Basic Bitter – The quest for a JHB.

zjennings — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:48:51 +0000

I finally decided it was time to get back into home brewing. I stopped mostly because I got frustrated with bottling and recipes that were very complicated. When the monasteries of Europe began brewing beer centuries ago, they didn’t have access to 6 different types of malted barley and 4 different hop varieties. So why then do we proceed to make our beer recipes so dang complex?

So, I’m in search of a good basic bitter. The one I’m trying right now only has 3.5lbs of DME Light and 0.25lbs of Crystal Malt (grain). Just Kent Goldings hops (1.5oz bittering and 0.5oz finishing). 2tsp of gypsum and 1tbs of irish moss. Basic British Ale yeast. That’s it.

I know that 3.5lbs of LME in a 5 gallon batch means it’s going to be a lighter beer. Primary fermentation is almost done, and the flavor is light and hoppy. I like it. I wouldn’t call it a “light beer.” But this should be a session beer sitting below 4%ABV. I’m searching for something to become the JHB, Jennings House Bitter. Bottling will happen tomorrow. Carbonated beer should be poured by next weekend.

Time to order more ingredients for my next recipe.

Hoppiness

Basic Bitter – The quest for a JHB.