The How My Averagely Perfect ESB Turned Out Thread

In addition to my perspective on the recipe outcome, I'll add that the process for constructing these recipes has always entertained me and educated me in some ways.

 

yeah, don't use that

 

The only one I've made is the APA IPA, which I done three times (with minor variations). The hops really work well together. Overall, it's a really solid recipe,

 

I actually just bought some hops to make a recipe somewhat like this.

 

Brewing this right now. Just finished my whirlpool addition and am in chilling mode. I grabbed my hydrometer sample and it is a pretty orange color. With temperature correction, I calculate 1.056 OG. My Northdown was lower in %AA, so I ended up using half an ounce of both Target and Northdown at bittering. This calculated to more IBUs than the recipe, but probably not enough that I would notice, and certainly not enough to be obnoxious.

I made some effort to smell the hops, as I have only used Target once and Northdown never. I have not always been satisfied with the EKGs that I have purchased, but these EKGs standout as easily the most aromatic of the hops in the recipe, and fairly complex, too. I was getting citrus, floral, and spicy notes (yeah, hop vocabulary -- ain't it grand?). The Target's were the least aromatic. I got a very faint sage-like character, but I can't see its whirlpool addition having much impact except for a few IBUs. The Northdown was a little more pungent than the Target, contributing, I thought, some pine.

Looking forward, I expect this to be a pretty enjoyable beer, especially if the yeast strain performs for me as it has in the past and brings some fruitiness. @Granitebeard and @scottakelly -- did the yeast take you past the recipe's target FG, as I suspect?

 

I actually ended up short. 1.014 here. Although at this moment, I am starting to question either my abliity to read my hydrometer right or its accuracy.

 

1.012 FG for me.

 

Moved it to the keg tonight. Scooped out a hydrometer sample. As I expected, as with my previous experiences with this strain, it attenuated rather substantially, to 1.006 (calculated ABV = 6.2%). The beer is a beautiful orange color. The uncarbonated sample has a strong fruity aroma, a lightly sweet taste with perhaps a hint of some sort of nut, like almond or hazelnut, but also with a bit of tannic astringency that disappoints me a bit. (I've found this in some other beers lately and am wondering about my brew in the bag approach). The sweetness leaves me wanting more, brighter hops; it's hard for me to find a hop presence in this one, perhaps because of the tannic sensation? I'll reserve further judgment until the beer is colder and carbonated.

 

After a few days of carbing up, here's what I think:
I'm getting plummy stonefruit upfront, which contributes to perceptions of sweetness. As indicated earlier, the beer finished 6 points low and has some tannic astringency, both of which are contributing to a drying finish. There is no impression of hops, outside of their role in balancing any sweetness and whatever they may have contributed to tannins. Those EKGs that smelled so flavorful on brew day have left no aroma that I can discern. The body of the beer is slightly slick (FWIW, I don't detect diacetyl, so if that is the source of the slickness, it is hiding its butter well). It is the the sort of beer that I find very drinkable -- somewhat quenching and sweet up front but the finish dries my mouth and makes me want another sip. The problem is that it has a calculated 6.3% ABV, which makes it pretty dangerous.

 

Due to my wedding and honeymoon I was a little late getting to this. I just kegged mine today. Tasted and looked pretty good coming out of the fermenter. I'm going to try to carb it a little quickly and see what I got

 

Came out pretty good. A little malty, can taste the hop profile, little bit of bitterness. ESB isn't one of my favorite styles, so I wouldn't say I love this beer, but I do think it turned out well and is a solid representation of the style

 

Must be close to the end of this keg because it is starting to taste even more delicious. The carbonation seems to have dropped, which is something I need to investigate, but it does make me wonder if the APESB should have specified carbonation level? Seems pretty key for this English styles. Or maybe it did and I ignored...

 

Yep. There was one more pint. Guess I need to brew something soon as I am out of kegged beer

 

I'm halfway through the keg I brewed and my feelings are mixed. I did screw up the recipe though. The lhbs didn't have Northdown so I just subbed in more EKG. Then on brew day I was talking to my neighbor as it became time for the 10 minute hop addition and I added the whirlpool hops at that time by mistake. So the 10 minute addition became the whirlpool hops. It has a wonderful mouthfeel and malt flavor but no hop nose and a generic very earthy bitterness that doesn't make me want to brew it again. Friends I have shared it with have liked it. Maybe I'm being too picky.

 

@csurowiec Your post reminds of something whacky I do when I drink my homebrews. If I think "this is beer that I brewed at home" while I'm drinking it, I am critical of my beer. However, if I pretend my homebrew is a commercial brew, it seems to taste better. I know, it's bat shit crazy.

 

I bounce back and forth between what I call "ugly daughter syndrome" where even if the beer is subpar I still love it because it's my baby and being overly critical of my creations. I once brought a Maris Otter Cascade SMaSH to my monthly homebrew club meeting for help identifying an off flavor. I got a lot of puzzled looks and people saying "umm what off flavor?" Guess I was being overly critical.

 

Knowing that you could have done better isn't being overly critical.

 

I don't think the deviations are that critical. Malt forward and earthy bitterness seems to describe the essence of that beer. I'd say yeast character, too. Those hop changes probably would not have made a big diff. This would have been a better beer if it presented more hops.

 

I finally was able to brew this one up Friday night. I'm in a new brewery with a new burner and a new mash tun. I got better than expected efficiency, and actually hit the OG without adding the invert sugar, so I will probably skip the sugar this time, I don't want the beer to be any stronger than it is, and I've found the West Yorkshire is a great attenuator with or without sugar, so I'm not too worried about the beer finishing out.

 

As I suspected, it finished at 1.009.