An Ordinary Challenger

[Dazza_devil]

Just playing with a recipe while my Aussie Pale Ale sits on the yeast cake for a week.
I've got a pack of Challenger pellets so I want to showcase them in an Ordinary EPA. Hope they are exceptable for the purpose.
Here's what I'm starting with,

26 litres

IBU 32.1
EBC 24.4
4.1%alc/vol
OG 1.039
FG 1.009

1.5kgs Coopers Light LME
0.5kg LDME
0.25kg dextrose


200g Caramunich II
100g Carared
100g Caraaroma
40g Black Malt

35g Challenger @ 60 mins
20g Challenger @30 mins
20g Challenger @ 5 mins

12g dried SO4 yeast fermented @ 20C - might even make a starter with it

I do a 9 litre boil which includes a 2 litre sparge.

Carbonated to 1.5 vol CO2


What would you do with it?
Those are pretty much the hops and spec. grains I'm playing with other than a bit of carapils and other dark roasted grains. The rest is flexible.

 

[mje1980]

With all that extract and crystal, i doubt it'll get down to 1.009, which isnt a problem, just something to be aware of. I love bitters but i wouldn't put that much crystal in, seems a bit much to me, but that's just an opinion. If you usually use that much, you'll be fine. If not, maybe drop the cara aroma, and swap the amounts of carared, and caramunich.

Just my .02c.

Challenger is an excellent hop, and works great in english beers.

 

[bconnery]

One of my best extract beers was an english bitter with 100g each of a lightish, medium and dark crystal.
I don't think the extra 100g of caramunich would be an issue but personally I'd drop the black malt.
I've had some nice english beers with caraaroma in as a specialty malt.

I've used that ratio again with AG beers and it seems to work well.

I wouldn't worry about a starter with dried yeast.

I agree that I'm not sure it is going to get down to 1009, but I don't see that as an issue.

Challenger is a very nice English hop.

 

[Dazza_devil]

G'day Brewers,

I'm just about settled on this and hope to get it in by the end of the weekend.
It's a low alcohol brew, something I haven't tried making but it's according to style I think. Any English Ordinary Experts please chime in.

OG 1.037
FG 1.009 (optimistic)
IBU 29.6
EBC 25.1
alc. 3.8%

25 litres

1.5kg Coopers Light LME
800g LDME
250g dextrose

12g SO4 dry pitched and fermented @ 20 degrees C

100g Caramunich 2
100g Carared
100g Caraaroma
50g Black Patent Malt

30g Challenger (6.1%AA) @ 60mins
30g Challenger @ 20 mins
20g Challenger @ 0 mins

Bulk primed to 1.5 vols CO2

I'm using up what I have left of a few spec. grains and I want to familiarise myself with Challenger as a universal hop.

Anything really wrong with it for an English Ordinary Bitter?

 

[Dazza_devil]

Well it's darker than I expected, almost a brown, but after 2 weeks in the bottle it's friggin delicious. Love the Challenger hops.

Edited to say it ended up at 1.010, not bad.