10 day English Bitter...

[MadBrewer]

It has been a rough and busy month and a half and Thanksgiving is creeping up on me. I realized yesterday while talking plans over with the wife that I do not or will not have anything on tap for Thanksgiving. We will not be having a lot of company but we will have some and those that will be here would love (and almost expect) something on tap. You guys know how that goes and I would love to do so for them of course. Anyway, I started thinking what could I possibly if anything have ready (and drinkable) by then. The only beer that comes to mind is an Ordinary Bitter. It's a low gravity, lower carbonated, nicely balanced session ale. I have brewed this recipe below and have had it fermented out, cleared and ready to bottle after one week or so. An old friend and where I got this recipe from used to have a saying that "This beer needs only to be blessed by the passing of one Sabbath". It's a good style to drink young, it doesn't need to be crystal clear and being such low gravity it doesn't need much conditioning. The malts are a nice, malty, bready, flavorful mix. Hops are there mostly for bittering, but I couldn't brew a beer like this without some late hops. I think this will be a good batch to play around with a hop stand again, but no dry hop. I have also only made this recipe with S-04 and I think I will keep it that way. Actually I made it once with 1968 yeast and once with Mangrove Jack Dry English Ale strain. I didn't like those nearly as much with S-04. This is a beer where S-04 really works well, adding that bready, fruity ester. It was one of my first all grain batches, it goes back to about 2010. Back before I was doing any water additions, checking mash ph or anything like that. I think I will keep that in mind brewing this up again, and keep it simple in that respect. One thing I do like to do like I did back then with this beer is a thick mash, I don't know, but for English beers call me crazy but I sense a difference with mouthfeel, body and malt character...etc doing so. I haven't worked out the hop schedule yet as I'm thinking of doing a hopstand and switching up the Northern Brewer and EKG hops I have used in the past.

Does anyone have any experience doing this with other styles. I just thought a nice, balanced easy drinking English session ale would be great on tap after the feast. But man, this is a fun way to really see if I can pull if off. I will be getting ingredients tomorrow and setting myself up to brew on Monday after work. That will give me exactly 10 days until Thanksgiving. So, discuss:

Superman Silvergun
Standard/Ordinary Bitter

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (G): 5.5
Total Grain (lb): 7.250
Total Hops (oz): 0.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.035 (°P): 8.8
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010 (°P): 2.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 3.26 %
Colour (SRM): 8.2 (EBC): 16.2
Bitterness (IBU): 0.0 (Tinseth)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 71
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
5.000 lb Maris Otter Malt (68.97%)
1.000 lb Munich I (13.79%)
0.500 lb Aromatic Malt (6.9%)
0.500 lb Crystal 40 (6.9%)
0.250 lb Special Roast (3.45%)

Hop Bill
---TBD

Single step Infusion at 154°F for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 66°F with Safeale S-04

Recipe Generated with BrewMate

[bpgreen]

I can't help much. When I get busy, it's usually because I'm traveling, so I'm not home to drink as much, either, so kegs last longer.

Then it's more an issue of a brew that I can put together quickly, like an all extract or even a prehopped beer.

[mashani]

An English mild also will be ready to go into a keg at 7 days easy.

But honestly, if you go with this pitch rate calculator:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitc ... alculator/

And you pitch at what they call Pro Brewer pitch rates, where using what they call 0.75 for 1.05ish beers, or 1.0 for 1.06ish beers then it's the same regardless of style. If it's got dark grains in it, cold steep and add late (we just had a discussion about this), and there isn't anything that needs to condition out from the dark grains either.

Pretty much everything I've brewed since I started pitching at those rates, *even my 1.08 beers*, IE even my tripels and strong goldens when pitched at 1.25 pro brewer rate on that calculator, were completely drinkable out of my fermenter by day 10 or so if I only had a way to carb them. The only exceptions were just because of some hop flavor that was weird and mellowed over time (IE equinox green pepper).

It seems like a lot of yeast (someone here called my pitch rates a crime against nature once LOL), but my experience has only been good with it. Some time back I would have argued that such pitch rates were stupid and the yeast would do it's job anyways. And yeah the yeast will. But doing it at those rates "get's R done" and ready to go right away. I'm pretty much a convert except for wheat beers where I want a lot of banana.

FWIW, if you don't mind liquid yeast, Wyeast West Yorkshire makes incredibly tasty beer, if you want to add a bit of a stone fruit like element to it along with the bready flavors. But you need a starter if you want to get it done that fast (no just smacking the pack unless it's very fresh - 1 month or less of age - and your only brewing a 1.05ish 2.5 gallon batch). Ringwood too, but that yeast is a PITA, where West Yorkshire is more easy. If you like Samual Smith type English beers you would like either of those yeasts.

[Inkleg]

Looks good, no reason that beer can't be ready in 10. Love EKG, but 1oz of Fuggles at 60 and .50 at 5 would be tasty too.

[MadBrewer]

I had a Mild on my mind as well. Pudge has a Mild here on the forum he is drinking on in under 2 weeks. I've had it years ago, and brewed it once or twice myself. But I have been wanting to brew this beer again for a while. I appreciate the yeast tips, I might look into what the LHBS has today. As for hops, the original recipe calls for just over 30 IBU's with that being almost split between a 60 and 15 min addition. My hoppy or more bitter beers always seem like they need more bittering, so I am adjusting that like I have been doing with other batches. Maybe it's my boil rate or intensity, but seems I don't get the level of bitterness I would expect from a recipe. I'm thinking about 1.5 oz of EKG at 60 mins and .75 oz additions at 15 and 5 made up of .5 oz Fuggles and a .25 oz of EKG. I do like Fuggles and they will be good for late additons.

[MrBandGuy]

I've made my bitter a few times. Love the style. I use 1 oz each of Fuggles at 60, EKG at 45, and Styrian Celeia or Goldings at 5. Around 36 IBUs.

Grains, I only used Maris Otter and a bit of C120.


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[mashani]

Hey, one other thing to consider - A lot of 'Mericans push their yeast to the lowest levels of temperature comfort (or beyond) in order to avoid the flavors that the yeast makes.

But this isn't really conducive to "getting it done fast". Be sure to keep it in it's comfort zone, preferably more towards the middle, vs. the extremes (that would be closer to 66-68 for most English yeast strains for example). And use a cleaner yeast if you want a cleaner flavor, don't try to make a yeast that makes flavors unflavored by making it slow and sad.

[MadBrewer]

Hey, one other thing to consider - A lot of 'Mericans push their yeast to the lowest levels of temperature comfort (or beyond) in order to avoid the flavors that the yeast makes.

But this isn't really conducive to "getting it done fast". Be sure to keep it in it's comfort zone, preferably more towards the middle, vs. the extremes (that would be closer to 66-68 for most English yeast strains for example). And use a cleaner yeast if you want a cleaner flavor, don't try to make a yeast that makes flavors unflavored by making it slow and sad.

Very true. Although I do want to experiment with more yeasts I chose to stick with the S-04 for this so I know what Im working with and what to expect. I usually ferment S-04 right at 66*. I may try 67, 68* with this batch.

[natural320]

so did you have at this bad boy Ken?

I did a similar beer a couple years ago, but used American hops combined with WY 1968 (which I personally love!)...ending up being somewhere just north of 4% abv, and I had it kegged and flowing in less than 2 weeks. I have noticed that the '68 is d-u-n done within only a few days, but I'll typically let it sit because you are "supposed" to...however, after having talked to pro brewers, they have had no problems carbonating and serving their low octane beers in as little as a week!

so in my head, let it sit and ferment away until next Tuesday night, keg it, blast it with like 25psi until you wake up in the morning and set it down to serving pressure to relax and come together Wednesday and Thursday morning. Lord knows that I would raise a glass with you at that point, so I'd bet your guests will be pleasantly surprised to hear about how this beer is so young.

[MadBrewer]

so did you have at this bad boy Ken?

I did a similar beer a couple years ago, but used American hops combined with WY 1968 (which I personally love!)...ending up being somewhere just north of 4% abv, and I had it kegged and flowing in less than 2 weeks. I have noticed that the '68 is d-u-n done within only a few days, but I'll typically let it sit because you are "supposed" to...however, after having talked to pro brewers, they have had no problems carbonating and serving their low octane beers in as little as a week!

so in my head, let it sit and ferment away until next Tuesday night, keg it, blast it with like 25psi until you wake up in the morning and set it down to serving pressure to relax and come together Wednesday and Thursday morning. Lord knows that I would raise a glass with you at that point, so I'd bet your guests will be pleasantly surprised to hear about how this beer is so young.

I did go for it. Same recipe posted above, 1.5 oz EKG at 60 mins and a .75 oz mix of Fuggles and EKG at 15 and 0 mins. Mash temp came up a little lower than I wanted, ended up 150-152* but that is what I used to mash this at so it's ok but I did want more like 154* this time around. No water additions except acid for the mash and hit my mash ph of 5.4. I pitched S-04 near 70* and it started out 66-68* and I let it rise to 70*. I'm at that hard time of the brewing season in the garage where it's too warm for heat, but too cool to run the fermentation fridge. So it was at room temp by day 3.

My plan is to taste it come come Sunday and see how it's doing. Cold crash it for a couple days and then blast carbonate come Tuesday so it can come together for Thursday. It will be young, fresh and will show how you can really push a beer through but should still be tasty and drinkable for the big day. And yeah, the best part will be telling my guests how I put the batch together so fast, just for them.

[natural320]

awesome. looking forward to the result here

[MadBrewer]

This fermented out quickly, took a sample the other day and it was already quite clear. Gave it another couple days to finish up and today I will keg it and hook up the gas, it should clear up on its own from there. I don't really have enough time to cold crash it before, but there really isn't too much need to do so. I don't want to do too much crank and shake on this one, but I will do a little bit to give it a jump start on carbonation. I want it to settle in before Thanksgiving day.

[natural320]

didja drink your sample?

[MadBrewer]

didja drink your sample?

Of course, but I didn't think much of it. The same with the sample at kegging, just cold flat beer. It's now been on gas a couple days and I need to sample it again. I hope at best it's drinkable like I had planned, if not it's no loss it will just need to come around more and I will have others things to drink on Turkey day, but I hopeful it works out. From what I did taste, seems like it could have used the 154* mash temp I was shooting for but came up lower. IBU's also seem lower than expected, even for the recipe. But sometimes a beer totally transforms after sitting on gas and having a couple days to come together. I'll report back.

[natural320]

How did it turn out for you? Hope the holiday AND beer was great