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I'm looking to make an English style bitter using DME and speciality grains. I'd like to use a single hop because I want to get an idea of individual hop flavour - but if that's really not recommended, I can combine hops.

I'm quite limited in my choice of ingredients in Japan.

- I can get Fuggles (5.0%), Northern Brewer (7.5%), and Goldings (5.4%) leaf.

- My DME will be Munton's Spraymalt - so I need to know whether to use extra light, light, medium, dark, or wheat.

- Grains (can't get a lot of British crystal):
Northwest C15, C40, C60, C75, C150
Weyermann Carared 15.6-19.3 lovibond
Muntons Crystal 42-49 lovibond
Muntons Chocolate (432), Black (550-600), Roast Barley (670), Japanese Roast Malt (394)
Flaked oat, rice, rye

Flavours I like (not limited to English bitters) are Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Fiddler's Elbow, Red Hook ESB.

Any suggestions of beers that have come out well? Or ideas of things you would recommend trying from those ingredients?

A number of bitters (eg Bishop's Finger and Fiddlers Elbow) seem to be based around Goldings, so I'm thinking to go with that. Those same recipes also use wheat malt - I can't get grain for that but I could use a pack of wheat spraymalt. Based on that, this is what I'm thinking of:

2.0kg (4.4lbs) Light Spraymalt
0.5kg (1.1lbs) Wheat Spraymalt
0.3kg (0.65lbs) Muntons Crystal 42-49L

East Kent Goldings 5.5% Leaf
45g (1.5oz) @ 60m
15g (0.5 oz) @ 20m
15g (0.5oz) @ 0m

S-04 yeast

Based on a boil volume of 9.5L (2.5g US) and batch size of 22.7L (6g US), this gives me:
OG 1.037 - FG 1.009
IBU 36
ABV 1% (in line with Japanese regulations, certainly not 3.6% or anything like that)

I used TastyBrew.com to do these calculations.

What do you think?

If you are keen to experiment, brew one with each Goldings and Fuggles, though I don't think Northern Brewer will make a typical English bitter (great hop though).

This way you can taste each hop, but also blend 2 finished beers together in a glass to get an idea of how the blends might work in different ratios.

That's a good idea.

A number of bitters (eg Bishop's Finger and Fiddlers Elbow) seem to be based around Goldings, so I'm thinking to go with that. Those same recipes also use wheat malt - I can't get grain for that but I could use a pack of wheat spraymalt. Based on that, this is what I'm thinking of:

2.0kg (4.4lbs) Light Spraymalt
0.5kg (1.1lbs) Wheat Spraymalt
0.3kg (0.65lbs) Muntons Crystal 42-49L

East Kent Goldings 5.5% Leaf
45g (1.5oz) @ 60m
15g (0.5 oz) @ 20m
15g (0.5oz) @ 0m

S-04 yeast

Based on a boil volume of 9.5L (2.5g US) and batch size of 22.7L (6g US), this gives me:
OG 1.037 - FG 1.009
IBU 36
ABV 1% (in line with Japanese regulations, certainly not 3.6% or anything like that)

I used TastyBrew.com to do these calculations.

What do you think? Too light on the bittering hops? Abandon the wheat?

I would go with Goldings.

As for the grains, i would go a 50/50 mix of dark and medium crystal and pass on the light stuff. You want max flavour without leaving your beer cloying which you risk using extract.
Also, a touch of wheat isnt out of place in an english bitter, up to 5%.

And make sure you get a good english ale yeast, preferably liquid. S-04 is ok but the yeast can make or break a bitter IMO so you really want one of the more ester producing liquid strains.

OG 1.036 is in ordinary bitter territory. If thats what you are after i would drop the IBUs back to 25ish otherwise you will end up without a very bitter beer. The BU:GU (bitterness:original gravity) ratio tends to be lower in lower gravity beers.

Or you could go a standard bitter which is up to 1.048 and happily increase your IBUs up to a max of 35.

Just my 2 c

Cheers
DrSmurto - english ale fanatic

p.s. not keen on fuggles in a bitter by itself but it does blend beautifully with goldings (and styrians if you can get them). All fuggles in a dark beer is the dog bollocks tho!

I personally favour Goldings for paler styles, with Fuggles as my preference for darks. I don't know why - they just seem to go well this way.

I've also been checking out the UK forum recipes and I am surprised to see such a large representation for the SO-4 yeast, which has a reputation as being a little bland. Obviously a well supported and convenient yeast for this style.

I am a fan of EKG and Fuggles for ESBs.

My fav yeast for ESBs is a mix of Nottingham and Windsor. One packet of each, goes off like crakatoa (sp?)! The Windsor fruity notes help to mask the dusty dryness of Nottingham but still gets you the low gravity beer.

Im with Nottingham and goldings for my 2c worth.
Good info on the yeast blend Kevnlis. Ive heard of yeast blending..but I think its more for commercial breweries than us HBers, IMHO.

I've always preferred EKG over fuggles and Nottingham as my English Ale yeast but I agree completely that the Nottingham can be a little 'dry' and 'dusty'; I think that's a very good description. Certainly one to think about with the Windsor.