The Quest for the Perfect Bitter

[peebee]

Brewing has got postponed for a few days (me arm hurts ) so I'll do something about that "Boddington's X" recipe meantime. Well it is really a "Mild", not potentially a "perfect bitter". So while that recipe goes on the back burner, I've dug up this alternative from Edd's Web-site. This one really is a "bitter", Peter Walker's 1886 X Bitter (32IBU; one in the eye for those folk, they do exist, that think "X" means "mild").



I'd skipped over this previously because it contains maize and I'm prejudiced against maize; not for any flavour reason, only because it isn't "British". But apparently this went on a lot in Victorian Britain 'cos we weren't self-sufficient in brewing grain, and hops too. After the "Free Mash-Tun Act" (1880) brewers started adding all sorts of "other" grains. So its time I ditched the prejudices (only for the sake of historical accuracy!).

The usual Edd's trademark mix of grains, and hops, which I've adapted to what I've available. The addition of Amber malt probably does come from the original recipe; it was a common addition back then. I've chosen dark Munich Malt over Amber 'cos it's made slightly differently and in what I'd imagine (I have a very distorted imagination) is closer to the stuff about back then.

Back to the Boddington's X: What @scomet said about "caramelisation"; that would fit with what I said about No.4 Invert Sugar. I found it a bit difficult to believe it was "added" (the black, bitter, near burnt caramel that is, not the lush golden pre-burnt stuff). I can see me making my own invert when I get around to the Boddies X.

 

[peebee]

BTW: OG 1.049, 4.5% ABV and within @An Ankoù 's "perfect bitter" criteria. Surprisingly low alcohol for a "Victorian bitter". Not the 6% ABV Edd's got on his Website - I think I'll point that wee error out to him.

 

[An Ankoù]

Brewing has got postponed for a few days (me arm hurts )

I hope that's not your drinking arm @peebee .
Yes, Peter Walkers does look an interesting recipe, not least because it's got half the chemistry set in there as water treatment.
I must pay more attention to Edd's website and shut up about BP for a while.
Thanks for the recipe. I've printed it off. I've got all the ingredients except the Ca(OH)2 and I suppose that's to reduce the acidity, increase the pH. I wonder why he wants to do that. Anyway I'm going to give it a thorough staring at.

 

[Arcs]

This quest can now be settled. The thread shall be closed! Indeed forever more it shall be closed. The perfect bitter is a Watney's starlight bitter as brewed by Ank! Now you need to bow and prove your unworthyness to the great brewer of the Aether =) I too am unworthy =)

 

[peebee]

... I've got all the ingredients except the Ca(OH)2 and I suppose that's to reduce the acidity, increase the pH. ...

Oh aye. I did go for a more full-on water treatment for this (GW's sweet pale ale profile rather than a flaccid "new world" profile). But you will need to run the water you use through whatever calculator you do use (I'm a big believer in the calculators; they avoid all the hassle of having to learn all the nonsense about "alkalinity" and the like. I use two, "Bru'n Water" and "Mash Made Easy", 'cos using one is bound to lead you astray at some point).

I hope that's not your drinking arm @peebee .

It's me left arm! But that's not so good 'cos the right one (drinking arm) was mashed (not literally!) a while back. So I'm ambidextrous; sort of.

 

[Sadfield]

@peebee, I was once saw brewers being reprimanded on another forum for using Beersmith. Apparently, one should be able to work it all out for myself, like they do with a pen, paper and erm...calculator.

 

[peebee]

This quest can now be settled. The thread shall be closed! Indeed forever more it shall be closed. The perfect bitter is a Watney's starlight bitter as brewed by Ank! Now you need to bow and prove your unworthyness to the great brewer of the Aether =) I too am unworthy =)

Not a chance! This thread's running for the 100 page award.

 

[peebee]

@peebee, I was once saw brewers being reprimanded on another forum for using Beersmith. Apparently, one should be able to work it all out for myself, like they do with a pen, paper and erm...calculator.

I was probably one of the reprimanders? And next year I'll be preaching the virtues of pen, paper and ... (okay, I'm not so good with the keys on a calculator).

 

[peebee]

... one in the eye for those folk, they do exist, that think "X" means "mild" ...

And how can I be sure such folk exist? Easy ... I was one of them! At least I presume there were others?

 

[trueblue]

You should also consider the age it is drank. My bitters are 8-10 days in fermenter, 10 days to 2 weeks in keg or polypin then start drinking.

 

[Slid]

On 18th July last year, I made my first Durden Park beer. An old style bitter - Simonds from 1880. Malts seem to be everything with this style, so:

Crafty Pale Malt, 1kg toasted a bit to Amber, 6.1kg in total.
Rest seems incidental - an old bag of Marynka hops to 42 IBU's and US 05.

What a beer this is!

 

[An Ankoù]

On 18th July last year, I made my first Durden Park beer. An old style bitter - Simonds from 1880. Malts seem to be everything with this style, so:

Crafty Pale Malt, 1kg toasted a bit to Amber, 6.1kg in total.
Rest seems incidental - an old bag of Marynka hops to 42 IBU's and US 05.

What a beer this is!

I've made it a few times using SImpson's Imperial for the pale amber. It's a gorgeous beer. Next time I'm going to make my own pale amber and see whether there's much difference.

 

[An Ankoù]

Good luck, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Racked into secondary to clear. Tastes very nice indeed and nice and bitter. Will bottle up during the week as it normally takes three or four days to clear properly.
The Beòir yeast has arrived so @Dads_Ale 's recipe will be going on this weeked.

 

[Galena]

Racked into secondary to clear. Tastes very nice indeed and nice and bitter. Will bottle up during the week as it normally takes three or four days to clear properly.
The Beòir yeast has arrived so @Dads_Ale 's recipe will be going on this weeked.

I'm glad it was successful, I have a batch due to go out in the garage on Monday, another attempt at Broadside fermenting as well.

 

[peebee]

Amazing find. Thank you @peebee. ...

Actually I find there's dozens of these "proto-milds" (that could be passed off as modern <4.5% abv "bitter") in Edd's lists going back to 1880 ("Free Mash-Tun Act", allowing legally unrestricted use of invert sugar). But I'm beginning to have panics about whether I should have suggested such a clear demarcation. It seems I'm only suggesting ABV as a clear demarcation in place of IBU ('cos I don't believe a quick-drinking low-hopped 6% abv pale ale should be seen as a new type/style called "Mild").

Anyway, that's a mild ale argument and this is a "bitter" thread.

 

[jMac]

('cos I don't believe a quick-drinking low-hopped 6% abv pale ale should be seen as a new type/style called "Mild").

Anyway, that's a mild ale argument and this is a "bitter" thread.

Sorry, don’t mean to derail the thread after your last statement, but isn’t “Mild” a descriptor for the beers age rather than strength, colour or bitterness? It’s my understanding Milds we’re traditionally brewed to be drunk young (mild, due to less hops for long term storage) as opposed to aged (um, un-mild?) and would have been brewed a lot stronger originally before the privations of WWI.

Ok. Carry on...☺

 

[peebee]

Sorry, don’t mean to derail the thread after your last statement, but isn’t “Mild” a descriptor for the beers age rather than strength, colour or bitterness? ...

Yeap, can-of-worms, hence I moved it off to another discussion, not this (bitter) one.

 

[Partial_Object]

I haven't been very good at aging my beers so far. I tend to give them a couple of weeks to carb up and start at them. How essential do you lot reckon it is for a good bitter at say 4.2 ish?

 

[scomet]

G’day P_O, Lots of factors at work here, as posted above a Bitter is meant to be brewed and drunk fairly quickly, two weeks carbing is OK for most bitters. If its brewed and carbed with sugar it can take a bit longer for the odd sugar flavours to mellow.
I use brewers invert and my last grain + BI (brewers invert) is tasing great out of the bottle at 10 days, cracking the keg this Friday….

 

[An Ankoù]

Most, if not all, of my beers take longer than two weeks to carb up. I usually don't even try à bottle until after 6 weeks. But when I used PBs the PB would also be the secondary fermentation vessel and a beer would be ready to drink around a week or two . Much better for a bitter!