I'm planning a Yorkshire Bitter for the weekend (something along the lines of Black Sheep Ale) and wonder if anyone had any tips, especially on water profile? I'll be trying a Yorkshire ale yeast for the first time. I'm thinking of aiming for 2:1 sulphate to chloride? Any tips? Thanks!
Yorkshire Bitter
- Thread starter Ben034
- Start date
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This is the recipe by the way:
Batch size 9.5l
OG - 1.047
FG - 1.012
IBU - 39
EBC - 24
1.75 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Crisp )- Maltmiller (5.7 EBC) Grain 1 81.6 %
0.21 kg Wheat, Torrified - Maltmiller (3.9 EBC) Grain 2 9.8 %
0.16 kg Medium Crystal Malt - Maltmiller (130.0 EBC) Grain 3 7.5 %
0.02 kg Black Malt (Bairds) - Maltmiller (1300.0 EBC)
20.00 g Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 20.5 IBUs -
10.00 g Challenger [6.50 %] - Boil 55.0 min Hop 6 14.5 IBUs -
10.00 g East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min
1.0 pkg West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469)
Batch size 9.5l
OG - 1.047
FG - 1.012
IBU - 39
EBC - 24
1.75 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Crisp )- Maltmiller (5.7 EBC) Grain 1 81.6 %
0.21 kg Wheat, Torrified - Maltmiller (3.9 EBC) Grain 2 9.8 %
0.16 kg Medium Crystal Malt - Maltmiller (130.0 EBC) Grain 3 7.5 %
0.02 kg Black Malt (Bairds) - Maltmiller (1300.0 EBC)
20.00 g Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 20.5 IBUs -
10.00 g Challenger [6.50 %] - Boil 55.0 min Hop 6 14.5 IBUs -
10.00 g East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min
1.0 pkg West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469)
peebee
Out of Control
"Any tips"? WYeast #1469? A bigger fermenting bucket, perhaps some materials for building a barricade and rations to keep you going a day or two. It's quite an "enthusiastic" yeast, but I'll certainly be trying it again.
That's an interesting point. Would you mind sharing the water profile you're aiming for?
Would you say adjusting the calcium to 150ppm, the sulphate to 339ppm, chloride 150ppm and alkinity down to 35ppm work well? So for 18l water, 15ml CRS, 4g gypsum.
A good bitter is really tricky. Previous efforts not being great I have put down to mainly using more neutral yeasts but I'm sure it could also be heavily dependent on the water.
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Haha. I've certainly heard mixed views on this. It's behaving on the stir plate so far but the real test is to come I guess. Maybe time to fit a blow off tube in case!
I'm not planning on going quite that high with the sulphte & chloride, and will use; -
150ppm Calcium, 200ppm sulphate & 100ppm chloride
but I don't think your profile is excessively high, and is close to what Murphy's recommend for a bitter (see table at very bottom of the page:- https://www.murphyandson.co.uk/water-water-everywhere/
I'm always up for swap if you want to compare water profiles?
I totally agree that its a hard style to do well (maybe why I don't make many) - I think the yeast is an important factor, but I don't often find a commercial one with strong yeast derived flavours.
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
I dont know about all the water faffing as I find it all to confusing, so I dont do it (apart from stripping out alkalinity). I do however make a bitter on a regular basis. I normally use the Gales strain that I got out of a bottle of HSB. I find this makes a far superior bitter than the dried yeasts Ive had a go at making bitter with. Although I have head the MJ Liberty Bell yeast is good
Yeah, I'd only use dried yeast now when I want a really neutral yeast character and use CML pale or similar, for anything where you want a bit of yeast character - like a bitter, I reckon its worth using a liquid yeast (I haven't got the patience to culture up from a bottle). I'm having another go with the Imperial Juice yeast again this time (supposedly the same strain as wyeast London III).
The ordinary bitter is basically a starter for a NEIPA type brew I'm doing next
Zephyr259
Landlord.
Yesterday I did my first re-brew in 2 years and it was my Yorkshire Bitter, details of the original brew are here. There's only 2 bottles of it left making it my fastest drinking brew yet so I scaled up to a 23L batch. My water is in line with what folks are saying and I got the figures from Graham Wheeler's calculator, albeit tweaked a bit and lacking magnesium as I didn't (and still don't) have epsom salts.
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire has done soon good work for me; making a brown porter, milk stout and now 2 bitters. I've not had the issues with krausen but I brew 15L batches in young's barrel style fermenter with the screw on lid, markings go to 22L but there's probably close to 30L of space, now that there's 24L fermenting away it'll decide to go crazy and escape... Tends to escape when I make starters of over 1L in a 2L flask, but it's been worth it thus far.
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire has done soon good work for me; making a brown porter, milk stout and now 2 bitters. I've not had the issues with krausen but I brew 15L batches in young's barrel style fermenter with the screw on lid, markings go to 22L but there's probably close to 30L of space, now that there's 24L fermenting away it'll decide to go crazy and escape... Tends to escape when I make starters of over 1L in a 2L flask, but it's been worth it thus far.
I used S-04 recently and CML Real ale (which I really didn't like, although I did over use lactic acid and sourness may have been from that - have now switched to CRS hence the high sulfate chroide levels). I need to try culturing a yeast at some point. Currently overbuilding a liquid yeast and splitting half into a vial.
Thanks
Thanks, this is really helpful. I'll report back I a few weeks. I also tried the GW calculator so fingers crossed!
Thanks I'll let you know when it's done!
NIGHTSKY BREWING
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Tips....Nice clean carbon filtered water..a bold rolling Boil" Spray bottle at hand".......nice big starter...hold ferm temps as close as possible.....................
Oh fresh Grains and hops.
cheers Matt.
Oh fresh Grains and hops.cheers Matt.
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
I didnt like the CML real yeast for bitters either. Not enough fruity esters for me
Likbas
Active Member
I read the CML Real Ale yeast is the same as Nottingham Ale yeast.
Did you try the Ritchies Real Ale Yeast? That gives stone fruit esters like apricot and peach, if you like.
You can use the CML RAY/Nottingham with higher temperatures. The Nottingham Ale yeast is famous for extremly fermenting activity, very well sedimentation and strawberrry aromas. I think Danstar London ESB is also not estery enough for you?
For all yeasts: higher fermenting temperature, more esters.
I very like my D'n'S Ale yeast. But the yeast are quite neutral and much malt emphasising, however usuable for bitters yet. Low fermenting activity, good for hot summers.
Did you try Youngs yeasts? And NBS yeasts?
