ESB- Post your favorite

I haven't brewed it, but The Wise by Elysian is a GREAT beer and they have the recipe posted on thier website:

http://www.elysianbrewing.com/brewing_tips.html

Def worth checking out.

 

This is one I like...for 5 gallons:

8 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb Cara-Pils
1 lb Belgian Aromatic
1 lb Brown Malt
A couple ounces Roasted Barley
1 oz EKG - 60 min
1 oz Fuggles - 15 min
1 oz Fuggles - 1 min

Single infusion @ ~152*F
O.G.: ~1.055
WLP002 English Ale Yeast

 

10 # Rahr Pale Ale Malt
1 # Lyle's Golden Syrup
1/2 # Carastan 15 L or 30 L
1/2# British 55 L
1 oz Magnum FWH
1 oz Styrian Golding & 1/2 oz Willamette @ 5min
2 oz Styrian Golding @ KO
1 oz Styrian Golding & 1/2 oz Willamette @ DH

Mash @ 153*F
US-05 or English yeast if you desire

 

Essex Special Bitter Recipe
Batch Size (Gal): 5.0
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00
Anticipated OG: 1.051
Anticipated FG: 1.012
Anticipated ABV:4.75
Anticipated SRM: 15
Anticipated IBU: 50
Efficiency: 75%
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

8.00lbs Maris Otter
1.00lbs Toasted Maris Otter
0.50lbs Crystal 60L
0.50lbs Crystal 120L
2.00oz EKG 60min
1.00oz EKG 20min
1.00oz EKG Dry Hop for 7 days

Yeast:
WLP022 Essex Ale Yeast
Mash:
150F for 60min

This is by far my favorite recipe. The toasted maris otter i do in the oven at like 350 for 20 mins or until it tastes like cheddar goldfish. I guess you could use victory or maybe biscuit.

 

My last 3 have all been slightly different, but each has been pretty darn similar to this. I generally do not add the Aromatic or Brown malts (though I did include the Brown in of of them)

 

I just got ther results back from a competition I entered last month and my entry for ESB took second in its class. THe judges had great things to say about it, but I used Chinook, Simcoe, and Centenial hops which gave it a real "American" flare so it was docked for not being to style. The general consesus was that had I brewed the same beer with different hops it would have been right on. The recipe is here:

http://kettleandcellar.blogspot.com/2012/05/american-special-bitter.html

I think subbing Willamette and Nuggett for the Chinook and Simcoe additions (with an extra bittering charge early in the boil to compensate for the lower AA Willametes) and EKG or Fuggle for the dry hopping would do the trick.

Next time I do it it'll be like this:

82% 2-row
10% Victory
10% C40

Single Infusion @ 152F

OG~1.048
FG~1.010

WLP013 at 65-70F over a week

2oz Nugget for 15min
2oz Wilammette at f/o
2oz EKG DH with 1 oz oak chips for 1 week

 

That's so ridiculous. There are plenty of commercial pales in the UK that use American hops.

 

Yeah, totally.

FWIW it is a great beer, but the citrusy hops are a bit at odds with the "Carmel Apple" esters form the yeast. I don't know... Its been a hit with everyone that has tried it.

 

Yeah, I was planning on trying it out next time -- I really like oak in pale beers.

 

Hmmm...can you say BJCP??? This is the problem with "brewing to style"!!!

 

The BJCP guidelines actually leave ESB open to american and other non-english hops, but it's worded in a way that I imagine some judges feel justified in dinging them.

 

The "E" in ESB is for "extra" not English...awaiting reply from Anglophiles and BJCP twits : )

BTW: PBS special on Queen Victoria's Empire is exxxxxcellent...I guess I should have watched a BBC version : )

 

And the "J" in BJCP is Judge, just so we remember what judged competitions can be like

 

Exactly. American hops have been commonly used in British beer for over 150 years.

 

And all sorts of other hops, too. William Younger liked a mix of Saaz and Fuggles in their Pale Ales.

 

I learned this from your blog, so thanks.

 

I call bullshit...show me a primary source (or three) and I will believe that British beers were commonly using American hops during the (American) Civil War. Clusters were about the only hop from America then and they were considered inferior and used for only bittering by English breweries trying to cut corners.

Last I checked, most trade with England during the American Civil War was between The Confederacy and England.

I know I will get a rebuttal on this one.

 

To me, ESB scream English hop schedule instead of American. In other words, buttering and aroma, little to no flavor so the malt comes through.