WindRiver Brewing January 2010 Internet Newsletter

I like It Bitter: A Short History of Bitter and ESB

The now thriving beer styles of Bitter, Pale Ale and India Pale Ale trace their origins in England to about the year 1500, the date when the Flemish began importing hops to Britain. Before that time, spices were commonly employed to balance the sweetness of malt and honey. Due to their effectiveness as a preservative, hops had a further advantage in enabling brewers to extend the shelf life of a beer as well as making it possible to brew lighter gravity beers tasting much more flavorful and fresher than was previously possible. Within 100 of years of their first use in the brewing process, beers made with hops had replaced the traditional unhopped ales made with spices amongst working people. Traditional ale was still consumed amongst the ranks of the nobility, who had the financial resources to build and operate their own breweries, which furnished the ale consumed on the great estates of England. But by 1700, this practice died out, and hopped ales (known by this time as "beer") almost completely replaced the traditional ales.

Between then and now, Bitter has seen its ups and downs. After World War II, European style Pilsner and other keg beers threatened to drive out Bitter, due to less expense and desire for a less flavorful alternative. Bitter is served on draught and uses a very unique dispensing system. Instead of the traditional method of pressuring beers to allow them to flow through the tap, traditional Bitter is sucked from the cask through the use of special tap (a hand pump tap). The beer inside of the cask is only very lightly carbonated, just enough to generate a head when the beer is poured. Additionally, a cask of traditional ale should be stored at around 46 - 52 F, warmer than a standard refrigerator. This temperature requriement requires the use of a cellar. The tapping method and low carbonation pressure generally means that the beer needs to be consumed quickly. Due to the relative complexity of dispensing real ale, cellerman are generally hired to oversee this portion of the process, and to mantain quality control of the finished beer (arguably the most important step in the brewing process). Despite the increased expense of dispensing Bitter and other cask ales, homebrewers, microbreweries and brewpubs popularized the style to the extent that there is a sufficient market to support the production of Bitter. This is also due, in large part, to the efforts of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) to popularize the style.

Flavor Guidelines:

Bitter comes in at least 3 "levels". Ordinary Bitter has an OG of between 1.025 - 1.035 and is designed to be "quenching" as well as light enough that seceral can be easily comsumed in a drinking session. Special Bitter in slightly higher in gravity, weighing in aroun 1.040 - 1.050. Finally, there is Extra Special Bitter, with a staring gravity of 1.050 - 1.060. Fuller brewery in London essentially created this style of beer, although many other breweries have added their own touches. Generally speaking, an ESB is golden copper in color, with sweetness provided by generous amounts of caramel malt as well as a hoppy aroma.

NORTHLAND HOPHEAD ESB AND ENGLISH TAVERN BITTER KITS ARE ON SALE UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THE NEXT NEWSLETTER.

English Tavern Bitter: A classic special bitter with a bit more hop bitterness than traditional examples. If you enjoy pale ales, this is a good one to try. This recipe comes out especially good when made using liquid yeast.
Recipe: 6 Lbs Gold malt extract, 2 oz Northern Brewer bittering hops, 1 oz Fuggles aroma hops, 1 oz East Kent Goldings aroma hops, 1/2 Lb Crytal 10 L & 1/2 Cara Pils crushed grain blend, yeast and priming sugar.

English Tavern Bitter w/Dry Yeast $23.95 NOW $21.95. $21.95

English Tavern Bitter With Wyeast 1968 Special London Liquid yeast, $27.95 NOW $24.95. $24.95

Northland Hophead ESB The use of authentic British crystal malt lends a warm biscuity flavor to this well hopped brew. Speaking of hops, this beer uses some very interesting breeds from the UK including First Gold and Challenger as well as good old Fuggles and Kent Goldings.
Recipe: 6.6 Lbs Gold malt extract, 1 Lb Dry Malt Extract, 2 oz Challenger bittering hops, 1 oz Fuggles flavor hops, 1 oz First Gold flavor hops, 1 oz East Kent Goldings aroma hops. 1 oz Saaz aroma hops, 3/4 Lb UK Light Crystal malt (55 L) & 1/4 Lb Wheat malt crushed grain blend, yeast and priming sugar.

Northland Hophead ESB w/Dry Yeast $27.95 NOW $23.95. $23.95

Northland Hophead ESB w/Liquid Yeast With Wyeast 1968 Special London Liquid yeast, $31.95 NOW $28.95. $28.95

Ask Dr. Zoot -Your Brewing Questions Answered

Q. How can I get the most from my aroma hops?

A. If you add the hops right as you shut the heat off and keep the brewpot closed while chilling the wort, you will avoid the dissipation of much of the hop aroma. You can also get multiple flavors from the same hop by adding some of the hops at 5 - 10 minutes before the end of the boil, and some as you shut down the heat, or small amounts continuously during this time span. Cheers and Good Brewing!!
WindRiver Brewing
windrvr@bitstream.net