English Pale Ale recipe: Help please

[thisispants]

Hi guys, I'm formulating a English PA recipe on brewmate and would like some help or suggestions from those of you in the know.

It's for a 12L batch with BIAB technique.

BIAB Pale Ale (Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale))

Original Gravity (OG): 1.053 (°P): 13.1
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 5.21 %
Colour (SRM): 8.3 (EBC): 16.4
Bitterness (IBU): 35.2 (Average)

77.59% Maris Otter Malt
10.34% Munich I
6.9% Wheat Malt
5.17% Crystal 40

0.8 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.7 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.7 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.2 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
1.2 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
1.3 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


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

Fermented at 20°C with Safale S-04


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

Any help?

 

[manticle]

Maris and crystal is really all you need. That said, I like a touch of kilned stuff like victory, biscuit or aromatic. Some people add invert sugar - I don't but that's not to say you can't or shouldn't.

Unless you know you like fuggles late, I'd shift fuggles to early and keep EKG for flavour and aroma. Styrians are great in a UK.

I also prefer liquid yeasts and there is a great range of UK yeasts available. 1026 and 1469 are my favourite wyeasts for UK bitters.

Your recipe as is looks fine though. I don't think you need the wheat but there is nothing inherently wrong with yours as it stands.

 

[fletcher]

looks good to me mate, but echoing manticle's suggestions, i'd remove the wheat and keep fuggles early on (60 mins only). EKG is beautiful late but to my tastes, fuggles tastes like drinking dirt water.

this is my own experience/idea/opinion though so if you're happy with what you've got...sexyfuntime.

 

[thisispants]

Thanks guys, I've never actually brewed with giggles.... So if I just use it early to bitter the beer, could I nit just use ekg for the whole thing?

Are there any other hips would would suit?

I added the wheat to help with body and head retention, I'm more than happy not to use it though. Would head retention and body be an issue with only marris otter and crystal?

 

[thisispants]

Sorry, auto correct is annoying. Although brewing with giggles does sound appealing.

 

[Funk then Funk1]

Sorry, auto correct is annoying. Although brewing with giggles does sound appealing.

It'd be a laugh!

 

[manticle]

Yes you could use ekg throughout.
Fuggles is deep, earthy, tobacco, mushroom.
Ekg is floral and slighly orange citrus to my palate. Work well together with fuggles early but all ekg is very nice too.

 

[gaijin]

Up to you in regards to the wheat, but I recently brewed a Stone and Wood Pacific Ale clone with about 30% wheat and it came out with the fluffiest marshmallow head.

It's probably not to style in regards to an English Pale Ale, but you'd definitely not be making a bad beer by adding it. That said, I believe Crystal malt does a bit for head retention also.

 

[fletcher]

crystal does aid in head retention. i'd do it without and it should keep a smaller adequate lasting head which is more to style than a big fluffy wheat job.

hop-wise i reckon fuggles or fuggles/EKG combo at 60, then EKG for your 20 and 0 mins. would be beautiful.

 

[jaypes]

I would keep your fuggles for a nice porter, other than that recipe is great - very similar to one of my recipes, with motueka and pacifica

 

[technobabble66]

Sorry to hijack the OP's thread, but it's kinda still on topic:

What does Fuggles bring to an ale when used at 60mins, that EKG or another UK hops wouldn't also do?
I know that some brewers firmly believe 60min hops additions still add a slight flavour element - so i'm more specifically wondering what flavour/effect the fuggles adds that EKG/etc wouldn't.

Thanks

 

[manticle]

That deep earthiness I mentioned. It is discernible and does suit some beers and some palates.

 

[technobabble66]

Ahh ok.
Thanks.
I'll obviously have to try one with & one without to see what this earthiness is that you speak of.
I'm really not sure I've discerned an earthiness in beers before.

 

[manticle]

Also described as woody, mushroomy, tobacco-ey and even minty. Kind of chinookish without the extreme pine and resin but that slight depth it can add to lighter, fruitier hops.

Not chinookish at all but metaphorically chinookish.

 

[technobabble66]

Also described as woody, mushroomy, tobacco-ey and even minty. Kind of chinookish without the extreme pine and resin but that slight depth it can add to lighter, fruitier hops.

Not chinookish at all but metaphorically chinookish.

Nope, don't think i've discerned them either. Spicy, yes. Maybe woody also.
I'm just going to have to try a few different brews with & without fuggles. I don't think i'll be able to understand any other way. I currently feel like you're trying to explain the colour purple to me. FWP
Thanks for trying. At least i know what to look for when i'm taste testing

 

[Rambo]

Not chinookish at all but metaphorically chinookish.

I think that is the most bizarre sentence I have ever read that still made complete sense to me, and I went to art school for 4 years.

 

[TimL]

Recipe looks good,could keep it even simpler by ditching the munich,not needed in an epa,just use more maris otter

 

[thisispants]

Thanks heaps guys, I've adjusted the recipe based on suggestions. Fuggles is gone, someone mentioned earthy and mushroomy..... that was all I need to hear to ditch it.

I've got a bunch of cascade so I'm going to use it and EKG.

Wheat and Munich are both gone, I'm going to keep it simple.

Here's the updated recipe, I'l order the stuff this arvo.

BIAB Pale Ale (Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale))

Original Gravity (OG): 1.053 (°P): 13.1
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 5.21 %
Colour (SRM): 8.1 (EBC): 16.0
Bitterness (IBU): 38.3 (Average)

94.83% Maris Otter Malt
5.17% Crystal 40

0.8 g/L Cascade (6.4% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.7 g/L Cascade (6.4% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
1.7 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (Boil)
0.4 g/L Cascade (6.4% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
1.2 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)
0.7 g/L Cascade (6.4% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)
0.7 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop)


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

Fermented at 20°C with Safale S-04


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[Yeastfridge]

Might have to try that recipe or something very similar in the next week or so