Adnams Southwold Bitter

[orlando]

Yes, I'm talking about the Adnams brewery dual strain yeast. The problem is keeping the ratio correct. Even the brewery has their Lab come up with a fresh batch in the right balance. They don't repitch that often.

[Eric]

Will sample some more tonight so may be able to add some more comments! I'll need to try the Tyneside yeast as well, any recipe suggestions for a regional beer? It looks to have similar characteristics to the Lancashire with the main difference being it prefers low mineral worts, and is also less flocculant.

No historical regional brewers left up this way apart from Cameron's who have the last remaining Strainmaster and did have Yorkshire Squares. However, they are in West Hartlepool and have invested heavily in water treatment with many yeast strains to replicate other beers are very busy contract brewing. Now one of the oldest breweries is Big Lamp in Newburn, who make a noteworthy bitter beer, but not as hoppy as Adnams produce.

Graham Wheeler's recipe for Big Lamp Bitter. 90 min mash, 90 min boil, 1040 OG, 1010 FG, 4% ABV, 30 EBU, 15 EBC.
!9 litres
3220g Pale
165g Crystal (I use 135 EBC)

37g Goldings at start of boil
9g Fuggles post boil.

I tend to replace some of the pale malt with unmalted adjunct plus invert to reduce the cost, and add a few extra aroma hops for 15 mins.

F00b4r, I feel sure it was he, once told me Tyneside yeast would provide different flavour profiles depending how it was treated, but for the life of me can't remember the detail. Maybe he'll remember and repeat it here.

[f00b4r]

Apparently with Tyneside yeast the beer flavour can be modified by varying the rate of oxygen at pitching. Low levels give fruity aromas, high levels give a blander product reliant on the ingredients to make an impact. It also apparently settles out according to temperature, so good too if you want to emulate casking.

[clarets7]

Thanks for the report on your yeast. Pleased to hear you are enjoying using it. It will take time to settle into its new home. Hope you enjoy the results.

Will sample some more tonight so may be able to add some more comments! I'll need to try the Tyneside yeast as well, any recipe suggestions for a regional beer? It looks to have similar characteristics to the Lancashire with the main difference being it prefers low mineral worts, and is also less flocculant.

This beer has actually turned out very well, and has improved over time. The initial overpowering roasted notes are now more subdued and letting the other flavours through, very drinkable and four weeks into the cask with blanket CO2 only. Not Adnams bitter though but probably closest so far!

[clarets7]

This popped up on my phone the other day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ldIMPdtYsA
Interesting chat with Dan and Fergus, one thing that Fergus mentioned is that Adnams bitter is only dry hopped in the barrel, Fuggles pellets.

[Eric]

This popped up on my phone the other day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ldIMPdtYsA
Interesting chat with Dan and Fergus, one thing that Fergus mentioned is that Adnams bitter is only dry hopped in the barrel, Fuggles pellets.

I saw they now use pellet hops. Hops sometimes came compressed in plugs 50 years ago, but then they were whole, not cut to shreds. I've not tried pellet hops in a cask, but they must work OK.I don't like Citra so don't care for Ghost Ship. Wobbled back too many times after sessions on Broadside to think Ghost Ship is progress. Dry hopping during fermentation is not usual procedure in Britain, maybe introduced by Americans as they didn't cask ale, but filtered and pasteurised it. Adnams top crop their yeast before adding the hops, so enabling the beer to resemble other Adnams beers. I suppose they wouldn't add hops to fermentation vessels when originally brewing Southwold Bitter.

A very good video.

[clarets7]

Had a couple of days away at the end of October, stayed at the Eels Foot Inn Eastbridge, absolutely stunning Southwold Bitter, drank far too much of it Anyway, it rekindled my desire to replicate it, so there is 8L of the latest recipe just conditioning now, will give an update hopefully next week