Aussie bitter ale

[pilgrimspiss]

Personally, I reckon you could use most of the HPA hops.

Those flavours have been bred and grown here in Australia and aren't available anywhere else.

Its not just PoR anymore. A pale ale using Summer, Topaz or Vic Secret for bittering and Aroma is a pretty bloody tasty beer!! Having such high Alpha Acids available also makes them economic for bittering and also quite a powerful bitter at that.

Cheers
Matty.

 

[pilgrimspiss]

I don't know where the liking of a straight bitter came from (probably my old man) but I actually really enjoyed the last time (which was also the first and only time) that I had coopers sparkling ale. I'm usually a hop head or German styled drinker.

It is pretty much what is says, and it IS bitter. But it was hot, I'd been working, I poured ice cold into a glass, man did they go down! Put a six pack away easily.

NO aroma, just straight bitterness, crisp finish, quite dry, light maltiness, pretty highly carbed BUT......I did enjoy it.

Cheers
Matty.

 

[indica86]

A pale ale using Summer, Topaz or Vic Secret for bittering and Aroma is a pretty bloody tasty beer!! Having such high Alpha Acids available also makes them economic for bittering and also quite a powerful bitter at that.

Summer would not be economical.

 

[pilgrimspiss]

Summer would not be economical.

At 5.6-6.4 % AA you would be correct indica86. Adds a nice simple aroma to a pale ale though.

 

[Spohaw]

I was planning on using just summer in place of POR in an Australian bitter or pale ale ..... Maybe with a few grams of galaxy with it

So far the recipe is like this

Grain Bill
----------------
3.500 kg Pale Ale Malt (63.64%)
1.000 kg Wheat Malt (18.18%)
0.500 kg Unmalted Wheat (9.09%)
0.300 kg Crystal 15 (5.45%)
0.200 kg Dextrose (3.64%)

Hop Bill
----------------
5.0 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 40 Minutes (Boil) (0.2 g/L)
50.0 g Summer Pellet (5.3% Alpha) @ 40 Minutes (Boil) (2.2 g/L)

with MJ Burton Union yeast

 

[jphowman]

I've brewed this recipe. It is one of the sample recipes that comes with beersmith. It's really quite good, it turned me on to how good POR can be.

http://www.beersmith.com/Recipes2/recipe_71.htm

Personally I like the idea of a bitter ale that is brewed to suit a hot climate and enjoyed this enough to make it a house beer if I ever run out of new styles. My next attempt will swap the sugar for ~15% flaked rice, get rid of the Munich (too rich), and reduce the late hops to improve quaffability.

I used wyeast 1728 Edinburgh yeast since it is apparently similar to us05 but with slightly more character.

 

[indica86]

with MJ Burton Union yeast

Try the British Ale yeast if you have not yet. It's great and may well suit this style.

 

[Spohaw]

Try the British Ale yeast if you have not yet. It's great and may well suit this style.

Placed a yeast order yesterday and got the burton yeast , so I'm kind of locked into that yeast

Ill try the British ale yeast after the burton

 

[Spohaw]

What's the difference between the two ?
Thought burton yeast was a British yeast

 

[Bribie G]

Burton Union, i.e. Bass yeasts are the oldest "modern" yeasts, dating from the 18th century and would no doubt be the foundation of Australian Ale yeasts. They would have arrived here in huge quantities in bottle conditoned ales and casked IPAs.

 

[indica86]

Bass yeasts? Are there treble yeasts to balance this?

Seriously though... how do you you know this and where can I educate myself?

 

[TheWiggman]

I currently have on tap an Aussie 'bitter ale' which was 95% JW pils, 5% JW light crystal using M10 Workhorse yeast. PoR for bitter, lots of late cluster, and my oh my did it make out to be a pub-style beer. In the bottle it's great, but it finished too high and ended up being a full bodied midstrength out of the keg.
I had some non-hop fans around today and one commented that even though it was a midstrength, it's better than the typical mainstream varieties.

I would definitely do it again the same. In my opinion what made it was -

• Combo of pride and cluster
• Low ferment temp using yeast with little character

It could be done with sugaz but I like it how it is. Preferred to finish around 1.010 to my tastes.
In my opinion (repeat opinion) using an English ale yeast would give it too much English character. Moving away from PoR and using something like Galaxy would push it into pale ale territory. I know there are a lot of PoR haters out there but used properly I really enjoy it. Cluster more so. I think you really need PoR in there to make it what it is, and I don't think there's much - if anything - out there that can sub it.

 

[jyo]

What about Emu Bitter? When in WA last year I bought a slab. 4% ABV, very lager-like and had the typical metallic taste of lighter mass produced beers.
Actually has 'Bitter Ale' written on the label.

15 or so years ago, E.B. was a pretty decent swiller. Now I know my tastes have changed, but the last time I had one it was pretty damned bland. It does say Bitter Ale on the label, whether or not this is just a tip of the hat to the old recipe and they are now using a lager yeast, I'm not sure.

I reckon the the WY British Ale II fermented cool at 17' to keep the esters low would be a great choice for the 'style'.

 

[manticle]

Cluster is used in xxxx and plays very well with por but is a US hop.

 

[manticle]

According to that amazingly reliable website wikipedia, emu bitter is an ale. Might be the only widely commercially available example of this made up style if it is truly so.

 

[Spohaw]

Pretty sure EB is a lager

 

[manticle]

Maybe it is but on what is your confidence based? Inside knowledge? Incredible palate? Intuition? Tarot readings?

 

[Spohaw]

Tarot

The cards never lie

Haha

 

[manticle]

It's true.
I could have had a severe library fine had I not consulted my deck and realised the books were overdue.

That king of cups is a useful chap.

 

[Spohaw]

Haha

Bet you a six pack it's a lager ...?

I consulted the cards again and I'm feeling confident haha