Bramling Cross Bitter - Garden Gate Brew Day

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

I've had a Bramling Cross Bitter chalked up for some time now, I'm finally getting round to it this coming Monday.

Below is my recipe your comments are welcome:

I've drafted a recipe which is similar to the one Seymour posted on another thread (but all malt as his used some dark sugar) and I will be using Thwaites yeast to get it a little drier than the suggested Windsor/ ESB yeast (its 69-75% attenuation but does leave some body)

Marris Otter (Manx Grown) 78.7%
Biscuit Malt 11.6%
Crytal Malt (120EBC UK) 5.1%
Flaked Barley (UK) 4.6%

To OG 1046
Colour ~16 IBC
Bitterness est. 34 IBU

Hops :

Bramling X to 33IBU @70min
Bramling X 30g in at 5 mins

Est. Attenuation 74% (Thwaites yeast)

One thing I have noticed is that the hops I have in are 2008 harvest! I opened the pack and they do smell ok - Nice herbal/blackcurrant/ spicey aroma.

I have reduced there AA% in my software drasticly to compensate.

Should I be concerned using them?

Cheers!
Guy

[Manx Guy]

No comments so I went ahead, mash is on just heating sparge water now...
After a conversation with another local homebrewer where I tempted fate, my mash temp was slightly under target...
That will teach me...
Otherwise the brewday went smoothly enough...

Cold start again the mercury showing only 8C!

Grist:

Last runnings nice & clear:


Run off


Thwaites yeast pitched @20C around 13:00 BST
All cleaned up & put away...

Cheers!

Guy

[Matt12398]

Bramling Cross is supposedly somewhere in the middle for storability. It's supposed to retain 60-70% of alpha acids after 6 months storage at 20 degC.

However, looking in Beersmith using the hop age tool it says if you've kept them in the freezer, unopened and they're packed in a mylar bag you could still have about 2/3 alpha acids although I'm not sure how accurate Beersmith is for this.

[Manx Guy]

Hi Matt

Thanks...

The hops smelled good and the sample I took for gravity after transfer seemed very bitter...
Now to let the yeast do its thing...
Brew day was uneventful, I will post the photos later
Cheers

Guy