English Bitter is one of the most satisfying of styles. To the homebrewer this can be one of the easiest styles of beer to make.

Bitter as a style has many different tastes and surprises. Most are usually bittersweet and hoppy. English Bitter gets this from generous supply’s of British noble hops.

The hops of which I speak are Challenger, Wye Target, Fuggles and the most prestigious of them all East Kent Golding’s. There are many regional takes on this style as well.

One of the more famous was Boddingtons Bitter. This beer was once a staple of the Greater Manchester area before Inbev bought them out. Sadly The Strangways Brewery in Manchester has since been shut down.

This was a very good example of an English Bitter that was once respected by me. Another example of this style was Mansfield Bitter. Again sadly the brewery in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire has since closed.

It’s no longer a staple of Mansfield where it’s adored across the Midlands. Very few examples of true English Bitter are available in the states.

There however are many examples of Pale Ale across the board. English Bitter in included is in the Pale Ale family. There are actually three category’s for English Bitter.

Theres Ordinary Bitter with a gravity between 1.035 – 1.040. I like my Ordinary Bitter between 1.038 and 1.040. Usually hopped with 25-35 IBU’s.

Then theres Special/Best Bitter with gravity’s between 1.040 – 1.048. Hop IBU’s around 25-40.

Also there is Extra Special Bitter or ESB for short. Gravity’s usually between 1.048 – 1.060. This usually gets generous IBU’s around 30-50+.

Respectively there almost always malty and bittersweet. Usually the flavours don’t change much between the three examples. The higher gravity beers tend to accentuate the flavorful British malt.

Grain wise you want to seek out a very good floor malted British two-row barley. My favorite malts in this case are Thomas Fawcett Marris Otter and Halcyon. This is a family owned malting company in West Yorkshire.

Examples of beers made with Thomas Fawcett malts are Theakstons Old Pecuiler, Bass Pale Ale. Just to name a few. Be sure to use good fresh British hops as well.

So try making them and make them your own. I think you will be impressed.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info

I have been brewing since the craze in the 90′s, I stuck to it. Now I’m sharing what I know with you. So give the site below a visit today.

It will be evolving and growing with many resources for the new and old brewer alike.

The Brewmeister “Where it’s a pleasure to Brew”

http://www.thebrewmeister.info

Shawn Burgy

Water Profiles – Why There Important in Brewing Beer:

Understanding your local water profile can determain the best styles to brew in your area.
Some city’s have very soft water, It’s usually better to brew styles such as the Pilsner with soft water.

In England the water is usually harder, Which helps the maltyness in there Pale Ales.
But each city and town in England has a lot of differences from town to town and village to village.

Knowing the basic water profile in Yorkshire can help you know how to change your local soft water.
Lets look at my water profile for Akron,Ohio and Yorkshire,England

Water Profile

Akron, Ohio
Calcium (Ca)= 40.0
Magnesium (Mg)= 8.0
Sodium (Na)= 36.0
Sulfate (SO4)= 75.0
Chloride (C1)= 35.0
Bicarbonate (HC03)= 130.0
PH= 7.34

Water Profile
Yorkshire, England
Calcium (Ca)= 105.0
Magnesium (Mg)= 17.0
Sodium (Na)= 23.0
Sulfate (SO4)= 66.0
Chloride (C1)= 30.0
Bicarbonate (HC03)= 153.0
PH= 8.33

As you can see the Akron water will have to come up in some minerals to reach the Yorkshire water profile.
For this I usually use a program called ProMash.
It has everything you will need to bring your water where you need to.

You still probably won’t get all of your water profile with out going over a bit.
But you will have it at least so your beers will be closer to the actual brewing water.

There are certain chemicals you will need in order to get your water straight.
These can be retrieved from your LHBS (Local HomeBrew Shop).
Some can be collected at your local Pharmacy.

The usual scale you will use to measure is on the Grams scale.

Mineral List

Epsom Salts
Canning Salt
Gypsum
Baking Soda
Calcium Chloride
Chalk

You should have no problems getting these minerals.
Once you get the hang of it you won’t have any problems getting the water that you need.

Give it a few times and you should notice a big improvement in your styles of beers.
It’s greatly satisfying to be able to actually use the water in England when you need to.

Your Pale Ales and taste buds will surely thank you for your work.
Its always the extra effort that goes in to making your homebrew better.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info

I have been brewing since the craze in the 90′s, I stuck to it. Now I’m sharing what I know with you. So give the site below a visit today.

It will be evolving and growing with many resources for the new and old brewer alike.

The Brewmeister “Where it’s a pleasure to Brew” http://www.thebrewmeister.info

Shawn Burgy