark two important occasions:

- 1st when the All Blacks lift the Webb Ellis trophy at Eden Park on the 23rd of Oct 2011.

- 2nd on the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics 2012.

 

I know that there are some English ales that stand up well to cellaring for extended periods of time, such as Worthington's White Shield. However I am looking for a beer closer to Well's Bombardier as I enjoy the smoother, buttery flavour it has.

 

I think I'll call it "A Fine Disregard" after the plaque at Rugby School, describing young Billy Webb Ellis picking up the ball and running with it... So as variation on the Extra Smooth Bitter recipe, how do you think this recipe would go?

 

Made to 21 litres

1x Cooper's English Bitter

1kg LDME

500g Dextrose

250g Molasses (to try accentuate that buttery flavour)

and yeast supplied with the kit

 

I think I'd need to get a yeast starter going with this one due to the high OG, would I be correct in thinking that?

 

My calculations give this a ABV of approx 7%, does that sound right? I look forward to any comments or suggestions...

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I am hoping to brew something special that I can drink to mark two important occasions:

- 1st when the All Blacks lift the Webb Ellis trophy at Eden Park on the 23rd of Oct 2011.

 

Geez Robbo, if you're waiting for that result - can you make a beer that lasts another 23 years?? [bandit]

 

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I am hoping to brew something special that I can drink to mark two important occasions:

- 1st when the All Blacks lift the Webb Ellis trophy at Eden Park on the 23rd of Oct 2011.

 

 

 

Geez Robbo, if you're waiting for that result - can you make a beer that lasts another 23 years?? [bandit]

 

23 years? what makes you think the all blacks will win it so soon? do you reckon it will only take 1 generation for the world cup choking syndrome to pass?

 

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Brewing is like All Black rugby... the good times always outweigh the bad times, and patience is the key...

 

(... and if not next year it'll be one very smooth brew in 2015!)

 

Which actually leads me to a question, how long can you cellar beer? I was watching "Oz and James Drink to Britain" about a month ago and they had a beer that was over 100 years old. They thought it tasted rubbish. What is a good 'Beer Before Date' for homebrew?

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Generally, longevity is dependent on the beer being well made, naturally conditioned (from a home brewers perspective), with more bitterness, alcohol and colour. It also comes down to personal preference. eg. many people like our commercial dark ale with months of bottle age while I prefer it young and estery.

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  • 6 months later...

Chad, I wish I had but alas... just flicking back in my brewing log I was brewing a lot of IPAs around that time and having some major temperature control issues. See this post for some more details.

 

I did try the English Bitter brewed to the recommended recipe of 500gm LDME and enjoyed it. Good malts and bitterness. But it didn't have that buttery flavour of Bombardier.

 

At the moment, I STILL have my mead fermenting. Over 2 weeks now hovering at 18-20 and SG is still dropping. But I reckon I'll get an ESB along the lines of this recipe when the mead is bottled. Was thinking I'd probably drop the dex down or maybe omit it together.

 

Perhaps we can compare and contrast ESB experiences in a month or two. A result similar to Bombardier would be a great winter warmer (... in saying that our winters here don't need much warming).

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Robbo, Sounds very similar to a batch that I got on the go a few days ago, slight variation on the recipe Chad did:

 

\u2022 1.7kg Coopers English bitter

\u2022 1kg LDM (Spangnols Gold)

\u2022 300g Dextrose

\u2022 250g Organic Blackstrap Molasses

\u2022 14g Coopers brewing yeast (pitched @ 25 deg C)

\u2022 23 Ltr water

 

OG 1.042 estimated 5.3% ABV

 

See:

http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/talk-brewing?g=posts&t=2689

 

I was going to drink mine when England regain the Ashes... oh wait they did that last December! Guess I won't have to wait then... [lol]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gday all,

 

Just got a can of Coopers EB and I want to do the simplest recipie as I am far from a guru at home brewing and the instructions seem a bit generic. I have looked around this forum and all the brews seem to be for the more experience brewer. My intention was to use:

 

1.7kg Coopers English Bitter can (with supplied yeast)

500g Coopers Light Dry Malt

23 lt of water

 

Questions:

Is that it for ingredients?

Does the malt substitute for sugar?

What is the best temp for primary fermentation (PF)?

Roughly how many days PF?

What is the ideal FG?

How long in the bottle before drinking?

I'm going to use the Coopers PET bottles and priming drops; do I still use two drops for this brew?

I have seen recipies with less water; what does that do?

 

Any other pointers - remember - I'm looking for simple.

 

Lots of questions, I know. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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MattB, following RossM's answer, my method for my first attempt at the English Bitter can was as follows:

The English Bitter can

1 kilo of light dry malt extract

and the yeast supplied.

 

The malt ferments away in a similar fashion to dextrose or plain white sugar, each however have their own flavour characteristics and suit different beer styles and personal tastes.

 

Using a hydrometer is the best way to know if your beer has reached FG. Coopers ale yeasts take about a week until SG is consistent over two days. The warmer the brew the quicker the ferment. Some people leave it another week to allow some of the yeast to settle, me I'm too impatient. I usually bottle within 2-3 days of a consistent hydrometer reading.

 

I found that with more malt in the recipe and less dextrose or plain white sugar, the beers are usually ready to drink after they have carbonated 2-3 weeks. They do get better over time, the flavours mellow.

 

When I bottled this brew, I did some with 2 drops some with 1. Do both, at 23l you'll have 26-30 longnecks to play with. Worth experimenting to see what you like best.

 

Less water also means more alcohol as the malts and sugars are less diluted.

 

Hope this helps,

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Thanks to both Ross and Robbo. Appreciate the advice. Love this style of beer. Living in the Northern Hemisphere (temporarily), and just comming out of a very chilly Winter, I'm looking forward to getting into brewing again. Thanks again. Matt

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I'm only onto my second brew with the English Bitter Kit. I did the recipe with Enhancer 1 and Mollasis last night. I'm slightly concerned that it is't fermenting properly, as there is little head from the fermentation this morning. I kind of remember it activating quicker for the Lager can. Is this normal? The yeast was red too, but I assume that was how it should be? Yeast was added at 24 degree's.

 

Cheers!

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I know i'm going to sound like a pedantic so and so, but today I tasted the beer (day 4 in the fermenter) and it does taste like beer but also has a very slight vinegar smell and taste to it. Is this common at this stage for this type or beer, or should I be concerned that it is infected? Its only the second batch ive done, and I did as instructed using coopers stereliser on all my equipment.

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