How Do You Do Your Bitter?

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How Do You Do Your Bitter?

  • .65 or below....hops are too expensive

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .75

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .8...........I like it just how its meant to be

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .85

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .9

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • .95

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1.1 or over.....too much hops is never enough

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

jayse

Black Label Society
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Simply enough question, whats you preferred ratio for bitter?

Also might aswell post how much you use on the finish.
I use around 30g spread half at 10 and 5 mins. If its at the dark end of the scale than the hop i like is fuggles if its remotely pale than EKG.
Anyway post your ideas on bitter if you would.

Cheers Jayse
ps here's the specs

8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
Aroma: The best examples have some malt aroma, often (but not always) with a caramel quality. Mild to moderate fruitiness. Hop aroma can range from moderate to none (UK varieties typically, although US varieties may be used). Generally no diacetyl, although very low levels are allowed.

Appearance: Medium gold to medium copper. Good to brilliant clarity. Low to moderate white to off-white head. May have very little head due to low carbonation.

Flavor: Medium to high bitterness. Most have moderately low to moderately high fruity esters. Moderate to low hop flavor (earthy, resiny, and/or floral UK varieties typically, although US varieties may be used). Low to medium maltiness with a dry finish. Caramel flavors are common but not required. Balance is often decidedly bitter, although the bitterness should not completely overpower the malt flavor, esters and hop flavor. Generally no diacetyl, although very low levels are allowed.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Carbonation low, although bottled and canned commercial examples can have moderate carbonation.

Overall Impression: A flavorful, yet refreshing, session beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales.

History: Originally a draught ale served very fresh under no pressure (gravity or hand pump only) at cellar temperatures (i.e. "real ale"). Bitter was created as a draught alternative (i.e. running beer) to country-brewed pale ale around the start of the 20th century and became widespread once brewers understood how to "Burtonize" their water to successfully brew pale beers and to use crystal malts to add a fullness and roundness of palate.

Comments: More evident malt flavor than in an ordinary bitter, this is a stronger, session-strength ale. Some modern variants are brewed exclusively with pale malt and are known as golden or summer bitters. Most bottled or kegged versions of UK-produced bitters are higher-alcohol versions of their cask (draught) products produced specifically for export. The IBU levels are often not adjusted, so the versions available in the US often do not directly correspond to their style subcategories in Britain. This style guideline reflects the "real ale" version of the style, not the export formulations of commercial products.

Ingredients: Pale ale, amber, and/or crystal malts, may use a touch of black malt for color adjustment. May use sugar adjuncts, corn or wheat. English hops most typical, although American and European varieties are becoming more common (particularly in the paler examples). Characterful English yeast. Often medium sulfate water is used.

Vital Statistics:OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.040 - 1.048 1.008 - 1.012 25 - 40 5 - 16 3.8 - 4.6%

Commercial Examples: Fuller's London Pride, Coniston Bluebird Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Robinson's Northern Glory, Shepherd Neame Masterbrew Bitter, Greene King Ruddles County Bitter, RCH Pitchfork Rebellious Bitter, Brains SA, Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted, Goose Island Honkers Ale, Rogue Younger's Special Bitter
 
I know it is late, and I will probably regret this in the morning (but I will always respect you Jayse :wub:), but I do not understand the poll.
What is the ratio we are voting on?
 
Spot on.

1:1 = 45 IBU and 1.045 OG

0.8:1 = 36 IBU and 1.045 OG

tdh
 
wee stu said:
I know it is late, and I will probably regret this in the morning (but I will always respect you Jayse :wub:), but I do not understand the poll.
What is the ratio we are voting on?
[post="49398"][/post]​


Yeap you'll regret that this morning stu because for not doing your homework i ask that you stay after class today :eek:

I did mean BU:GU ratio, sorry for the confusion.
Anyway to come to this divide your bitterness in IBU by the specific gravity in Gravity units. to get gravity units simply drop the decimal ie 1.045 simply become 45, Given a beer at 35 ibu and SG 1.045 you get 35/45 = .77

Hope that clears that up, some people express it like a common ratio like TDH has there ie .77:1 while alot of brewers just drop the :1 as that is a given and just give you the .77

Jayse
 
Hi Jayse

It depends!

As a general guide I bitter the lower gravity ales at a lower ratio and vice versa. The bigger beers can stand up to a higher ratio.

Ordinary Bitter = .7
Best Bitter = .75-.8
Pale Ale = .8-.85

Recently I increased my late additions to 30gms at 15min and 45gms at flame out.

Cheers
MAH
 
Well I've only made 2 Bitters, one was and ESB with a ratio of .7 and another one was an ordinary bitter with a ratio of around 1. Both were very nice but my wife liked the ESB the most, so I voted 8.5 as my target for ther next one. I only use low alpha noble hops in my bitters.

Cheers - Snow.
 
English beers are the ones I brew mostly and I like to vary my bittering ratio as my mood suits. On average though most of mine are bittered to .75.

Same goes for flavour and aroma hops, depends on what I want in the beer, leaning to either malt or hop flavour will determine how much if any flavour hops I add.

Different strokes for different beers!

C&B
TDA
 
Just brewed my first bitter, and made it .8, however, i also fwh some EKG, so it may be a tiny bit higher. From the secondary, the bitterness is not too overpowering, and it tastes delicious!!
 
I voted for .75 as I've only made 3 bitters so far and they were all in the .7-.8 range.

Shawn.
 
i like em at 1:1 or higher but it depends. if i want to make a maltier beer then ill use less.

i've got no probs with high alpha in small quantities for bittering in this style but ill only use EKG, fuggles, styrian, progress etc for flavour and aroma.
i dryhopped with 5g of dried rosepetals in one once and that was nice!
 
Usually 0.8 ish but the next few I will be increasing to get more of a bite! Great style of beer to brew.
 
My one and only attempt at a bitter so far came in at .84.

Someone must have liked it, it took out best in its class at ANAWBS 2004. :beerbang:
 
Mine has varied over the years.

Depends on my mood. Usually 35-45 IBU. Like to useTarget for bittering these days. Does the job well for a high AAU hop.

Finishing additions are all over the place. Usually a combination of Goldings, Fuggles, Target and sometimes Styrians. My jury is still out with Progress.

Generally add 20g 10 mins. from flameout and 30-40g at flameout.

Don't dryhop all of them, particularly the lower grav. beers.. Tend to prefer dryhopping for the darker, slightly higher grav. (1.050) winter beers.

Warren -
 
Thanx for the replies brewers. It does seem we are all on the same page here with only a couple brewers outside the .7-.9 mark.
Ordinary bitter however i think is a pretty different though and a much wider range amoung brewers. I do my ordinary at a higher ratio which seems not quite what my favourite bitter brewer MAH does, and i have to say MAH's and TDA's word on bitters i take as pretty much gosbel...sorry admiration society lecture over.

Anyway heres to bitter, i have a few more bitter questions for you all but that can wait, got some pints to down first. :chug: :chug:

Jayse
 
does anyone have any info on ruddles county? One of my favourtie bitters i have had. Anyway i have searched till iam blue in the face and can't find all that much on the beer except other peoples tasting notes and brief brewery notes. Iam not trying to brew a clone I simply what to see what info on the beer is out there which i haven't been able to find yet.

Iam thinking the ratio is about .8 and am wondering if my estimate of that was close to what others have for it.
Although the version now is 4.7% iam looking at brewing a similar beer but at 5.2% which seems the ruddles original was untill it was sacrificed so to speak.

Anyway is there any nice little tid bits any brewers have to offer up on ruddles?
quote>
Beer from the Real World
Ruddles County is an all-occasion beer, perfect as a pint after the rugby game or a night out at the pub with family and friends.

Ruddles County is also one of the most popular selling premium ales at the supermarket so dont forget to add it to your shopping list next time. It is, after all, a beer from the Real World, so any time thats good for you is a good time to drink Ruddles County
Taste
Ruddles County is famed for its dry, bitter flavour, which comes from using the rare Bramling Cross hops. Many liken the flavour to burnt toffee and caramel which, when combined with the dry bitterness, gives a very pleasing taste. It really is the ultimate bitter-lovers' bitter.
Character
Ruddles County has a light, inviting aroma of soft fruits and hops, and is a deep brown colour with warm, reddish tones.

end quote>

cheers in advance
jayse

PS i don't want to see any basterdised dodgey homebrewers recipes iam after actuall facts, iam quite capable of doing my own bastardizing.

about_county_pic.gif
 
Hi Jayse,

I have an book called homebrewers recipe data base, a collection of data from commercial brewers. Written by Les Howarth a retired commercial brewer.

Ruddles County
85% pale Malt
4% crystal
11% syrup (I assume maltose or possibly sugar syrup)
Hops: Challanger, northdown, Goldings, Bramling Cross
IBU 38
OG 1.050

No other info apart from that.
Hope it helps

Andrew
Edit: added gravity
 
jayse, I have met the brewer who brewed the original Ruddles when it was in Langham, Oakham. He now brews at the Grainstore Brewery, Oakham and I have been reliably informed that their 1050 is a direct take off of the original.
I will contact Jo's Dad and get him to ask Tony Davis about the finer points of Ruddles beer.

Some links if you haven't seen them before.

http://www.beermad.org.uk/cgi-bin/show_bre...info.cgi?id=850

http://www.quaffale.org.uk/php/brewery/216

http://www.rutnet.co.uk/customers/grainstore/

C&B
TDA
 
Thanx andrew and mark,
Getting somewhere now, one thing i note is the original must have been to die for as even the new one that we get in oz in clear bottles which has proberly spent six month in a leaky boat before we got it tastes sensational too me.

I think i could get enough attenuation out of a 65c mash without having to use 11% syrup, could that be treacle, or golden syrup of some sort?
It would be strange to use a maltose syrup since maltose will be the major part of the wort mashed at 65c anyway.

Anyway cheers guys
Jayse
 
Jayse.

The syrup would most likely be Lyle's Inverters syrup. Fairly freely available from the bigger supermarkets. :unsure:

Warren -
 
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