An incredibly boring beer

[guypettigrew]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Back to basics and all that.

A beer with just Marris Otter pale malt and crystal malt, with only Fuggles and Goldings as the hops. OG 1.049, bitterness 51 EBU.

Drinking some as I type. Ah well, there can't be more than about 30 pints of it left in the keg.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Crystal clear, good colour, perfectly carbonated. But it's the sort of beer which, if you had it at a beer festival, you'd think 'let's find something else'.

It was worth a try.

Guy

[Dennis King]

What yeast did you use. The yeast choice will make a big difference.

[guypettigrew]

White labs WLP013. Seemed like a good choice for a standard English bitter.

Guy

[Dennis King]

A good choice. I am surprised it turned out bland I've made some great beers with that yeast.

[Rookie]

I used to make bitter with just M O and some crystal and it was okay. I made a batch with 5% victory malt added and that really made a difference.

[Eric]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Back to basics and all that.

A beer with just Marris Otter pale malt and crystal malt, with only Fuggles and Goldings as the hops. OG 1.049, bitterness 51 EBU.

Drinking some as I type. Ah well, there can't be more than about 30 pints of it left in the keg.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Crystal clear, good colour, perfectly carbonated. But it's the sort of beer which, if you had it at a beer festival, you'd think 'let's find something else'.

It was worth a try.

Guy

Do you think we might have lost the knack? After more than a year trying to make a decent brew with American hops, I too have returned to being faithful to EKG and Fuggles. The results for pale beers have not been good nor as I remembered. Looking back through the log I've notice I used to brew with a lot less hops and wonder if I've fallen into a bad habit. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

[WalesAles]

guy,
Perhaps you have reached your `Lupulin Threshold`..........
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/ ... threshold/

WA

[PeeBee]

I think Eric and "WalesAles" have hit on the reason.

I see your description with "bitterness 51 EBU" and "perfectly carbonated" and think, "well I wouldn't want to drink it".

Way too bitter for a EKG/Fuggles beer, 28-30 IBU would have been enough. More than 2 or 3 PSI of CO2 will destroy the beer anyway. I think you've been sucked into the "craft brewing" ideas to the exclusion of all else.


(EDIT: I should add, it fails to work the other way too. I've had traditional British cask ale made with lots of New World hops and they are pretty horrible - Brew one style or the other, I don't think the two styles ever meet in the middle.)

[Jim]

guy,
Perhaps you have reached your `Lupulin Threshold`..........
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/ ... threshold/

WA

Interesting link!

I know I used to hate anything over about 30 IBUs but now I often make beers of up to 50 and usually enjoy them. I prefer generous late hopping type flavours though.

[Jim]

Eric, I bet you know this - before kegs came on the scene was late hopping common*, or is it more a 'real ale revival' phenomenon.

* I know dry hopping of fine ales was done, but I'm talking about 15 minute and flame out hops.

[IPA]

Eric, I bet you know this - before kegs came on the scene was late hopping common*, or is it more a 'real ale revival' phenomenon.

* I know dry hopping of fine ales was done, but I'm talking about 15 minute and flame out hops.

I'm a bit older than Eric and cannot remember BK (before keg) They certainly became available shortly after the then Chancellor removed the necessity to have a license to brew at home.
What does amaze me is that homebrewing seems to have gone full circle. We started out brewing real ale and now with stainless kegs readily available certain brewers are doing force carbonating etc in what seems like a headlong rush to re-create Watney's Red Barrel. Also the the present craze for over hopped cloudy beer is because many brewers cannot produce bright naturally conditioned beer that reflect all of the the ingredients in the mash not just the hops and that includes most of the new wave "Craft Brewers".

[IPA]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Back to basics and all that.

A beer with just Marris Otter pale malt and crystal malt, with only Fuggles and Goldings as the hops. OG 1.049, bitterness 51 EBU.

Drinking some as I type. Ah well, there can't be more than about 30 pints of it left in the keg.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Crystal clear, good colour, perfectly carbonated. But it's the sort of beer which, if you had it at a beer festival, you'd think 'let's find something else'.

It was worth a try.

Guy

Have you ever had a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord ? Just pale malt and Golding +Styrian hops to 35 EBU

Not a super hopped over carbonated freezing cold American fizz for sure. But just about the best pint of English Bitter you will ever drink.

The present hop craze is very similar to the "who can eat the most/hottest chillies"fad from a few years ago.

[Eric]

Eric, I bet you know this - before kegs came on the scene was late hopping common*, or is it more a 'real ale revival' phenomenon.

* I know dry hopping of fine ales was done, but I'm talking about 15 minute and flame out hops.

I first came knowingly across keg in 1962. That was Younger's Tartan. I didn't know about late hopping then and suppose few people did, brewing was a complete mystery. It was a year later before you could brew in UK without a licence for home consumption and only after Dave Line's works were published and we got some homebrew shops run by people with some knowledge that I, and suspect many others, got beyond the stage of producing something that needed storing for many months before it started to look and taste something remotely like beer. Of course in those early days it was usually drank much earlier, with great satisfaction I doubt, but that was how it was for me.

I don't think any brewers then would make any sort of beer that was laden with hops during fermentation, just maybe some breweries putting an ounce or two of hop cones in some casks and the use of hopbacks.

[guypettigrew]

Have you ever had a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord ? Just pale malt and Golding +Styrian hops to 35 EBU

Not a super hopped over carbonated freezing cold American fizz for sure. But just about the best pint of English Bitter you will ever drink.

The present hop craze is very similar to the "who can eat the most/hottest chillies"fad from a few years ago.

Wonderful beer, Landlord. One of my favourites. The beer I've brewed is just plain boring. Despite having an EBU of 51 it's not very bitter. And the maltiness is uninteresting.

Never mind. There will be other brews.

Guy

[IPA]

Have you ever had a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord ? Just pale malt and Golding +Styrian hops to 35 EBU

Not a super hopped over carbonated freezing cold American fizz for sure. But just about the best pint of English Bitter you will ever drink.

The present hop craze is very similar to the "who can eat the most/hottest chillies"fad from a few years ago.

Wonderful beer, Landlord. One of my favourites. The beer I've brewed is just plain boring. Despite having an EBU of 51 it's not very bitter. And the maltiness is uninteresting.

Never mind. There will be other brews.

Guy

Try using the TT yeast from Brewlab that will perk it up.