ESB Recipe Help

Personally I would recommend:

1) Use British crystal, not US made crystal, it will be richer and more authentic.
2) 5% crystal would be more typical, 12.5% is not unreasonable but it's more than you'd typically see used.
3) Typically you'd see more hops, even in a beer that you want to be malt forward.

I like your choice of yeast, it's my favorite.

Of course, these suggestions are based on my own personal tastes and what you usually see in ESB recipes, YMMV based on what you want your particular beer to taste like.

 

I'd Throw some victory malt in there.
Too much crystal.
Move the 30 min EKG to 20 min.

Very important, make sure you carb at about 1.8 units CO2. Not only is that true to style, but the lower the carb the less you can taste the hops, so you want it low.

 

Mash higher of you want more maltyness and higher FG

 

As was posted above I would suggest less crystal malt. My preferred crystal malt for English Ales is Simpson Medium Crystal.

My preferred yeasts are Danstar Windsor and Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale).

I use a total of 4 ounces of EKG for flavor/aroma/dry hopping but I prefer my English Ales to have a ‘presence’ of EKG.

Good luck with your ESB!

Cheers!

 

I would enjoy Jack's beer. Those are my favorite dry and liquid strains for English styles. The suggestion of using less of an English crystal resonates too. Simpson's medium is a favorite of mine. I've used a challenger/EKG mix for many English ales. My most recent was100% Whitbread goldings and I loved that too.

 

6 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter Grain 1 48.0 %
5 lbs 8.0 oz Golden Promise Grain 2 44.0 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 10L Grain 3 8.0 %

2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent - Boil 60.0 min
0.50 oz Fuggles - Boil 20.0 min
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent - Boil 20.0 min
0.50 oz Fuggles - Flameout
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent - Flameout


Starter London Ale III

That's my ESB recipe.

 

The above recipe is an older one of mine, and needs to be scaled down to take into account my increased efficiency. But you get the picture.

 

This guy is British and you are using Warrior for bittering? Play it safe and use one of these (high alphas):
http://www.britishhops.org.uk/british-hop-varieties/

 

My 2c. Use more hops but use willamette or fuggles. 3 oz in the last 10 minutes ---> flameout would be divine. They will not overpower. Less crystal but I like the choice of 60. Use English malts.

Also... consider, but then choose, and do. If your fundamentals are solid, beer is very forgiving for any reasonable recipe. Opinions on recipes are similar to certain body parts in that everybody's got one.

 

I have some Fuggle rhizomes coming tomorrow...maybe throw some Lyle's invert in there to make him feel at home ...and leave out the priming sugar to really give him some wood.

 

Well the rule with willamette is that whatever you think you need, double it, then add two more ounces at flameout.



I made a smash with 2.5 oz willamette and it was all malt (but was tasty, just very maris ottery and not at all hoppy, even tho the IBUs were adjusted via the 60 min addition). I also just recently made a petite saison smash with 6 oz willamette (15 to FO) and T-58 and it's hardly anything you could call overly hoppy.

 

I can’t specifically comment to Fuggles hops but EKG is a mild hop (compared to American aroma hops). Using a total of 2 ounces for late hopping (20 minutes and end of boil) is not a lot of hopping.

Cheers!

 

I absolutely love some amber malt in anything british.

 

It should be close enough! I have never had any problem with anything Munton's.

 

I CAN comment on fuggles:

mmm. fuggles good. me like fuggles.

Don't skimp tho. They're not strong, so if you want to taste the hops, be generous.