Bob's Best Bitter

Well, it's been quite a busy year, and that means not a lot of brewing. A contest at work spurred me into making a quick bitter. I'm rather happy with it too.

I cracked the first bottle after a week conditioning, here's the result.

Appearance: Light golden to amber. Quite clear despite a little yeast kicked up during the pour. Thin head falling quickly but I expect a little more with the roasted barley.

Aroma: Not much here but it's still a little under carbonated. Spicy hop aroma from the fuggles. A little breadiness and some caramel or vanilla warm sweetness. The phenols are probably from a high fermentation temperature but they are slight and add a nice subdued sweetness to the nose without overwhelming.

Flavor: Definitely some spicy and slightly resinous hop in the tail but the initial impression is caramel. I'm getting a little bit of a resin/chemical flavor that could be from the smoked malt although I suspect the caramel is the predominant contribution from that ingredient. Balance tips to the bitter side of the scale.

Mouthfeel: More full bodied than you'd expect from the low alcohol which is what I was going for with the grain bill. I nice creamy smoothness that reminds you a little of a dry Irish stout but it's more of a memory than a real impression. Carbonation is low, but again, it's only been conditioning for a week. I don't expect high carbonation but I suspect there will be a bit more in the coming weeks.

Finish: Fairly long linger on the hop which makes this a good beer to drink slowly. Coupled with the low alcohol, I expect I could finish 5 or 6 in a long session without any sign of a hangover the next
day.

General Impression: I'm rather happy with this one. I'm a little rusty these days and I've been doing crazy beers to it's nice to have a easy to brew, east to drink beer for a change.

Bob's Best Bitter

Standard/Ordinary Bitter

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 8/23/2014
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Trevor
Boil Size: 7.00 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: BIAB
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 6 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 73.20 % 1 lbs Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 11.26 % 1 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 11.26 % 3.0 oz Aromatic Malt (Dingemans) (19.0 SRM) Grain 2.14 % 2.1 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.46 % 1.0 oz Peat Smoked Malt (2.8 SRM) Grain 0.68 % 0.50 oz Millenium [15.90 %] (60 min) Hops 26.6 IBU 0.50 oz Millenium [15.90 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops - 1.00 oz Fuggles [5.30 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops - 1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.038 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.038 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.47 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 3.90 %
Bitterness: 26.6 IBU	Calories: 165 cal/pint
Est Color: 7.7 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: BIAB	Total Grain Weight: 8.88 lb
Sparge Water: 4.07 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
BIAB Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Step Add 16.00 qt of water at 160.1 F 152.0 F
Mash Notes:
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 1.1
Pressure/Weight: 1.0 oz	Carbonation Used: 1.2
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 75.0 F	Age for: 21.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Flame out a couple of times on the burner so I boiled a little longer than estimated for the first hop addition. Quite hot outside so fermentation is high. 82 pitch, trying to lower with an ice bath. 38 x 12oz = 3.5gal bottled 29-Aug-2014
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