Virtual Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
My friend Alon and I made this one near the beginning of COVID-19, and brewed nearly the same recipe at the same time, checking in with each other virtually, hence the name. It’s an extra-special bitter, which is a style of British pub ale that has biscuity, butterscotch flavors. Not quite true to the style, we went a bit heavy on the dry hops, adding 1oz of East Kent Golding in the keg, which adds a fresh bitterness, and I conditioned mine on yeast from a previous NEIPA I made, which definitely changed the flavor a bit, but in a good way :)
(Brew note: if I were to change anything, I’d increase the boil time from 60 to 90 minutes, or do a simple decoction, to give it a bit more body.)
Stats:
- 5.5 gallons - actual 5.0 gallons
- expected pre-boil OG: 1.048
- expected OG: 1.063 - actual 1.052 (not sure why its so low… maybe the grains weren’t milled enough?)
- expected FG: 1.017 - actual 1.012
- expected ABV: 5.82% - actual 5.25% (apparent attenuation of 76%)
Ingredients:
- 11lbs maris otter
- 1 lb crystal malt (70-75 lovibond)
- 1 oz east kent golding (60 min)
- .5 oz east kent golding (20 min)
- .5 oz east kent golding (5 min)
- .5 oz (hell, I’ll do 1oz) east kent golding (3 day dry hop)
- added 1tsp of gelatin in 1 cup of water when kegging
Yeast: Pitched onto the yeastcake from the previous homebrew!
Water Chemistry: Target water profile: Ca=110, Mg=18, Na=17, Cl=49, SO4=92
Method:
- Pick up ice/propane.
- Preheat mash tun, attach mash tun filter.
- Heat 4 gal of mash water to 166F. Once hot, add:
- 2.6g gypsum, 1/4 campden
- Mash for 60 minutes at 153F. (on brewday, it was too high at first, almost 160!)
- With 15 minutes remaining, heat sparge water to 170. Once hot, add:
- 3.6g gypsum, 1/4 campden, 2mL lactic acid
- Add 1oz East Kent Golding hops to kettle for first wort hop. Attach kettle filter.
- Recirculate and sparge. Bring to a boil.
- .5 oz EKG (20 min)
- Add cooling coil, thermo (15 min)
- .5 oz EKG, whirlfloc tablet, 1tsp yeast nutrient (5 min)
- Cool to 65F.
- Transfer to sanitized bucket, add yeast and aerate for 1min.
- Dry hop in the keg with 1oz EKG.