English (Special) Bitter???

[drsmurto]

Just put down my first attempt at a bitter.

1 can 30IBU extract
1.7kg pale liquid malt extract
250g Bairds Medium Crystal (150 EBC)
15g EKG @ 15mins
15g EKG @ 5 mins
S-04

Usual method, steeped crystal for an hour at ~65C. Strained and rinsed grain with 75-80C water. Added liquid malt and topped up with water to ~12L. Brought to a rolling boil. Added EKG hops as above. Added 30IBU kit at flameout. Cooled in sink of cold water (water out of the tap is currently 3-4C). Topped up with cold water. Pitched S-04 at 18C.

Nice and easy. You could use any 30IBU kit for this. Never used EKG but love real ales so hope this is remotely similar. Will dry hop with another 15g of EKG.

Am planning on shocking the mates and not priming this Most have never tasted a real ale. My local has a beer engine and is currently serving the 'Bugger Me Bitter' at the correct temp. Very nice. Close my eyes i am back in the old dart.

Cheers
DrSmurto

[guest5234]

Just put down my first attempt at a bitter.

1 can 30IBU extract
1.7kg pale liquid malt extract
250g Bairds Medium Crystal (150 EBC)
15g EKG @ 15mins
15g EKG @ 5 mins
S-04

Usual method, steeped crystal for an hour at ~65C. Strained and rinsed grain with 75-80C water. Added liquid malt and topped up with water to ~12L. Brought to a rolling boil. Added EKG hops as above. Added 30IBU kit at flameout. Cooled in sink of cold water (water out of the tap is currently 3-4C). Topped up with cold water. Pitched S-04 at 18C.

Nice and easy. You could use any 30IBU kit for this. Never used EKG but love real ales so hope this is remotely similar. Will dry hop with another 15g of EKG.

Am planning on shocking the mates and not priming this Most have never tasted a real ale. My local has a beer engine and is currently serving the 'Bugger Me Bitter' at the correct temp. Very nice. Close my eyes i am back in the old dart.

Cheers
DrSmurto

Sounds nice...missing blighty yet?...I did and had to come home to the rain and real ale

[drsmurto]

Was missing the old dart till the mates in Durham told me how shit summer has been. I loved every minute of my 2 year stay there but tis nice returning home to the land of coopers. One of the other locals has Coopers Pale Ale and Stout on tap. Will get me through the 3 months i dont wear shorts (except on the footy field).

Racked this to secondary yesterday - already down to 1.016 after 7 days at ~20C. Tasted bewdiful. Even at 20C! Dry hopped another 15g of EKG. Will let it sit at 20C for another week then remove the heating pad and let it drop to 5-6C in the shed until pull the finger out and order the kegs!

Cheers
DrSmurto

[drsmurto]

My kit beers have improved exponentially over the past 6-8 months - ever since i discovered beer forums! So much info and so many people willing to share their successes/failures.

In saying that tho, i am finding that each brew has more spec grain than the last, hops schedules are becoming more varied and i am becoming a little anal about temperature.

I have all the equipment to start all grain brewing but just need to find time to whip up a manifold for the mash tun and buy a burner.

Ironically (or maybe it was fate) it was my stint in Durham that prompted me to search out better brews. Up until then i was happy enough drinking the local stuff. Once i tasted a real ale i was hooked. I now struggle with most Aussie beers, Coopers and a few microbrews being the exception. Seems a shame too many people think aussie beers are Fosters, VB etc when there are an ever increasing amount of new microbreweries popping up that are showcasing the new breed of brewers coming through here. Noone drinks Fosters here and its brewed in the UK anyway, actually tastes better than the stuff they brew here.....

You blokes are spoiled being able to drop into the local and sample real ales, often a new one every week. Almost makes up for the weather...

Rambling now.

Cheers
DrSmurto

[monk]

Temp control has actually been the biggest factor in my homebrew improving. Without the control, even in the winter my beer fermented at around 70-71F (about 3-5 degrees too high). Bringing it down has made the flavor so much cleaner.

Even though the craft beer scene is good here on the west coast, I sympathize with you, Dr.S, on the subject of real ale. Not at all common. Only 1/10 brewpubs will have it. And usually only one of their house ales. It's too bad, really.

monk

[drsmurto]

My old avatar? Dont tell me you recognise it or did you enlarge it enough to see what it was? The original painting (6' x 6') is hanging up in the Adelaide Unibar where i spent more than 8 years of my life......

Temp control is a major pain in the arse - summer is hot so have to have a fridge or you are screwed. Winter temps in my shed are averaging 4-5 C so i have the heating pads going with an old sleeping bag wrapped around the fermenters! Wouldnt be so bad if i brewed lagers but as has been said by a better man than me - Life is too short for lagers!

As for my old avatar, here is a larger version



and my new one