# Fullers Esb Clone



## MCT (20/7/08)

Am planning to make a Fullers ESB style beer next weekend, just looking for some advice for ingerdiants.
Should I use Maris Otter? Or would JW pale malt as a base be OK.
Anyone got an idea on what IBU's I should be looking at? What hops? EKG?

I'm looking to get that nice biscuity/malty backbone that Fullers ESB has. Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mick.


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## sinkas (20/7/08)

Fullers ESB 5 gallon batch OG 1054 EBU 35 

OPTIC PALE MALT or MO 4700 gms 
CRYSTAL MALT 150 gms 
FLAKED MAIZE 370 gms 
1 tsp of BREWERS CARAMEL added during the boil 

HOPS boil time 90 minutes 
TARGET 7 gms 
NORTHDOWN 14 gms 
CHALLENGER 15 gms 

20 gms EAST KENT GOLDINGS added last 15 minutes. 

Yeast Wyeast 1968 special london. This is Fullers own yeast.


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## MCT (20/7/08)

Cheers. What is brewers caramel?


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## bakkerman (20/7/08)

MCT said:


> Cheers. What is brewers caramel?




a brown colouring agent. Used by brewers to correct colour. 

Shouldn't alter the flavour if you leave it out.


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## lagers44 (21/7/08)

Hi MCT

Try this link http://rarebeerclub.beveragebistro.com/rbcbeer_12.html it's got good information and a recipe of sorts. It's the one i tried for the MALE case swap.


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## MCT (21/7/08)

lagers44 said:


> Hi MCT
> 
> Try this link http://rarebeerclub.beveragebistro.com/rbcbeer_12.html it's got good information and a recipe of sorts. It's the one i tried for the MALE case swap.




Thanks mate. Had a look at that and a few others I found and made up a recipe based on all of those.

Can anyone see any problems with this? It's the first recipe I've made up so surely there must be a f&#k up in there somewhere  

Recipe: Micks ESB
Brewer: Mick
Asst Brewer: Dr Smurto's Golden Ale
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 22.00 L 
Boil Size: 27.57 L
Estimated OG: 1.058 SG
Estimated Color: 7.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 35.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
5.10 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 94.12 % 
0.21 kg Munich, Dark (Joe White) (15.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 % 
0.11 kg Crystal, Dark (Joe White) (110.0 SRM) Grain 1.96 % 
31.12 gm Target [11.00 %] (60 min) Hops 35.6 IBU 
26.49 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (0 min) Hops - 
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) [StarteYeast-Ale 


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 5.41 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp 
60 min Mash In Add 14.13 L of water at 77.7 C 67.8 C 
10 min Mash Out Add 7.91 L of water at 92.5 C 75.6 C


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## Stuster (21/7/08)

MCT, I think if you're trying to clone that beer, then the Munich is really out. I'd also say the JW dark crystal won't be right and English medium crystal is probably the best bet. Hops look ok, though I hope you've got a really exact scale.  You might want to up the last addition a bit as well. Then again, if you just want to make a nice beer, what you've got will be just fine. :super: 

Oh, with that yeast, I think you might want to drop the mash temp a couple of degrees. It's not that attenuative and you don't want it finishing too high.


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## MHB (21/7/08)

This one is adapted from Graham Wheelers Brew Your Own Real Ale at Home. I think it is very close to the mark.
MHB


Brewery	Fullers OG 1.0540
Beer	ESB FG 1.0120
Class	Bitter Bitterness 35
ABV% 5.60
Batch (L) 25
Boil Time (M) 120

Method	Infusion 
Mash Temperature 67C for 90 Minutes 

Grain Bill Kg
Pale Ale (UK) 4.250
Flaked Maize (UK) 1.200
Light Crystal Malt (UK) 0.520


Bittering:- Start of Boil
Target UK, To give 14 IBU's
Challenger UK, To give 10 IBU's
Northern Brewer GER, To give 11 IBU's

Taste Addition East Kent Golding UK 20g 10-15 minutes from end of boil


Cask Hop East Kent Golding UK 1.25g


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## Stuster (21/7/08)

MHB said:


> Cask Hop East Kent Golding UK 1.25g



Pretty low on the dry hopping, Mark. Is that g/L?


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## MCT (21/7/08)

Stuster said:


> MCT, I think if you're trying to clone that beer, then the Munich is really out. I'd also say the JW dark crystal won't be right and English medium crystal is probably the best bet. Hops look ok, though I hope you've got a really exact scale.  You might want to up the last addition a bit as well. Then again, if you just want to make a nice beer, what you've got will be just fine. :super:
> 
> Oh, with that yeast, I think you might want to drop the mash temp a couple of degrees. It's not that attenuative and you don't want it finishing too high.




Thanks Stuster. I started out wanting to clone a Fullers, but ended up just trying to make a recipe to style with grains I can get. Who makes and English medium crystal? I'll be buying all my grains from ESB. I just used the munich and JW dark as a way to get the colour right  . This will be my third AG and I'm still not really sure what effects different crystals have on the final flavour...so far I've just used them for colour. 
Basically Jamils recipe, http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/Jamil/ESB.htm, quoted those SRM specs and I just tried to match those with what ESB had.
I'm all open for ideas.
Cheers, Mick.

btw. Those 'exact' B) hop amounts come about from me scaling the recipe up from 20L, as I've come up short before...not good when doing no chill.


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## Nedelz (21/7/08)

And what yeast is required?


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## MHB (21/7/08)

No thats whats recommended, I think youre supposed to make this beer in big barrels (80-120 L) then cask condition it for 3 months, with a single Golding cone dropped in, well thats the story.

Where I have Northern Brewer the recipe calls for Northdown (Seeded) which isnt available in Australia.
The Northdown that was available when I was compiling my recipe collection was crap, so after some advice from a pommy brewer I subbed NBr, because its such a nice clean bittering hop and thats what they were after.

As the Northdown thats available now is much better, I think I will go back to my recipe database and change it.

MHB


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## Stuster (21/7/08)

Nedelz, that yeast is the one that's definitely supposed to be the Fuller's strain. Wyeast 1968 or White Labs 002. Nice yeast which floccs very hard so it's a good idea to give the fermenter a swirl a few times to get it to finish off.

MCT, I think ESB might have Bairds crystal which is AFAIK the only English crystal you can get here at the moment. I'd say 5% of that would be good. The dark crystal you have will add a sort of dried fruit flavour which I like and would work well in that beer but might not be the same as a Fullers. If you're not that fussed on a clone, I'd say the JW Dark crystal will be fine at say 3%. The Munich is really a German malt. No reason you can't use it in an English beer if you want, but I think it's better to start out simple and work from there. Maris Otter with some crystal doesn't necessarily need anything else IMO.

Strange, I have a different version of an ESB by Jamil which includes late hopping at 20 and 1. Not sure it'd be an ESB without some late hopping. :blink:


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## MCT (21/7/08)

Ok, the munich is gone. Say I do use the JW dark at 3%, should I use the Bairds crystal to make up the other 2%, or just use another 5% of it.
So, lower mash temps help get a higher attenuating dryer beer? Maybe that would explain why my Irish Red (2nd AG mashed at 67.5) with Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale finished at 1.019  OG. 1.050)



Stuster said:


> Strange, I have a different version of an ESB by Jamil which includes late hopping at 20 and 1. Not sure it'd be an ESB without some late hopping. :blink:




The Jamil recipe that I linked to, dosen't even have a flavour addition, It's only a one hop beer. I just added that because I thought it needed it.
Will look into aroma hops. Maybe some more EKG?


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## MCT (21/7/08)

Ok, here's the updated recipe. Too much aroma hops? I want this beer to have a nice malty/biscuity flavour, but be balanced weel by the hops. Not too bitter, but not syrup.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 32.00 L 
Boil Size: 39.14 L
Estimated OG: 1.058 SG
Estimated Color: 9.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 42.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
7.41 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 94.88 % 
0.20 kg Crystal (Joe White) (72.0 SRM) Grain 2.56 % 
0.20 kg Crystal, Dark (Joe White) (110.0 SRM) Grain 2.56 % 
45.79 gm Target [11.00 %] (60 min) Hops 36.2 IBU 
38.50 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (15 min) Hops 5.8 IBU 
30.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (0 min) Hops - 
1.45 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) [StarteYeast-Ale 


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 7.81 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp 
75 min Mash In Add 20.41 L of water at 75.6 C 66.0 C 
10 min Mash Out Add 11.43 L of water at 96.1 C 75.6 C 



No bairds crystal at ESB


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## Stuster (21/7/08)

MCT, have a look at the bitter thread in the Style of the Week forum. It's got heaps of good info on bitters, with recipes and some links to other good threads. Here.


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## kabooby (21/7/08)

Hey Mick,

Marris Otter is a great malt in its own right so you dont need to add a heap of specialty malts to get that nice malt profile.

Recipe looks great

Speak to Lagers and Pumpy. They are the ESB nuts in the group  

Have a look for Scmicks ESB recipe in the recipe DB. Pumpy brews this all the time and its great

Kabooby


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## captaincleanoff (23/8/08)

hey MCT did you try that recipe? How did it turn out?

Just tried Fullers ESB, and really want to try to brew something similar


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## MCT (23/8/08)

captaincleanoff said:


> hey MCT did you try that recipe? How did it turn out?
> 
> Just tried Fullers ESB, and really want to try to brew something similar




Just drinking one now! It's a nice beer, but it's not a Fullers Clone. For starters I got a rediculously good efficiency somehow and it ended up coming out at around 7.2%. 
Bitterness seems good, and the yeast gave it a real fruity flavour... I'm not sure what I'd change next time to make it more like a Fullers.
I've got the other cube I made of this fermenting now and I'm keeping this one at 18c to try and keep the fruitiness down a bit.
The first one was fermented at 22c.
Let me know how you go if you brew this recipe and hope that helps.


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## matti (23/8/08)

I have been following all esb treads lately but a little confused.

I recall drinking a London Pride recently and it had some slight tartiness that rolled around your paleet with a bit of plum coming through.
Very difficult to explain.

*Does northdown hops give a lingering fruitiness with a combination of wheat in the grain bill that does this?*


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## Weizguy (24/8/08)

matti said:


> I have been following all esb treads lately but a little confused.
> 
> I recall drinking a London Pride recently and it had some slight tartiness that rolled around your paleet with a bit of plum coming through.
> Very difficult to explain.
> ...


G'day Matti,

This is a bit off-topic, but I recently branched out to make a London Pride clone, based on a Protz and Wheeler recipe. That recipe called for flaked maize (and 15% invert sugar), which may be the source of your tartness, but certainly dryness.
Quite likely too, is that the plums are generated by the fruity Fullers yeast.

In the book, it's described as "an astonishingly complex beer for its gravity, fine for drinking on its own or with well flavoured food. A multi-layered delight of malt and hops and a deep, intense finish with hop and ripening fruit notes." Does that sound like the beer you had? :lol: 

Cheers
Les


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## matti (24/8/08)

cheers.
I was interested in putting a little extra into an ESB profile.
Not concerned if its a clone but enjoyed the dryness of the London pride.
Probably chuck an bit of flaked maize in an ESB recipe of sort.

OT still. After several stuck sparges, My new falsies are on their way.  
Probably going to try the Ringwood yeast again. since it was such a success last time I brewed with it. 
matti


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## captaincleanoff (26/8/08)

hey Les, would you mind posting the London Pride recipe you used? how did it turn out?


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