Homebrew Crisp English Esb

  • Bold Maris Malt body with caramel
  • ABV 5.5%
  • IBU 30
  • OG 1052 SG

This strong bitter is a great homebrewing recipe to let our heritage Maris Otter® barley showcase its malt character to the fullest. Highly drinkable with a good balance between our malts and classic English hop varieties, this beer is darkened and sweetened with caramel notes by the Crystal, Amber and just a touch of Roast Barley to deepen the reddish hues.

BASICS

BATCH SIZE FERMENTER

25 l

BATCH SIZE BOIL:

27.75 l

ORIGINAL GRAVITY:

1052 SG

FINAL GRAVITY:

1009 SG

IBUs:

30

COLOUR (EBC/SRM):

23 / 12

BREWHOUSE EFFICIENCY:

80%

METHODS / TIMINGS

TEMPERATURES

MASH TEMP:

66°C / 151°F

FERMENTATION TEMP:

21°C / 70°F

TARGET ATTENUATION:

84%

MASH LIQUOR VOL (LITRES):

14.4

LIQUOR / MASH RATIO:

2.5 : 1

TIMINGS

MASH:

60 mins

BOIL:

60 mins

STAND:

30 mins

INGREDIENTS

MALTS(kg)%

MARIS OTTER® ALE

5.24

92

CRYSTAL 150

0.29

4.5

AMBER

0.19

3

ROAST BARLEY

0.03

0.5

YEAST

LALLEMAND LONDON ESB

HOPS(g)Contribution%Alpha Acid%Addition

CHALLENGER

21.4

40

7

Start of boil

FUGGLE

13.6

20

5.5

Middle

EAST KENT GOLDINGS

23.1

40

6.5

Flame out

HOPS

CHALLENGER

(g)

21.4

Contribution%

40

Alpha Acid%

7

Addition

Start of boil

FUGGLE

(g)

13.6

Contribution%

20

Alpha Acid%

5.5

Addition

Middle

EAST KENT GOLDINGS

(g)

23.1

Contribution%

40

Alpha Acid%

6.5

Addition

Flame out

Mike'S TOP TIP

A 20 minute steep in the copper prior to casting the wort will extract aromas of lavender, spice, honey and thyme from the East Kent Goldings hops.

Malts used in this Recipe

No 19 Maris Otter®

Crisp is one of the largest buyers of Maris Otter barley and some of our farmers have been growing it since its first crop in 1965. The mother field, where all certified Maris Otter seed comes from, is located in North Norfolk, just a short tractor drive from our maltings. Praised by home and commercial brewers for its depth of flavour, it has also found homes in malt driven whiskies in both the UK, Europe and in the emerging American single malt category.

Our No19 Maris Otter Malt, like the other heritage grains, is floor malted and is gently kilned over three days in our natural draft kiln, giving a deeper flavour than the conventionally kilned Maris Otter.

Light Crystal 150

To make our Light Crystal 150 malt we increase the temperature further and the endosperm darkens and flavours develop further. Think of Crystal Malts like you would make caramel at home. With Light Crystal the crystalised sugars present imparts an intense caramel flavour; it will also impart a reddish hue to the beer and it works very well in Bitters and Ruby beers. 

The number after the word Crystal refers to the EBC colour of the malt if you mashed at 100% of the grain bill. To get a rough conversion to Lovibond, just divide by two. 

Amber Malt

This is the palest malt made using a roasting technique. After conventional kilning, the malt is dry and pale in colour hence it is known as “white malt”. It is transferred to our Speciality Malt Plant and passes through the roasting column where the flavour is transformed through the application of heat. The temperatures used through the column determine the colour and flavour of the roasted malt.

Amber Malt is typified by a dry, toasted biscuit finish and can add an amber hue to the beer.

Roast Barley

Roast Barley Malt is our darkest grain and it is made from unmalted barley. The colour produced can be almost opaque and the flavour is similar to a dark, bitter roast coffee. In stouts a combination of Chocolate Malt, Black Malt and Roast Barley gives excellent complexity and balance.

Remember that these dark grains will have an acidifying effect on the mash, so ensure your salts have been adjusted adequately.

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