Bitter to the End

by Harry Graham

Batch size = 10 gallons:

Mash:

15 lb. pale malt
3 lb. British 70/80 crystal malt, add the last 10 minutes of the mash
Acidify mash as needed.

Boil: 90 minutes

3 oz. Tettnanger, 5.0 alpha, for 90 minutes
2 oz. Willamette, 4.9 alpha, for 45 minutes
2 oz. Willamette, 4.9 alpha, for 15 minutes
1 oz. Willamette, 4.9 alpha, at end of boil

Irish moss added last 30 minutes of boil

Yeast: Whitbread and Nottingham

Dry hops:

1/2 oz. to 2 gallons.

1 Tbs. Isinglass, rehydrated.

Small amount of priming sugar

O.G.: 1.040

Comments:

The color is perfect, as well as the final gravity (which I failed to write down), but the bittering hops dominate too much. Cut back on the first 2 hop additions for a little more complexity. The water was not treated, and is fairly soft, but a little hardening might be appropriate, especially in view of cutting back on the hops. The hop aroma was more subtle than I would have liked, but the hops were contained in a hop bag to try to keep from making a mess. Next time, try some loose hops in the cask.