Some beers can transport you to another time and place. English Bitter does that for me. I really came to appreciate the style a few years ago on a trip around England. The trip was a ton of fun, and I got to enjoy a variety of English ales in their traditional cask presentations.

Of the styles I tried, Bitter was my favorite. Like many of the traditional English ales, it is flavorful, low in alcohol, and a refreshing change of pace for a palate that’s suffering a bit of IPA fatigue.

Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting old, but in the last few years I’ve gained much more appreciation for subtle beer – “beer flavored beer”. Bitter is high in the running to be my overall favorite beer flavored beer

This is a recipe I’ve brewed a few times, and one of the few that I’ve never really wanted to tinker with. It’s just about perfect for my tastes. It is adapted from the excellent book Brewing Classic Styles.

Recipe

Batch size:      5.5 gallons
Target OG:       1.046
Target FG:       1.014
Target ABV:      4.2%
Caluclated IBU:  32.0
Calculated SRM:  10.4

Grain bill:
8.5lb US 2-Row            (86.6%)
0.5lb Aromatic Malt       (5.1%)
0.5lb C120                (5.1%)
5oz Briess Special Roast  (3.2%)

Mash (Batch Sparge): 152 °F @ 1.5 qts/lb

Hops:
1.5 oz  EKG   @ 60 mintutes (25.3IBU)
0.75 oz EKG   @ 15 minutes (6.2IBU)
0.75 oz EKG   @ 1 minute (0.5IBU)

Yeast:
WLP002 (No starter)

Notes

2020-08-30 - Uneventful brew day. OG 1.045. Into the fermentation fridge at 20*C

2020-09-13 - Kegged with some gelatin and half a campden tablet. FG 1.012. 4.3%

2020-10-08 - Tasting great! Malty, a bit bitter, but hops are not the starring flavor. Still one of my favorite session beers.