Beer Style: English Bitter, Mild, and Pale Ale
Rudgate Viking clone
MEMBERS ONLYRudgate Viking won Silver in the Bitter category in 2002 and is described as “An initially warming and malty, full-bodied beer, with hops and fruit lingering into the aftertaste.” The data I have for this beer is OG: 1.039. Malt bill: 90% Halcyon pale malt, 10% crystal malt. Hops: Fuggles, Northdown or Challenger, Goldings. Late hops: Goldings. IBU: 24. EBC: 24–30.
Bateman’s XXXB Bitter clone
MEMBERS ONLYBateman’s XXXB Bitter won Gold in the Premium Bitter/Special Bitter/Strong Bitter category in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1997. It is described as “A brilliant blend of malt, hops and fruit on the nose with a bitter bite over the top of a faintly banana maltiness that stays the course. A russet-tan brown classic.” From this I would suggest a yeast that provides a fruity character. The data I have for this beer is: OG: 1.048–1.049. Malt bill: 72–87% Pipkin or Maris Otter pale malt, 7.5–12% crystal malt, 0–3% wheat flour, 15–18% invert sugar. Hops: Challenger, Goldings. IBU: 37. EBC: 40–42.
The Kernel Brewery’s Table Beer clone
FREEThe best selling beer at Kernel Brewery (London, England) is their table beer, which is a well-balanced session ale with a great hop presence, smooth body, and a surprising hoppiness for a 3.3% ABV beer.
Grantham Mild
MEMBERS ONLYThe best thing about brewing a mild is that you get to dial up pretty much all of your favorite malt flavors, in whatever ratio you’d like, in a session-strength beer – and all you need to do is back out the black barley and sub in a bunch of fun character malts. You can still have a touch of roast in there (if you want), but you also get biscuit, toffee, nut, molasses, toast, plum, raisin . . . you get the picture.
Bone Idle Bitter
MEMBERS ONLYA schwarz’ed version of an English bitter.
A Bitter to Be Proud Of
MEMBERS ONLYJamil Zainasheff provides readers with an English Bitter that they can be proud of. Find ingredients and step by step here.
Fugglemania Pale Ale
MEMBERS ONLYLooking for a Fuggle-focused English pale ale recipe? Well this maybe what you are looking for.
British Golden Ale
MEMBERS ONLYThis recipe is a bit of an unorthodox take on the style in that it uses Vienna malt and some lighter crystal malts, and mixes in some Czech-like hops. But the final flavor profile is very much in line with the better examples of British golden ale that I’ve tried, and it helps show that you can do a bit of fusion of different brewing styles and cultures to create a modern beer. Coming in on the smaller side of ABV, it’s a great beer for the summer or when looking for a session beer.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company: Double Barrel Ale clone
MEMBERS ONLYDouble Barrel Ale utilizes the Firestone Union system, which will be very difficult to duplicate at home. But here is our best attempt at getting a Double Barrel Ale clone.
Deschutes Brewery’s Bachelor Bitter clone
MEMBERS ONLYThis is a traditional-style English pub bitter that is only available on tap at the Bend brewpub. Features notes of caramel and is very earthy.
Timothy Taylor Brewery: Landlord clone
FREEAccording to the brewery’s website: “A strong classic ale with a golden amber colour. It has a scent of caramel, light fruits and roasted malt hints.”
Timothy Taylor Brewery: Boltmaker clone
MEMBERS ONLYFormerly known as Best Bitter, this classic English bitter was renamed in 2012 but retains its classic copper/amber color, citrus and fruity hop character, and a roasted, malty bitter finish.