#26 Ordinary Bitter (Batch No.2)

After enjoying the Ordinary Bitter so much (and so quickly) I thought that I should keep the 1968 London ESB yeast strain going a bit longer with another Ordinary Bitter batch. I don't often brew the same style in such quick succession so I thought this would offer me a chance to brew a bitter more to my tastes. 

Using the recipe I took from The Jamil Show, I made a few tweaks to brew a beer similar to the flavors I tasted in a pint of London Pride from Fullers I had a while back. The London Pride was a bit maltier, cleaner (less fruity/estery), and overall a bit fuller than my take on the style. In order to make these changes, I chose to ferment a degree colder (66 F), use an additional specialty grain for biscuity/bready maltiness (victory), and chose to go without the "double-drop" method I used on the last bitter, although I really have enjoyed the results of this method of fermentation.

Ordinary Bitter (Batch No.2)

Batch Volume (Gal): 6.0

Pre-Boil Volume (Gal): 4.33, topped up to 6.0 for pre-boil

Total Grain (Lbs): 8.25

OG: ~1.037   Anticipated FG: ~1.009   Anticipated ABV: ~3.67%

IBUs: 32.9

SRM: 10.5

Brewhouse Efficiency: 73%

Boil Duration: 95 min

Grain                              (Lbs/oz.)(%)

Muntons Marris Otter       7        84.8

Crystal 120                        8 oz.     6.1

Victory Malt                      8 oz.     6.1

Special Roast Malt            4 oz.     3.0

Hops                        (AA%) (IBU) (Oz.) (Boil[min])

East Kent Goldings   4.5      25.4   1.25        90

East Kent Goldings   4.5       7.5     0.8          30

East Kent Goldings   4.5       0.0    0.75         0

East Kent Goldings   4.5       0.0     0.2     Dry Hop

Yeast

Pitched ~75 mL of thin 1968 London ESB yeast slurry with lots of trub/hop material from starter built up from Buster's Bitter yeast cake

Water

replicated water from previous Ordinary Bitter brew except for keeping the HCO3 at 24 and upping the Cl to ~50 ppm and Na to ~30

Mash Schedule

Single Infusion   60 min ~149-150 (aimed for 152 F), 10 min mashout ~165 F

In mash: 2 mL Lactic Acid; pH ~5.1

In boil: salts to hit water profile

It will be interesting to see how this particular beer comes out without the "double-drop" method of fermentation and how my first time using Marris Otter as a base will result in the finished beer. I'm hoping these changes will result in a beer just as sessionable yet flavorful as the previous Ordinary Bitter. If this particular brew comes out as well as the previous Bitter brew, I think I may have to make Ordinary Bitters a style that I frequently brew. I find myself more and more thinking of brewing sessionable beers, rather than the strong ales I've been more obsessed with previously when homebrewing. Focusing on the style may also offer me a greater chance at learning the intricacies of brewing that are most likely lost when I jump from style to style.

The first runnings of the Ordinary Bitter (left) and the vorlauf (right)