Challenger And First Gold

[Tony]

Im going to do a brew on sunday. Hopefully i wont infect it.

Im going a standard base for a bitter with Ale malt base, 5% crystal and 1% chocolate malt.

1.045, 32 IBU.

Im going to use challenger and First gold. I love them both but i cant decide which to use to bitter and whick th flavour/aroma.

I wanted to do a Poll but couldnt work out how.

im not going to say what my prefference is........ what do you all think?

cheers

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Easy. A little from Column A and a little from Column B.

Cannot remember the AA of each hop, but a mixture of each for flavour/aroma can only be good... I'm not First Gold's #1 fan, but you could pick worse hops for sure.

 

[warrenlw63]

Hey Tony

If undecided hopburst 'em. You could then call it a dead-heat. :lol:

Personally speaking I prefer the aroma of Challenger. Nothing wrong with First Gold but to my mind it's not all that different to EKG (though not a bad thing).

Warren -

 

[Tony]

Thanks folks.

Ive deciced to use FG as a bittering hop and Challenger as flavour and aroma. I dont think ive ever used challenger as a late hop by its self. Will be interesting.

Going to firment it with American Ale 2 to try this yeast out. Its kind of an APA, but with english hops.

First Gold Bitter

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 54.00 Wort Size (L): 54.00
Total Grain (kg): 9.60
Anticipated OG: 1.045 Plato: 11.15
Anticipated EBC: 19.3
Anticipated IBU: 33.8
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
93.7 9.00 kg. IMC Ale Malt Australia 1.038 4
5.2 0.50 kg. TF Crystal UK 1.034 145
1.0 0.10 kg. TF Chocolate Malt UK 1.033 900

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
70.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 29.1 60 min.
30.00 g. Wye Challenger Pellet 7.90 4.6 10 min.
50.00 g. Wye Challenger Pellet 7.90 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1272 American Ale II

 

[Ross]

Hi Tony,

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I'd be using Challenger all the way through but combining with 1st gold on the late additions.
Challenger is a great bittering hop & has a beautiful flavour; 1st Gold would be wasted IMO as a straight bittering hop but has great finess as a finishing hop

Cheers Ross

 

[Tony]

yeah very true Ross. I have used challenger as a bittering hop plenty of times and its great. I also made a fantastic beer using EKG and FG mixed and it was great.

Will look at the recipe tonight and perhaps put a bit of FG in with the challenger.

cheers.

PS.... this is why i posted this..... i love getting others ideas!

 

[Tony]

OK.... Edited recipe.

First Gold Bitter

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 54.00 Wort Size (L): 54.00
Total Grain (kg): 10.10
Anticipated OG: 1.047 Plato: 11.71
Anticipated EBC: 19.5
Anticipated IBU: 35.1
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
94.1 9.50 kg. IMC Ale Malt Australia 1.038 4
5.0 0.50 kg. TF Crystal UK 1.034 145
1.0 0.10 kg. TF Chocolate Malt UK 1.033 900

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
50.00 g. Wye Challenger Pellet 7.90 19.3 45 min.
30.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 11.3 45 min.
30.00 g. Wye Challenger Pellet 7.90 4.6 10 min.
30.00 g. Wye Challenger Pellet 7.90 0.0 0 min.
20.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1272 American Ale II

 

[Ross]

nice ....

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

OT, I know, but is your chocolate malt there for colour, flavour or, as someone somewhere somethinged, to help with beer clarity?

I *think* I read that dark malts lend something (polyphenols?) that help reduce protein haze, but I could be talking out my arse...

 

[Tony]

All three mate...... all three.

it lends a fantastic depth of colour........ ti gives a light roasty coffee flavout in small amounts and yes .... dark malts do tend to help reduce the mash pH, thus helping with beer clarity.

But in the end, i just like an amber beer with 1% chocolate malt in it!

cheers

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

My last several brews have had a chocolate addition. I think I like what it does - certainly in terms of assisting clarity (I use the 5.2pH buffering solution thing) and it adds a *something* to the flavour that is decidedly not horrible...

 

[bconnery]

I like the eventual hop additions too. I like the idea of Challenger and First Gold, well anything and First Gold really...
I've just done the EKG/First Gold combo in a bitter and I am loving it.
With a pale chocolate addition too...

 

[Tony]

THis is a beer i made with EKG and FG a while back. It was a delicious drop and didnt last long. Worked well with that luscious GOlden Promise malt. I really liked the stuff!



First gold Bitter

A ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 50.00 Wort Size (L): 50.00
Total Grain (kg): 11.70
Anticipated OG: 1.060 Plato: 14.70
Anticipated EBC: 17.8
Anticipated IBU: 48.5
Brewhouse Efficiency: 83 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
85.5 10.00 kg. TF Golden Promise Pale Ale Ma UK 1.037 6
8.5 1.00 kg. TF Crystal UK 1.034 100
6.0 0.70 kg. JWM Wheat Malt Australia 1.040 4

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
100.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.00 24.1 45 min.
30.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 11.2 45 min.
40.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.00 5.2 15 min.
30.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 6.0 15 min.
40.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.00 0.9 2 min.
30.00 g. First Gold Pellet 7.70 1.0 2 min.
30.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.00 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

Hi Tony,

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I'd be using Challenger all the way through but combining with 1st gold on the late additions.
Challenger is a great bittering hop & has a beautiful flavour; 1st Gold would be wasted IMO as a straight bittering hop but has great finess as a finishing hop

Cheers Ross

I totally agree with Ross here. Challenger is a brilliant hop to use all the way through.
I haven't tried First Gold however so there is another hop I will have to buy and try!

 

[bconnery]

This is my one, dark ordinary bitter. Has a lovely hint of coffee in the end to go with the hops and malt flavour...
Really happy with this beer...

Style: English Ordinary Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 31.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.037 SG
Estimated Color: 27.6 EBC
Estimated IBU: 27.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2800.00 gm Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 83.58 %
250.00 gm Maize, Flaked (Thomas Fawcett) (3.9 EBC) Grain 7.46 %
100.00 gm Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (236.4 EBC) Grain 2.99 %
100.00 gm Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 2.99 %
100.00 gm Chocolate - Pale (700.0 EBC) Grain 2.99 %
10.00 gm First Gold [7.50 %] (60 min) Hops 10.9 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 7.3 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 3.6 IBU
10.00 gm First Gold [7.50 %] (15 min) Hops 5.4 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min) (AroHops -
10.00 gm First Gold [7.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

 

[stakka82]

Can't believe there aren't more recent posts here. I'm gonna do a cupboard cleaner special bitter for a NY party:

NY 2014 (Special/Best/Premium Bitter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.044 (°P): 11.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011 (°P): 2.8
Alcohol (ABV): 4.32 %
Colour (SRM): 7.8 (EBC): 15.4
Bitterness (IBU): 38.5 (Average)

96.77% Maris Otter Malt
3.23% Crystal 120

1.2 g/L East Kent Golding (5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
3.1 g/L First Gold (7.9% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
1.3 g/L First Gold (7.9% Alpha) @ 4 Days (Dry Hop)


Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 20°C with S-04