Thames Welsh Bitter Ale

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Pumpy

Pumpy's Brewery.
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I suppose any beer goes down well on a hot day but I made this double batch for my kegs and it had been a really good refreshing beer for this time of the year .

I love the kegs as I can control the carbonation and being a Pomme dont like highly carbonated beer .
I changed the version in Clone brews and enjoy the Target ,EKG ,Fuggles combination dropped the Torrefied wheat and the cane sugar from the recipie .I have had various results with the London ale yeast but unsure if it is that or the Maris Otter that has given me couple of cloudy batches this one of them although it has not impaired the taste .
I would definately change the yeast next time although again flvour is good .



BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Thames Welsh Bitter Ale (Big batch)
Brewer: Pumpy
Asst Brewer: Owen ( he is only one and half )
Style: English Special or Best Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 46.00 L
Boil Size: 55.39 L
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 15.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 41.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
8000.00 gm TF Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 88.9 %
500.00 gm JWM Crystal 140 (145.8 EBC) Grain 5.6 %

48.00 gm Target [11.00%] (90 min) Hops 31.7 IBU
68.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 9.5 IBU
34.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU
1 Pkgs London Ale (White Labs #WLP013) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 9000.00 gm
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 23.45 L of water at 77.0 C 70.0 C 45 min
Mash Out Add 9.38 L of water at 91.5 C 75.6 C 10 min


Pumpy
 
Looking good Pumpy but you may need to check the grain bill (8.5kg against your mash schedule - 9.0kg) Maybe you were going with 10% crystal and reduced that malt? In any event 5% crystal is spot on.

Wes
 
Your right Wes I chopped out the kilo of Torrefied wheat before posting .

pumpy
 
5% Crystal with 95% Pale malt is a classic combination. Stepping up the bitterness into the 40's makes them very refreshing.

I did the Anchor Steam from Clone Brews with slight variation.
95% Pale Malt, 4% Standard Crystal, 1% Dark Crystal.
Bittered to 45 IBU with Northern Brewer, 15g NB @ 15m, 15g @ FO.
Wyeast 2112.
Fantastic brew for a hot summer's day.
Trouble is, it won't last until the really hot summer's days.
Another batch is in order.
 
Hey Pumpy,
That looks great! I don't think I have replied to any of your threads before and I'am not familar with the actuall beer in which this recipes originated to clone but I just stuck my nose in to say you got my interest. Looks on the screen to be a lovely beer. K
A couple questions

Is the IBU and gravity and mash temp of your recipe here the same as whats in the book?
What was your final gravity?
Being the finishing hop amounts are slightyly odd numbers, ie not rounded up to the next 5 I pressme they are exact to the recipe in the book, yes?


I wouldn't short change the yeast you used because its great, the fact that it didn't clear I wouldn't blame the yeast on that. Although you say it didn't impair the taste not being clear I'am sure the beer would even be a little bit better if it were a bit clearer.
It would be insane to blame the thomas fawcett marris otter for the clarity issues also, its not like its a inferior malt or anything :lol: in fact its quite the opposite, considered the best. Anyway I think the clarity issue aren't directly to do with either of these factors.

With the carbonation controll with kegs I have to totally agree theres no match for pouring perfect pints of bitter than having a keg system, even the dogdiest of set up will do the job. Even a normal beer tap acts like some sort of sparkler plate of sorts in some way and you can get a nice thin layer of foam in a almost flat perfect pint of bitter. (Note I wouldn't ever use a actuall sparkler plate. i have one its great for collecting dust, just mentioning how pouring beer from any tap has a certain degree of doing similar things)

Anyway lovely work.

I am the egg man.
Jayse
 
Pumpy,

You might want to try using whirfloc/coppafloc tablets in the boil if you are having clarity problems.


With your beer of course ! ;) :D
 
Pumpy,

Did you manage to get Fawcetts Maris otter? I never had a problem with this. Most now seems to be Bairds MO, which is the one I've been having huge protien haze problems with as well - Polyclar in your secondary will sort this out - quite important to do, as protien haze is not good for the long term life of your beer...

P.S. Looks like a nice drop....


cheers Ross
 
Bilph , I started hopping lightly thinking that after commercial beer Victoria bitter always burnt my stomach thinking I dont really like beers too hoppy but nowI realise that hoppy is not necessarily really bitter.

Jayse

The IBU 's were 41.5 not the same as the book and I remember now that I used the hopping profiles from the Spitfire ale on the othe page but still changed it a bit too suit my available hops .

Again the mash temperature was one I use in Beersmith a little higher than in the book was 65.5 mine was 69-70C.

The estt gravity was 45 but I got 50 first time I was in front but I dont know if the better efficiency was due to leaving the Torrefied wheat out but I also left out the cane sugar .

Remember recipie in the book is for 18.9 litres and I scaled up to 23 thus the hop difference .

The recipe I have made three times before with the same ingredients and it was clear but I have had a couple of other batches so it was maybe something in my process reckon I forgot to put the irish moss in too late :huh:

The Maris Otter is the Bairds Malt and perhaps was a bit unfair on the yeast I had pushed it through a lot of batches .

Linz ,I may have forgot to add the irish moss untill too late .but will look out for them . :angry:

Ross no it was the Bairds Malt taste fine and some batches have cleared .

look to be real Honest I could not wait to get it in the kegs so I did not CC for a week or so .or seconday and may have the fridge set a bit cold .Will give the Polyclar a try

So after answering all the questions from the Spanish Inquisition I really only have myself to blame , I just wanted everyone to know its a nice drop and Jayse probably the only resemblance it has to the Thames Valley bitter Ale is that it has grain in it :blink:



Pumpy :)
 
hey pumpy

is that yeast the british ale yeast i gave you mate ?

If it is its actually wyeast 1318

I have found with some of the british ale yeasts that dont settle so well that a racking to secondary for a week or 2 doesnt quite clear it enough.

I have been racking it a second time and then it clears out great.

a good month long stint in secondary will help it if you are kegging it too, especially if you dry hop it.

I have a bitter in the secondary thats been there for 4 weeks now and its tasting great.

Tonys Special Bitter

A ProMash Recipe Report

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

Batch Size (L): 45.00 Wort Size (L): 45.00
Total Grain (kg): 8.00
Anticipated OG: 1.044 Plato: 10.86
Anticipated EBC: 13.3
Anticipated IBU: 34.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
90.0 7.20 kg. TF Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt UK 1.037 5
5.0 0.40 kg. TF Torrefied Wheat UK 1.035 5
5.0 0.40 kg. TF Crystal UK 1.034 145

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.00 g. Wye Northdown Pellet 7.20 10.3 First WH
38.00 g. Wye Northdown Pellet 7.20 17.9 60 min.
30.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.20 6.2 20 min.
30.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 5.20 0.0 0 min.
22.00 g. Wye Northdown Pellet 7.20 0.0 Dry Hop


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1275 Thames Valley Ale


It tasted a bit funny for the first week or 2 and i thought it was infected but i think it was the dry hops.

It was my first go at northdown hops so im happy so far.

Will have to up the bitterness next time.

I will agree with you pumpy, i live the target bittering, EKG flavor and fuggle aroma combo.

cheers mate.
 
Tony ,

Yes it was the Wyeast British ale 1318 yeast you gave me that I pushed a bit far but I dont reckon the yeast as this particular one was made with the Whitelabs London ale yeast WLP013 they seem very similar .

I made a great Fullers ESB with that 1318 yeast and Dry hopped it clear great head and for many I reckon dry hopping would be an aquired taste ,the ESB is great but I dont want it as a quaffing beer can only drink two bottle a night .

Quote Tony "It tasted a bit funny for the first week or 2 and i thought it was infected but i think it was the dry hops"

That happened with me I was not dry hopping but worked out fine too.

Pumpy
 

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