English Bitter

I've been craving a nice session beer for some time now, and an English Bitter seemed to fit the bill perfectly. There is just something about having a well balanced brew thats easy to drink that becomes almost a necessity to have on tap...and I've, for too long, been brewing heavier beers (as defined by myself at anything over 5.5% abv). I'm reminded frequently about how nice it is to have a number of pints with a friend, or friends, over some conversation but I seldom relate that experience to home brewing.

I could blame it on all the brewing books I have on being "extreme" or wanting to push on the outer fringes of just what a smack pack of yeast can handle in terms of a starting gravity (read the beginnings of a strong beer before fermentation) but I will take responsibility upon myself.

I think having a strong beer at home, in bottle or keg, is advantageous in that you can experience a great experience in creating your own beer that would fight off the mightiest wild yeasts with it's pure ABV volume AND managing it to be tasty and aged well, is a great joy. The same could be said for, and this is where I choose to focus my brewing currently, for a nice session brew that is enjoyed fresh and frequently. Thats why I chose my current brewing project-brewing up an nice English Bitter.

I dont mean to draw any lines in the sand here as I do believe you should brew both in tandem. It's always a great feeling to brew a lighter beer and later toss a stronger wort on top of it, and again a stronger wort on top afterwards on that yeast cake......exponentially increasing the strength of your beers and again them differently. I will say however that currently I'm very interested in brewing a great session ale that both my friends and wife can enjoy as much as I do. Of coarse thats not to say that I'm not building up this yeast cake for a mighty English Barley Wine...which I am...right after I knock out the English Oyster Stout I've got planned to do next with this yeast.

My recipe was loosely based on Jamils English Bitter recipe, I say loosely because I did take certain liberties with it. For one I did go light on the caramel malt, and introduced some flaked rye in it's place...this is mostly based on my poor brewing calculations and my own wish to not replicate any specific beer that I have not actually tasted. Also you will notice that I experimented with Argentinian Cascade hops for bittering...they have a earthy taste but with a slight twinge of citrus that I believe will add some complexity to this brew.

We'll see how I did with this batch in a few weeks when I tote a few growlers out onto a frozen lake for some ice fishing with some buddies..I'll keep ya posted.

If any of you have any English Bitter recipes that your happy with I would love to hear about them!

Cheers!
Brian