Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
EccentricDyslexic

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by EccentricDyslexic » Thu May 27, 2010 10:18 pm

Not had it on draught, but it is good in the bottle, but there is some variation week by week as to the quality. When its on form though its great!

Brewday went to plan, 20.5l in the FV, but only 1.054OG, so 6 points off.

Talk about hop soup though, it was thick!! 250g of hops! :shock: The boiler is half full of hop! This is the strongest hop aroma ive brewed so far!

Goona pitch 1.8l of starter in a mo. [-o<

Steve

EccentricDyslexic

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by EccentricDyslexic » Sun May 30, 2010 2:28 pm

Advice pls! In 3 days its only droped 4 points! Im a bit concerned, i roused it after 12 hours and again just...should i leave it or pitch an emergency Nottingham sachet?

Steve

User avatar
OldSpeckledBadger
Under the Table
Posts: 1477
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 4:31 pm
Location: South Staffordshire

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by OldSpeckledBadger » Sun May 30, 2010 3:08 pm

EccentricDyslexic wrote:Advice pls! In 3 days its only droped 4 points! Im a bit concerned, i roused it after 12 hours and again just...should i leave it or pitch an emergency Nottingham sachet?

Steve
Re-pitch.
Best wishes

OldSpeckledBadger

User avatar
TC2642
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2161
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:11 pm
Location: Somewhere between cabbaged and heavily cabbaged

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by TC2642 » Sun May 30, 2010 8:11 pm

Jolum wrote:
pantsmachine wrote:I don't normally do 'strong' posts but what's the point in recreating this pishwater? Got to be the blandest excuse for an IPA its ever been my misfortune to try. Feck, they even sell it in clear bottles! Old Empire my arse, search these here forums and you'll get recipes for real IPA's that will put a smile on your face. Don't do mine though, they're all crap but they're still better than Old Empire. Grumble grumble grumble. :lol:
I have to agree I've had it in bottle and on tap at one of my locals and it ain't what I'd call an IPA. Not a bad pint mind but not a real IPA.
It's not as bad as Green King IPA though.
Fermenting -!
Maturing - Lenin's Revenge RIS
Drinking - !
Next brew - PA
Brew after next brew - IPA

EccentricDyslexic

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by EccentricDyslexic » Sun May 30, 2010 10:02 pm

TC2642 wrote:
Jolum wrote:
pantsmachine wrote:I don't normally do 'strong' posts but what's the point in recreating this pishwater? Got to be the blandest excuse for an IPA its ever been my misfortune to try. Feck, they even sell it in clear bottles! Old Empire my arse, search these here forums and you'll get recipes for real IPA's that will put a smile on your face. Don't do mine though, they're all crap but they're still better than Old Empire. Grumble grumble grumble. :lol:
I have to agree I've had it in bottle and on tap at one of my locals and it ain't what I'd call an IPA. Not a bad pint mind but not a real IPA.
It's not as bad as Green King IPA though.
Now that IS pish water! Yuk

Steve

EccentricDyslexic

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by EccentricDyslexic » Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:23 pm

Repitched Windsor as i had no Nottingham. Its defo done the trick, and it tastes superb!! Cant wait!!

Steve

User avatar
Jolum
Hollow Legs
Posts: 453
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:09 pm
Location: Somewhere over there...near Derby :-)

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by Jolum » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:37 am

EccentricDyslexic wrote:
TC2642 wrote:
It's not as bad as Green King IPA though.
Now that IS pish water! Yuk

Steve
You'll get no argument from me there. I can't believe they haven't been done by trading standards for selling Green King as an IPA...I've tasted hoppier water :wacko:
"Everybody has to believe in something, I believe I'll have another drink." - W.C. Fields

EccentricDyslexic

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by EccentricDyslexic » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:05 am

Update on this one. it got badly infected, i recon the delay in the yeast getting going let some LB bugs in from a dead leg on the old brew set up.

That is now resolved. The brewery is now rebuilt and largely automated. I brewed the same recipe last week and kegd it last night.

I had to taste it-very pleased with it! Bitterness is about right,but hop aroma is absent, hopefully the dry hopping will sort that out. As for colour- it is too pale, i wonder if they put in a touch of black malt to darken it a touch. Taste wise malt taste is pretty close, but its too early to be judging it really! But a pint of 1 week old beer was fab! Not sure if im gonna be able to leave this 6 weeks!

Steve

Kingfisher4
Hollow Legs
Posts: 387
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:03 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Re: Marstons Old Empire Recipe help pls!

Post by Kingfisher4 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 1:30 am

It's been a while since any comment made here or elsewhere on an Old Empire clone recipe.

Can anyone help with a tried and tested version now? Keen to try to replicate as lots of the empty bottles that are awaiting my new brewing hobby were full of Old Empire just months ago and it's brewed just down the road, so would like to try out a reasonably accurate clone if possible.

P.S. They changed to brown glass a while ago; obviously recognised the light struck issues eventually.

Post Reply