Definitive Harvey's Best Bitter (Clone) Recipe

[Oaktree]

I've searched the internet, high & low, and have come across about a dozen different recipes for a clone of Harvey's Best Bitter... Is there a definitive clone recipe for this, as it appears all those I've found are different.

To produce a clone, I've got Brambling, Progress, Fuggles & Challenger hops, and some Irish Moss, but in want quantities and when to add them, I don't know. In fact some recipes don't include the moss nor some of the hops, and has light brown sugar added too.

Any help, re. a great clone of this fantastic ale would be grateful received.

Many thanks...

[Clobber]

I've brewed Seymours version in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=61147

It has been the best tasting wort that I've made so far, but it is only just out of FV.

[Oaktree]

Many thanks for this!

I've taken a look at the recipe, but it doesn't give any weights/measurements....

[i]Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter/"BB"
Harvey's/Harvey & Son/The Bridge Wharf Brewery - Lewes, East Sussex, UK
OG: 1041
ABV: 4.0%
Grainbill: 88.1% Maris Otter, 6.8% Dark Crystal Malt, 5.1% Flaked Maize (just do it, don't sneer at the corn adjunct, you'll see)
Bittering Hops: Progress (60 min), Bramling Cross (30 min)
Aroma Hops: Fuggles, Goldings (at flame-out)
IBU: 34-40
Colour: clear light amber
Yeast: Harvey's proprietary strain, repitched continuously for over 50 years! (some theorize it's a top-cropped descendent of Whitbread-B, if so, then S-04 would get you in the ballpark)[/i]

...any ideas what they would be for a 25 litre/5.5 gallon/44 pint brew...??
(Sorry if this is obvious to others, but I'm fairly new to brewing and still learning... )

[Clobber]

Download the "beer engine"

http://www.practicalbrewing.co.uk/main/ ... eerengine/

This will allow you to put weights in and adjust to correct percentages to suit your required volume.

[Oaktree]

What a great piece of software! Many thanks for that - It's a BIG help!!

[orlando]

Can't help with the recipe but this picture was taken at the brewery on the 4th November 2014. I would add that the definitely use sugar as well. the second picture shows this in the blue plastic cubes and yes I did taste it to make sure.

[Pinto]

The key to Harvey's is also the yeast - there are some that are "supposedly" the Harvey's strain (such as BrewLabs Sussex 1 IIRC) but results i've seen using them are variable - and no-one has ever put "Nailed it !"

If you really want the real deal, you'll have to go knock on their door and ask for some yeast or buy a polypin of the Sussex Best from the brewery shop - which is "cask" conditioned with yeast; I was planning to do this (and will someday) but at near £80 for a PP it isnt a cheap solution.

Mind you, with your dregs - everyone round here will want to be your best friend

[orlando]

Mind you, with your dregs - everyone round here will want to be your best friend

Queue starts behind me.