Bishop's Blessing ESB

[koomber]

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 22.89 L
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 10.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 39.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.75 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 95.54 %
0.12 kg Amber Malt (53.3 SRM) Grain 2.34 %
0.11 kg Caraaroma (203.0 SRM) Grain 2.12 %

Mash at 67 to 68°C (about 154F) for 60 minutes

31.70 gm Fuggles [4.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
22.19 gm Target [12.50 %] (30 min) Hops 22.4 IBU
31.70 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 8.3 IBU
31.70 gm Fuggles [4.60 %] (15 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
31.70 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (Flame Out) ArHops
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Had this on the keg for about 1 month now. The taste has evolved massively! A nicely balanced brew imho. The bitterness is nicely offset by the flavour from the malt. Caramelly with a very slight hint of smoked coming through. The hop aroma is subdued, but I think their age might come into play. A very nice flavour of them coming through that works well with the malt. Orlando mentioned that target makes a harsh bittering hop, and I think you can get a hint of that with this, but the reduced boil time has mellowed it. Peppery would be the best way to describe it.
A very pleasing light brown / dark red colour. I think it will become one of my house beers. Reminds me of Bishop's Finger, but with a stronger malt character.

I'll add that I brewed this using malts and hops that were purchased in 2011. The hops have been kept in the freezer and the grain in a plastic tub in my wash room.

[seymour]

Sounds delicious. I've never used Target personally, but have heard the same complaints. I've had plenty of tasty commercial beers which call for Target though, so there must be an appropriate way to use 'em. Nice work.

[koomber]

Just for clarity, I boiled the beer for 1 hour and added the Target with 30 minutes left in the boil and then proceeded with the other additions. I think the short boil time helps as it isn't what I would consider harsh.

[koomber]

Just a wee update. Not sure if it is the beer ageing or if it because the keggerator is currently running at 1°C, but the flavor profile has changed somewhat. There is a pronounced, but mild coffee flavour to the beer. Kind of like from instant coffee. It's definitely there, but it isn't a very strong coffee flavour. Not a bad flavour by any stretch of the imagination. Guessing this has been provided by the Amber malt.