brēowanthorpe

The Homestead of Beer

Best Bitter

By thomas #30 minute boil, #Barley, #Beer, #Best Bitter, #BIAB, #Bitter, #Helter-Skelter, #Homebrew, #Hops, #No-sparge, #one-gallon, #Water, #Westfort, #Yeast

Codename : Westfort Best Bitterthorpe

Returning to a lighter coloured beer, doing a Westfort version of my Mountain Portage Best Bitter. In a similar tradition to that one, I used a bit of a helter-skelter of speciality malts to use up old stock. Trying something out of the ordinary, instead of doing a usual 60 minute boil, brought it down to 30 minutes. I think I nailed it.

Ingredients

  • 1 lbs 5 oz Maris Otter malt (3.8L)
  • 3 oz Munich (9L)
  • 2 oz Caramel malt (30L)
  • 2 oz Crystal medium (67L)
  • 1 oz Amber malt (38L)
  • 0.10 oz Cascade hops at 30 minutes
  • 0.30 oz Fuggle hops at 15 minutes
  • ¼ tsp Irish Moss (optional) at 15 minutes
  • 0.30 oz Fuggle hops at 10 minutes
  • 0.20 oz Fuggle hops at 5 minutes
  • 0.20 oz Fuggle hops at 0 minutes
  • 3 ml London dry ale yeast

Vital Stats

BJCP Style : Best Bitter
Anticipated ABV : 4.1%
Anticipated IBU : 40
Anticipated SRM : 12
Pre-boil SG : 1.035
Original SG : 1.043
Target SG : 1,017
Brewhouse (in)efficiency : 65%

Brew Day

  •  Prepare 6.3L strike water, 159F. 
  • Add the milled grains to the bag. 
  • Place the bag in the hot water, set the timer for 75 minutes, and maintain the temperature at 152 F.
  • Calibrate the sonic screwdriver.
  • Lift the bag out of the water, and allow it to drip into the pot. Every bit of sugar that can be extracted will benefit the end ABV.
  • Bring up to a boil, 212F, set the timer for 30 minutes. Add hops and Irish Moss as prescribed above.
  • Sanitise everything required for fermentation.
  • Cool to room temp, an ice-bath or a snowbank work effectively.
  • Prepare yeast mixture.
  • Add wort to the jug. Pitch yeast.
  • Store in a cool place for primary fermentation for 7-14 days.

Bottling Day

Brew Notes

  • Pre-boil gravity was achieved, post boil gravity 1.053, much higher than expected, not sure why.
  • Added 400 ml (100 ml at a time, with measurements in between) to bring it to 1.048. This gives an anticipated 4.5% ABV.

 

Brew day : 24-Nov-2022
Bottling day : 1-Dec-2022