Best Bitter Recipe Feedback... Please

[ACBEV]

I've been wanting to brew an all malt Best Bitter for a long time. I've been bogged down with brewing 19th and 20th century English beer of all types. Most of them with a proportion of adjunts and sugars of one type or another! So, below is my recipe and method, I've based it on Fullers London Pride for inspiration (I'm not trying to clone). I've done a bit of research into Fullers methods and grists for London Pride from the 1960's to the current version. As I say . I'm not trying to copy (I have a bit! Hops and some of Fullers methods), I just want to brew a reasonable best bitter.

I know brewing bitter can be a bit tricky to get right, what are your thoughts? Am I in the ball park?

Batch: 22L
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.015
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 36
EBC: 25
Boil: 1 hour
Yeast: Wyeast - London ESB Ale 1968. Pitch @ 16c. Raise to 22c for 24 hours, then lower to 18c.

2200 g Maris Otter Malt 46.8%
2000 g Golden Promise Malt 42.6%
200 g Wheat Malt 4.3%
50 g Chocolate Malt 1.1%
125 g Crystal 100 Malt 2.7%
125 g Crystal 400 Malt 2.7%

15 g Target @ 60 min
10 g Northdown @ 30 min
10 g Challenger @ 15 min
5 g Goldings @ 5 min

11.8 L 1st mash @ 62c - mash for 30 min.
2.1 L Add 2.1L boiling water to 1st mash, bringing mash to 67C.
5.4 L Add another 5.4L of water @ 67c to 1st mash - mash another 30 min @ 67c.
15 L 2nd mash - mash @ 67c for 60 min.
Starting Mash Thickness: 2.5 L/kg

 

[Sadfield]

Looks good, I've brewed something similar in the past, only using S04, came out nice and I can see the London ESB in this recipe being a vast improvement.

One observation, and not in any way a criticism, is that it looks like a classic homebrewers Best Bitter recipe, in the the way the recipe calls for six malts. In contrast, one of the benchmarks for this style Harveys Sussex Best Bitter is likely to be very simple, MO and Crystal, showing how process and yeast play a massive roll in perfecting this difficult style. One tip picked up from speaking to a Marstons brewer is, when using a roasted malt for colour adjustment one of the dehusked varieties (Carafa Special) is better as it doesn't contribute astringent bitterness that may clash with the cleaner bitterness from the hops. Adding the Chocolate at the end of the mash and sparging through it might be a workable compromise.

 

[ACBEV]

benchmarks for this style Harveys Sussex Best Bitter is likely to be very simple, MO and Crystal

Interesting you wrote that... The grist of the current London Pride is 95% pale malt and 5% crystal malt, with 0.25% chocolate malt. I think subbing the chocolate for carafa III (de-husked) would do nicely, I just couldn't get the colour without 1%. I agree that process is a major factor, not just ingredients.