English County, Best Bitter

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

I made this 3 weeks ago, fined with Aux & IG and am drinking it now.

Ingredients
25L, 90min boil, 90min mash
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (4.9 EBC) Grain 84.11 %
0.50 kg Munich Malt - 20L (29.6 EBC) Grain 9.35 %
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (78.8 EBC) Grain 4.67 %
0.10 kg Chocolate Malt (886.5 EBC) Grain 1.87 %
40.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 25.5 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (10 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.22 %
Bitterness: 29.7 IBU
Est Color: 28.9 EBC

Whether it is the recipe or the yeast perhaps, it tastes really rather bland with no hop aroma and little flavour. Not the description Beersmith gives of this a sample recipe:

Liquid gold. This is a beer with a wonderful malt profile and the superb taste and bite of Goldings hops. The yeast used adds a complexity of fruity flavours right to the last drop. Pick a water style similar to an English bitter. Not too much sulphate.

They used WLP005.

I know I'm looking closely at liquid yeasts at the mo, and don't want to appear to be yeast bashing but are those experienced brewers out there surprised the final product quality (IMO) dipped when using Nottingham? I feel if I'd used S04 a fruity edge would at least have been there. This brew seems to epitimize the clean blandish characteristics of Notts applied to a bitter. I'm thinking of reserving Notts for cooking lager-esque, hybrid brews where drinkers don't want hoppyness, reather cleanliness. The malt flavour came through OK though.

[bconnery]

+1 for not using Nottingham in a bitter or pale ale.
It doesn't have the esters and flavour profile in my book.
I use Windsor almost all the time, dried wise.

Nottingham is good in Porters, Stouts, anything darker, makes a good Alt too as it can handle lower temps and come out clean.
This very characteristic makes it not the best choice for a good bitter.

[oblivious]

Hi SiHoltye

Have a chat with brew labs, they will pick an appropriate yeast based on your system, water and what you want to brew

[SiHoltye]

Cheers Ob, hadn't thought of pestering them properly, perhaps I will in the future.
First I've got 3 pitches of Harvey's yeast, a pitch of Brewlab 1004 Sussex, two WB05's and 2 Saflager, so I'm a while away from ordering more yeast.