English Bitter

Brew Day: 11/11/14

5 gallon extract kit from Northern Brewer.

2.5 gals in the kettle. 

0.25 lb Crystal 120L
0.25 lb Belgian Biscuit

Steeped grains at 165 for 20 mins. Rinsed grains with 1 gal of 165 water. Total pre-boil volume of 3.5 gals.

Brought to boil and started timer. 60 min boil. During the boil, I read up on the style in Jamil Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles book. A good read with a recipe for every style in the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) Style Guidebook.

1 lb Pilsen DME - 60 mins

3.15 lb Marris Otter LME - 60 mins

1 lb Corn Sugar - 60 mins

1 oz Fuggles hops 5% AA - 60 mins

1 oz Kent Goldings hops 6.47% AA - 45 mins

1 Whirfloc tablet - 15 mins

1 oz Styrian Goldings hops 3.2% AA - 5 mins

Killed the heat. Whirlpooled and set kettle outside on patio. Outside temp of 25. Packed snow around kettle, which melted pretty quick. Took 30 mins to cool down to 80.

Siphoned out of kettle through double-mesh strainer into sanitized 5 gal bucket, topped off to 5 gals, then poured through funnel into carboy. Undershot my gravity a bit. Estimated OG was 1.041; I ended up at 1.035 but I'm not too worried. Pitched 1 packet of Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast at 72 and rocked carboy to mix. Attached blowoff tube. Fermenting at 65. 

The recipe calls for 2 weeks in primary, then 2-3 bottle conditioning. Every review I read on the NB forum said it doesn't need a secondary and that it tastes great fresh as well as aged a month or two.

OG: 1.035 (8.6 brix)

est IBU: 41

est FG: 1.009

est SRM: 9.1

Update: 11/24/14

Checked the gravity today and it's down to 1.008. Tomorrow I'll be bottling it. Very excited that it'll be ready to drink for Christmas.

Bottling Day: 12/01/14

Didn't get to it last week like I'd hoped, but today my wife helped me bottle up 35 12 oz. bottles and 4 20 oz. bottles. Total volume bottled is 3.91 gal. The gravity stayed at 1.008, so according to my Brewer's Friend app, it is 3.54% abv. Nice to have a session ale around for the holidays. I'll let it carb up for 2-3 weeks and be enjoying by Christmas.