Next Fuller's ESB attempt!

monk · Post by **monk** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:40 pm

Well, here's my new formulation. I'll try this and we'll see how it comes out. It might not taste just like Fuller's, but I figure it should be tasty.

4.5 kg American 2-row
113 g Biscuit
227 g Flaked Corn
340 g Crystal
454 g Corn Sugar

7g Target 90 min
15g Challenger 45
30g Kent Goldings 15 min
30g Kent Goldings 1 min
White Labs Eng Ale 002

Look good?

monk

shiny beast · Post by **shiny beast** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:06 pm

Looks fine to me. Good luck

BitterTed · Post by **BitterTed** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:54 pm

BigEd wrote:
monk wrote:Thanks guys. I forgot to add the flaked corn to my list when I first posted. I intend to include half a pound of it in the mash. For yeast, I've got white labs 002 English ale. Is that the same as London ESB? Maybe it isn't. I've used 002 several times lately and got very different results. It's always clear, but sometimes really fruity.
Yes, White Lab 002 and Wyeast 1968 are purported to be from the Fuller's brewery. To address your earlier malt question IMO a good British malt is a requirement to brew a Fuller's clone recipe or any decent attempt at a UK beer. Adding some biscuit or aromatic to domestic (North American) pale malt will put lipstick on the pig by adding a bit of malt aroma but it's not going to cover up the deficiencies of that malt in brewing a British-style ale. I say bite the bullet and buy some UK pale malt. You and your beer will both be rewarded. If you are in California B3 carries Simson's Golden Promise and Crisp Maris-Otter, either one would be a fine base for that recipe. Cheers!

Hahahahahaha!!!!! You crack me up BigEd!! Lipstick on a pig, LMAO!!

I do agree that using a good Brit pale malt is the only way to really get something close to Fullers, but all I said was if he uses American 2 row, he needs something to help it out!
I'm not sure there is a "regional preference" for these grains, but I think it's more availability in those areas, S.R. is made by Briess, they're from Wisconsin, where Victory is from a maltster out west.

As an aside, I often see ingredients like Victory and Special Roast malt in American recipes. We don't get those malts (at least by those names) here. Do they have UK/Euro equivalents. Is special roast the same as Amber

Steve, I'm not sure about special roast, I have not used it, like BigEd, I'm not real fond of our domestic malts. I find malts from Britain and from continental Europe much more flavorful, so that's what I use. I can say that biscuit and victory are almost interchangeable from what I've read and heard from those that use those malts.
Monk, I think your recipe will make a fine beer, no matter what BigEd says!!

steve_flack · Post by **steve_flack** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:18 am

BitterTed wrote:I find malts from Britain and from continental Europe much more flavorful, so that's what I use.

I'm quite chuffed that I've found a friendly local source of a really great Maris Otter (grown on Branthill Farm in Norfolk and malted by Crisps) for a very nice price.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:17 pm

perhaps we should all go into business as a HBS that specialises in long-range distribution for american brewers.

Monk would buy us out of house and brew

BitterTed · Post by **BitterTed** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:27 pm

maxashton wrote:perhaps we should all go into business as a HBS that specialises in long-range distribution for american brewers.

Monk would buy us out of house and brew

Ha, good idea, but shipping to the U.S. would kill us, hence why I shop at this place, they have a branch in So. Chicago that I can go to and eliminate shipping costs all together:
http://www.northcountrymalt.com/index.html

SteveD · Post by **SteveD** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:32 pm

monk wrote:Thanks for the tips and the recipe, Daab.

As for the Aromatic, it was part of the "CloneBrews" recipe for Fuller's ESB. I wonder if they weren't trying to add a bit more malty flavor to make up for the lack of it in American base malts? I don't know. I've heard american 2 row is a bit blander than Maris otter and the like.

I do have some flaked maize, so I could emulate either of the recipes you posted. Hmmm. They both look good.

They were probably trying to up the malt profile possibly because of the US 2 row - I don't know wether it's more or less maltier, - but certainly because of the fullers yeast which has a definite tendency to accent the malt - So, get some wyeyeast or whitel labs fullers ESB yeast and forget the safale. At the end of the day, you want to make ESB, so why would you not use ESB yeast?

crow_flies · Post by **crow_flies** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:34 pm

steve_flack wrote:I'm quite chuffed that I've found a friendly local source of a really great Maris Otter (grown on Branthill Farm in Norfolk and malted by Crisps) for a very nice price.

Steve, I'm moving to Norfolk in a month or so, is this a special arrangement you have or can anyone benefit

/CF

steve_flack · Post by **steve_flack** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:22 am

Which part of Norfolk?

crow_flies · Post by **crow_flies** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 4:45 pm

Winterton-on-sea

/CF

monk · Post by **monk** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:01 pm

Well, yesterday was the brew session for the Fuller's ESB attempt. It was not my smoothest session, but I think things worked out in the end.
I set up my recipe based on a hopeful improvement of efficiency from ~50% (last time) to maybe 60%. Well, I guess I learned a lot from the discussions online, because my efficiency was much higher ~75% and the wort was THICK! Either that or my calculations are off. Any way, I diluted down to 1.060 and pitched yeast.
Incidentally, I found that I actually still had 4-5 lbs. of British pale malt, so almost half of the base malt was the authentic stuff. Now it's just up to the temp and my yeast!

monk

bitter_dave · Post by **bitter_dave** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:10 pm

monk wrote: Well, I guess I learned a lot from the discussions online, because my efficiency was much higher ~75% and the wort was THICK! monk

Nice work monk

monk · Post by **monk** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:49 pm

Thank, B_D.

steve_flack · Post by **steve_flack** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:57 am

crow_flies wrote:Winterton-on-sea

/CF

Oh, Yarmouth way...the far east

Anyway, I get mine from Iceni who are based just north of Thetford. It's probably a bit far from you but there's plenty of micros on the eastern side of the county. I think the malt is produced especially for the East Anglian Brewers co-operative

http://www.eastanglianbrewers.com/members.php

So you could try ringing the members nearest you. From a glance at the GBG and that list I'd try Woodfordes (Woodbastwick) and Uncle Stuarts (Lingwood). There's also Blackfriars in Yarmouth which may be nearer but aren't a member.

monk · Post by **monk** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:27 pm

I transfered to the clearing tank a few days ago, as the trub in the primary vessel was GREAT. Lots of break material that wouldn't settle out in the kettle ended up in the bottom of the primary. Anywho...dumped about 15g of golding pellets in the carboy to dryhop. I've got high hopes for this brew.

Cheers and thanks for the help

monk

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Next Fuller's ESB attempt!