Bitter's, Anything but Ordinary

There was a time when I thought all beer was the same, that beer was meant to be a simple, light, possibly refreshing, mostly tasteless drink to slowly cause a state of inebriation. Then I had the fortune of visiting England. It didn't take long, in fact I seem to recall I went to a nearby free house right after I checked in at the hotel (despite my jet lag and general lack of sleep, my mate showed up at the hotel and reminded me that I can sleep when I'm dead). The pub was nothing special by English standards. The ale I ordered, I don't even remember the name. But as soon as I took a swig, it was immediately apparent that this is the way beer is meant to taste, or at least one of the ways. My eyes had been opened, and from that moment on I was driven to try any new (to me) beer I could get my hands on. For a while, I felt cheated and misled by the American macro-breweries. Eventually I came to realize that they too had their place. I still enjoy a simple Bud Light when I'm thirsty and don't want anything heavy. It's just a shame that so many American's have come to recognize them as the standard for beer.

For me, Bitter's are more separated by emphasis on a flavor aspect than style's. The categories of Ordinary Bitter, Best Bitter, and Strong Bitter tend to blur for me. I suppose I only make Strong Bitter's these days, as I prefer the higher alcohol content, but I wouldn't miss the higher alcohol content while drinking an Ordinary Bitter. I still enjoy the classic English toffee and caramel notes all the same, as well as the earthiness and (what I often call) menthol notes of the classic English hops. The dilemma I always face while building the recipe is whether I am in the mood for a malt forward, hop forward, or balanced ale, or rather trying to guess what my mood will be like by the time fermentation and carbonation are complete.

A Strong Bitter is the obvious choice for me to make as my first commercial release. Rarely do I come across them in the US these days. For a while, it seemed Old Speckled Hen was making a charge, but I don't see it much any more. Unless I actively seek out Fuller's ESB (which I am known to do from time to time), I don't get to drink a good bitter any more unless I make it myself. I won't bother to detail an exact recipe, as it is a rather simple recipe anyway, and can be taken any way you like based on your preference. And honestly, as I write this, I'm still torn as to the exact recipe I will use for my first commercial batch. However, I will throw these tidbits our there:

1) As much as I like the malty bread notes of Marris Otter, I tend to feel that an ale made from all Marris Otter base malt over does it. And lately, I find I have a preference for Golden Promise. Often times I use a very simple 2-row malt to let the specialty malts shine through more. Still haven't decided which way I will go for the first batch.

2) If I want a malt forward, toffee/caramel flavored ale, I find that as much as 20% of the grist can be an English crystal malt without ending up being overdone. I also tend to prefer a blend of lighter (~ 40L) and heavier (~ 80L) crystal malts over blends with the medium crystal. Seems to provide more complexity in the flavor, and a sweeter caramel note that way.

3) Although some say a more rich version does better in competitions, I prefer to have the ale dried out a little bit. I also prefer to do this with flaked corn over a straight sugar, but then I like the subtle sweet flavor that corn adds to a beer (probably not very English of me).

4) I've toyed with other hop blends, but I find you really just can't beat a 50/50 blend of EKG and Fuggle for the flavoring and aroma. The question really is just how heavy you want to go.

5) I don't mind the fruity phenol notes of the Fuller strain, but I don't miss them, and I might even prefer a cleaner ale. Some of my favorite outcomes have come from using the Chico strain, it really let's the malt and hops shine through.

That's about it as far as wisdom I can offer. Hope there was a least something interesting in there for you. Like I said, I haven't fully decided which way I'm going to go with the first batch, but I'll post the final recipe after I make it.