British Bitter
Although the British are renown for their strange sense of humor, there is one subject that Monty Python rarely jokes about. Beer. Even the English word for a casual drink has a serious connotation. They call it a “session.” If having a session is a national pastime, then the hop-dominated bitter is most certainly the national drink.
It may offend some to say that the British are bitter people, but it is undeniably true. Practically every brewery features a bitter and many have multiple versions. It is not unlikely that a given brewery will offer an ordinary bitter, a best bitter, and an extra special bitter. Why so many bitters? Aren’t they all basically pale ales? This is true. But producing many types of pale ale is no stranger than a large American brewery making eight versions of American lager.
In general bitter is a cask conditioned real ale served on draft at cellar temperatures of 50° to 55° F. Ordinary bitter, the most quaffable of the session beers, has an original gravity between 1.035 and 1.038 and a bitterness of 20 to 35 IBU. The alcohol content falls near 2.9 percent by weight or 3.6 percent by volume.
The styles of best bitter and extra special bitter are too close to be defined independently even though a brewery may offer them as distinctly different beers. They can be lumped into the category of special bitters. Special bitters have a starting gravity in the range of 1.038 to 1.045 and an IBU of 28 to 46. The alcohol approaches 3.8 percent by weight and 4.8 percent by volume.
Any beer called bitter should live up to its name. This is not a drink for those who identify with bitter beer face. Because little else stands in the way of its expression, the hop flavor in ordinary bitter dominates the taste profile. As with any other beer, however, a great deal of variation exists within this category. In some versions of the brew, a late hop or dry hop note complements the bitterness. However, the bulk of the bitterness should come from kettle hops that are boiled for 45 minutes to an hour. Fresh hops are mandatory. The hops should be green, not pale yellow. When opening the bag, an intense floral aroma should strike the brewer. The hops should not be odorless or cheesy smelling. Look for hops packaged in nitrogen-flushed and vacuum-sealed bags to guarantee freshness.
Traditional English hop varieties make excellent bitters, but most low- alpha aroma hops are worth experimenting with for a late hop addition. The aroma of high-alpha varieties often overwhelms subtler flavors and appears overly harsh in the context of bitter.
In addition to hop aromatics, yeast strain also shapes the flavor of bitter. Fruitiness and slight diacetyl are common side effects of the distinctive ale yeast used. The highly flocculent and intensely fruity London ESB ale yeast, Wyeast 1968, is a favorite. The draft version of bitter should be clear though unfiltered. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of a flocculent yeast strain for the fermentation and adding isinglass or gelatin finings when the priming sugar is added. The low carbonation makes a less-filling brew and allows for more pronounced flavor expression. On the other hand don’t expect a frothy head unless you have a beer engine. Add half the normal priming sugar to achieve a carbonation level around 1.5 volumes.
As with all British ales, highly modified English pale malt is the best choice for all-grain or partial-mash versions. A half pound of crystal malt adds a touch of color and flavor to these beers. Slightly more crystal malt suits the profile of the bolder special bitter. However, keep in mind that the color of ordinary bitter is light to pale amber in the SRM range of eight to 12. Special bitter with an SRM of 12 to 14 may be a slightly darker shade of amber, but not by much. Many British brewers add flaked corn as a mash adjunct or sugar as a kettle adjunct. These tend to lighten the color and body of the beer. You can add flaked barley to create more mouthfeel while maintaining the low alcohol typically associated with bitter.
Burtonizing your water will bring out the dry, sharp hop bitterness associated with the style. This invariably calls for adding a certain amount of calcium sulfate in the form of gypsum.
Although light in alcohol and malt flavor and big in hops like many pilsners, bitter differs in that it has the aromatics of an ale. This is a great advantage to homebrewers since they can still make a hop-bent, thirst-quenching brew in a matter of weeks instead of months.
Plain Bitter (Ordinary Bitter)
(5 gallons, partial mash)
Out of every good brewing session comes many good drinking sessions. Why not brew the refreshing classic yourself? It’s just plain bitter.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. pale liquid malt extract
- 2 lbs. pale dry malt extract
- 0.5 lb. British crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
- 0.7 oz. Bullion hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 2 oz. Cascade hops (5% alpha acid),
- 1 oz. for 10 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
- Wyeast 1968 (Special London) or other attenuative ale yeast
- Isinglass or gelatin
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Immerse crushed grains in 2 gal. of water at 155° F for 30 min. Strain out grains and rinse with 2 gal. of 165° F water to make a total volume of 4 gal. As the wort approaches boil, add malt extracts while stirring to dissolve. Add Bullion hops as soon as boil starts. Boil 50 min. more and add 1 oz. Cascade hops. Boil 10 min. more for a total boil of 60 min. Add 1 oz. more Cascade hops as the boil ends. Cool and aerate. Pitch yeast at 75° F.
Ferment at 60° to 65° F until finished. Add 1.5 to 2 gal. cool water to bring volume to 5 gal. in the secondary. Prime in a keg with corn sugar and add isinglass or gelatin, following the instructions on the package. Age for two weeks before drinking.
OG = 1.038
FG = 1.010
Really Bitter (Best Bitter)
(5 gallons, partial mash)
At 28 IBUs it’s not just plain bitter, it’s really bitter.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. English pale ale malt
- 0.5 lb. English crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
- 3 lbs. domestic pale malt syrup
- 0.5 lb. corn sugar
- 11 oz. pale dry malt extract
- 0.75 oz. Galena hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 2 oz. Fuggle hops (5% alpha acid),
- 1 oz. for 10 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
- Wyeast 1968 (Special London) or other attenuative ale yeast
- Isinglass or gelatin
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 1.5 gal. water to hit conversion at 155° F for 60 min. Sparge grains with 168° F water to
collect 4 gal. of wort.
Add 2 gal. of water to the wort, making a total of 6 gal. Heat to boil while stirring in malt extract and corn sugar. Boil 30 min. and add Galena hops. Boil 50 min. more and add 1 oz. Fuggle hops. Boil 10 min. more for a total boil of 90 min. Add 1 oz. Fuggle hops as the boil ends. Cool and aerate. Pitch yeast at 75° F.
Ferment at 60° to 65° F. Rack off of yeast after fermentation. Prime in a keg with corn sugar and fine with
isinglass or gelatin, following the instructions on the package. Age for two weeks before consuming.
OG = 1.044
FG = 1.010
Darn bitter (ESB)
(5 gallons, all-grain)
At 35 IBUs this brew is darn bitter.
Ingredients:
- 6.8 lbs. English pale ale malt
- 0.5 lb. British crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
- 1 lb. flaked maize
- 1 oz. Bullion hops (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 2 oz. Kent Goldings hops (5% alpha acid), 1 oz. for 10 min., 1 oz. at end of boil
- 1 oz. Willamette hops (4.8% alpha acid), at end of boil Wyeast 1968 (Special London) or other attenuative ale yeast
- Isinglass or gelatin
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup corn sugar for priming
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 2.5 gal. of water to reach a conversion temperature of 153° F for 90 min. Sparge with water at 168° F to make 6 gal.
Boil 30 min. and add Bullion hops. Boil 50 min. more and add 1 oz. Kent Goldings. Boil 10 min. more for a total boil of 90 min. At end of boil add 1 oz. Kent Goldings and Willamette hops. Cool and aerate. Pitch yeast at 75° F.
Ferment at 60° to 65° F until finished. Rack off of yeast after fermentation. Prime in a keg with corn sugar and fine with isinglass or gelatin, following instructions on the package. Age for two weeks before consuming.
OG = 1.048
FG = 1.010
