Black Sheep Ale Recipe

[earle]

I'm planning my next brew to be an English Pale Ale in the style of Black Sheep Ale.

http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/Beers/ ... epAle.aspx

I've got the following in mind. Any comments would be welcome.

Recipe: Black Sheep Ale
Style: English Pale Ale/Strong Bitter
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.041 SG
Estimated Color: 21.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 37.4 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.70 kg Coopers Kit Draught (16.0 EBC) Extract 45.95 %
1.50 kg Morgans UH Pale (7.9 EBC) Extract 40.54 %
0.20 kg Caraamber (Weyermann) (70.9 EBC) Grain 5.41 %
0.20 kg Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (118.2Grain 5.41 %
0.10 kg Crystal, Dark (Joe White) (216.7 EBC) Grain 2.70 %
15.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 dHops -
12.00 gm Cluster [7.00 %] (60 min) Hops 9.5 IBU
15.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (40 min) Hops 6.3 IBU
15.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (20 min) Hops 4.3 IBU
1 Pkgs Windsor Yeast Yeast-Ale


I'm fairly happy with the malts, while the OG is not that high the Alc% comes in fairly close, and its all malt.

The EKG hops are to style and the cluster I've added purely for bittering (I want to use them up) and I reckon after 60min there should be no aroma or flavour left from them.

I'm not sure whether the dry hop will be too much but the web site does say that its made with handfuls of Goldings.

Earle

[KEG]

handfuls of Goldings across how many litres?

[warra48]

Looks to me like it should be a very tasty and malty brew. You have quite a lot of crystal malts in there, ½ kilo, as well as your other fermentables being all malt based. I think that may give your brew quite a bit of malty sweetness. If it was me I'd look at upping your bittering hops somewhat to balance it out. Your predicted IBU of 37.4 is not that high to my taste. Their website does describe the beer as having an uncompromising long, dry and bitter finish.
It's up to you though how you like your beers. Just my $0.02.

[drsmurto]

Mmmmm, black sheep. Tasty drop that and thankfully available in Oz. I buy it every now and then from Dan Murphys alternating between that and the Old Speckled Hen.

Just querying your IBU calc. I think you need to have a look at the settings for the tin of Coopers Draught - it should be 23 IBUs

This gives a total of 43 IBUs by my calc. I would be aiming for 35 for this beer. I know you want to use up the cluster but i reckon its the one i would drop - wouldnt want to lose any of the flavour you are adding from the goldings. Dry hopping works well for ESBs

Cheers
DrSmurto

[earle]

Keg wrote

handfuls of Goldings across how many litres?

I took that to mean that the hopping is not subtle.

If it was me I'd look at upping your bittering hops somewhat to balance it out.

Point taken, though from what Doc says my IBU should be about 43. Can go higher though. I started from a Hobgoblin recipe which had some roasted barley. Perhaps this would balance the sweetness as well.

Doc wrote

I think you need to have a look at the settings for the tin of Coopers Draught - it should be 23 IBUs

Just checked my spec spreadsheet which says 20-23 for the draught. I'll have to check my BeerSmith when I get home.

I was looking at the coopers website and they now have the colour and bitterness specs for all their kits. Unlike Morgans website they're must be for the undiluted kit but they all seem a bit low to me. Eg 420IBU for the draught/23L = 18IBU. Am I working this correctly.

I know you want to use up the cluster but i reckon its the one i would drop - wouldnt want to lose any of the flavour you are adding from the goldings.

This is what I was worried about. Haven't combined hops before. Should I stick with just Goldings or is there another bittering hop that would work well?

Thanks for the advice
Earle

[drsmurto]

Do you like bitter beers? 40IBUs is higher than most beers you can buy - megaswill i am talking.

The spreadsheet i have divides the tins IBU by 23 and then multiplies by 1.25. Anyone know why the 1.25 is in there?

Cluster adds an earthiness to the beer. Is that what you want in a bitter? Its completely up to you - its your beer! I would personally drop it and if you do want extra bitterness (and flavour) up both the 40 and 20 min additions to 20-25g. Again, just my 2c.

This is the ESB i have on tap atm - was aiming for a Timothy Taylor Landlord (ish) ESB.

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 96.77 %
0.15 kg Crystal (Joe White) (141.8 EBC) Grain 3.23 %
40.00 gm Fuggles [6.10 %] (60 min) Hops 24.5 IBU
28.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.06 %] (30 min) Hops 10.9 IBU
30.00 gm Styrian Goldings [4.70 %] (0 min) Hops -
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale

Its nice and bitter but balanced.

[earle]

Doc

I was aiming at extra bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malts. I've only just started using hops for bittering and am still figuring out what I'm doing. Some past brews without hop bittering I found way too sweet eg Morgans amber ale + 1.5kg liquid amber extract. After looking at your recipe I might back off on the crystal, and aim for an IBU in the 35-40 range. I can always tinker with a follow up batch, this one will provide good experience (and good beer).

Earle

[drsmurto]

Yer, 500g of crystals is quite a bit in something as 'plain' as an ESB. It would stand out like the proverbial. Up the goldings for sure, 40IBU is still within the style range form memory

[earle]

Thanks for spotting my low kits IBUs Doc. I realized last night that I've set the bitterness for the kit by itself but when I add more malt it drops back down. Doh, should have been obvious. Having said that I must like bitter beers because my Amarillo Ale is 38.9 (Great recipe BTW) and my Hightail Ale is 43.2 (also thanks to the creator of this recipe) and I can't get enough of them. My first brews with bittering hops as well as dry hops.

Following the feedback, this is what I think I'll try.

Recipe: Black Sheep Ale
Style: English Pale Ale/Strong Bitter

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Estimated OG: 1.041 SG
Estimated Color: 18.3 EBC
Estimated IBU: 37.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.70 kg Coopers Kit Draught (16.0 EBC) Extract 47.89 %
1.50 kg Morgans UH Pale (7.9 EBC) Extract 42.25 %
0.15 kg Caraamber (Weyermann) (70.9 EBC) Grain 4.23 %
0.15 kg Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (118.2Grain 4.23 %
0.05 kg Crystal, Dark (Joe White) (216.7 EBC) Grain 1.41 %
15.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 dHops -
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (40 min) Hops 8.4 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (20 min) Hops 5.8 IBU
1 Pkgs Windsor Yeast Yeast-Ale