Style: 11B - Best Bitter
I usually make an "Ordinary Bitter" (11A) and serve it on nitro. When that kicked I wanted a replacement that I could combine with the BJCP project. Rather than do another of the same, I went with "11B - Best Bitter" which is between the "Ordinary" and "Strong" bitters.
Rather than make the standard bitter a bit stronger, I changed up the ingredients slightly: instead of a Northern Brewer/Cascade blend for the flavor addition, I'll use NB only. Instead of my house yeast S-04 I'm trying a new strain: London ESB which seemed appropriate.
The full recipe is on brewersfriend.com, but here's the TL;DR
- brew day: 2017-11-5
- 24L batch, OG brix 10.2/1.043
- malts: Maris Otter base, 5% crystal 120
- hops: 18g Nugget at FWH, 60g Norther Brewer at 5 min
- yeast: Danstar London ESB (dry)
- 11/16 - kegged - FG: 1.013; ABV 4%
Milling the grains: Maris Otter and C120
New yeast! London ESB
OG 10.2 (brix) / 1.043
2017-11-16: Kegged!
The London ESB yeast did not perform as I had hoped. Attenuation was really low at 67%, and clarity is quite hazy even after gelatin. My usual house yeast, S-04 would have hit 80% easily and cleaned up quick. However... the Danstar yeast brought out a pleasant nuttiness I don't typically get with S-04. I could see using it for a nut brown when the time comes - planning for the low attenuation.
This is going on nitro so I only burst carbed for 8 hours (11pm - 7am) before switching to the nitro mix.
2017-11-18: fully carbed nitro pour
Clarity is not too bad and I expect it will clear up nicely in the next couple of weeks. The ESB yeast really makes the malts pop in a good way. Super nutty and delicious!
2017-12-4: Changed the name to "Peanut Bitter" because damn it tastes like PB. Also quite a bit more clear now.
