Challenger recipe

[RichardG]

I'm sure the answer is 'yes', but has anyone done an all challenger recipe? If so, how did it turn out?

[TheMumbler]

I think Coniston Bluebird is all challenger.

I made a bitter with just Northdown (which is supposed to be similar to Challenger) recently and that seemed to be going well last time I checked on it. It won't be ready for another couple of weeks though.

Northdown Bitter
5.00 kg Maris Otter Malt
0.50 kg Crystal
0.20 kg Wheat Malt
0.20 kg Flaked Barley

Northdown 50.00 g 60 minutes
Northdown 20.00 g 15 minutes
Northdown 30.00 g 0 minutes

I think I used Safale S33

[raiderman]

I think Northdown and Challenger are related, certainly I've considered them pretty much interchangeable.

All challenger is fine. I've never brewed all Northdown. Challenger blends v well with cascade and also willamette, but has a nice aroma on its own. I've always thought it would mix nicely with a late addition of goldings.

[haz66]

Yes i did a Coniston Bluebird clone that was very good,
I`m not as keen on all Northdown though as it seems a lot sharper in taste,if thats the right word.

[HighHops]

I love challenger. I've made a Bluebird clone which was very nice.

The casked version and the XB have a late addition of mount hood, which goes really well. I've made the XB a few times too! 10% crystal & 4.2%ABV. It's one of my favourites. When I didn't have any mount hood I've used hallertau mittelfruh, which is similar but a different twist. Both nice.

All Northdown goes well in darker beers and stouts I find, but late goldings really finishes it off nice.

[Dr. Dextrin]

I'm drinking a Bluebird clone right now (all Challenger). Rather good, but not quite as good as my previous effort where I used a lot of extra late Challenger hops. I'll be going back to that recipe in future.

[bconnery]

Curious to see how people have put together their Bluebird clones. I started some formulation based on the information they have out there, which is a fair amount in some ways, but interested to see what people have done....
Plan on brewing this sometime in the future when a mate arrives to Oz after living in the UK for some time...

[RichardG]

My thinking is two-fold really. I had great success with a SMaSH of pale plus loads of EKG, and given that Challenger is, to my mind at least, complimentary I thought a Challenger SMaSH could be interesting. On the other hand I'm also considering a pale ale using Challenger for bittering then a 50/50 mix of Challenger & EKG at 15 & 5 mins, and steeping. Really not sure as I'm very tempted by both. In fact, I may well do both!

[Brotherton Lad]

Thanks for the inspiration. Late Challenger hops just gone into my Bluebird (AG17).

[HighHops]

Curious to see how people have put together their Bluebird clones.

A SMaSH Challenger brew is a classic English PA. There's no doubt it's a tasty brew, but Bluebird is finished with Mount Hood. That's the twist that won Supreme Champion Beer of Britain. Try it ~10g late addition.

[haz66]

The normal Bluebird doesnt have the Mount Hood addition as already mentioned its the XB and cask versions that have it,
I got my recipe straight from the horse`s mouth Ian Bradley, he didn`t give me the exact recipe but a suggested one to get very close to
the Bluebird Bitter, i have posted it in the recipe section before,i`ll see if i can find it and post a link.

[HighHops]

The normal Bluebird doesnt have the Mount Hood addition as already mentioned its the XB and cask versions that have it,
I got my recipe straight from the horse`s mouth Ian Bradley, he didn`t give me the exact recipe but a suggested one to get very close to
the Bluebird Bitter, i have posted it in the recipe section before,i`ll see if i can find it and post a link.

Why is the cask version not the normal version. The stuff you buy in asda is not even made in coniston. I am talking about bluebird made in coniston and served in the black bull. I have got it straight from the lads who work in the brewery that bluebird is finished with mount hood. Agreed you can't taste it in the bottled version, but it's in the normal Bluebird that's on hand pull at the black bull. You can taste it! It stands out a mile. It's not on the website or in the handouts at the brewery, but the lads who make it gave me the recipe, which I have posted in the recipe section.

The XB is still nicer in my opinion and that's what the locals drink!

[Dr. Dextrin]

The normal Bluebird doesnt have the Mount Hood addition as already mentioned its the XB and cask versions that have it,
I got my recipe straight from the horse`s mouth Ian Bradley, he didn`t give me the exact recipe but a suggested one to get very close to
the Bluebird Bitter, i have posted it in the recipe section before,i`ll see if i can find it and post a link.

Why is the cask version not the normal version. The stuff you buy in asda is not even made in coniston. I am talking about bluebird made in coniston and served in the black bull. I have got it straight from the lads who work in the brewery that bluebird is finished with mount hood. Agreed you can't taste it in the bottled version, but it's in the normal Bluebird that's on hand pull at the black bull. You can taste it! It stands out a mile. It's not on the website or in the handouts at the brewery, but the lads who make it gave me the recipe, which I have posted in the recipe section.

The XB is still nicer in my opinion and that's what the locals drink!

The recipe you posted seems to be for an XB clone. Do you know how the cask Bluebird would differ? I'd like to give it a try with some Mount Hood.

[haz66]

Sorry by normal i ment bottled as this is what most people had tried and had been trying to clone when i posted my recipe way back when, i agree the cask version at the Blackbull is far better than the bottled version, but when i asked Ian about the recipe i just asked for an idea of how could try making a clone of Bluebird Bitter, as i`d tried a few bottles of it and loved it, so obviously he gave me the bottled version, and to be honest i hadn`t tried the cask version back then.
But i did say that XB and the cask version did have an addition of Mount Hood at the start of my post