Happy Feet Best Bitter
Brewed: 8/30/2015 Kegged: 9/15/2015
The SheppyBrew Brew Master was part of a Walking Challenge at his real job. His employer obtained a discount and paid a significant percentage of fitbits for 550 people at their company and divided these people into several teams.Well, the Brew Master couldn't help but talk trash to one of the other teams and wagered homebrew. He was sure his team couldn't lose to this other team, but apparently he was mistaken. His team let him down.
The bet was made with a member of a team calling themselves "Happy Feet", and so this is where the name came in.
The Brew Master asked a couple of Happy Feet's members what sort of beer they wanted, and no one really knew enough about beer styles to give much direction.
He decided that as losing really made him bitter, an English Bitter would be Best.
And so the style came into play.
He threw together a recipe of English Malts and English hops. He will be keeping most of the beer for himself in a keg, but will bottle 12 or so bottles for the Denver members of the winning team to distribute as they see fit.
If you would like more information on this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Happy Feet.
| Happy Feet Best Bitter --- Batch 1 |
| Style | Best Bitter | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 7.76 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 75.00 | Boil Time | 90 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.046 SG | Estimated FG | 1.013 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 29.4 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 4.3 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.638 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 11.0 SRM |
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| Measured OG: | 1.048 | Measured FG: | 1.014 | ||||
| ADF: | 71% | Measured ABV: | 4.5 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) | Water Agent | 1 | - |
| 8 lbs | Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) | Grain | 2 | 88.9 % |
| 12.0 oz | Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (55.0 SRM) | Grain | 3 | 8.3 % |
| 4.0 oz | Pale Chocolate Malt (200.0 SRM) | Grain | 4 | 2.8 % |
| 0.250 oz | Fuggles [4.50 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 5 | 4.8 IBUs |
| 0.250 oz | Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 6 | 5.4 IBUs |
| 0.250 oz | Columbus (Tomahawk) [13.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min | Hop | 7 | 13.6 IBUs |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) | Fining | 8 | - |
| 0.750 oz | Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 9 | 2.6 IBUs |
| 0.750 oz | Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 10 | 2.9 IBUs |
| 1.0 pkg | Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml] | Yeast | 11 | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) | Other | 12 | - |
| 5.00 ml | Clarity-Ferm (Primary 2.0 weeks) | Fining | 13 | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | Add 11.25 qt of water at 168.2 F | 156.0 F | 45 min |
Batch sparge with 2 steps
(2.15gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water
All Gypsum in the mash gives Water profile totals:
72.5 Ca; 8.5 Mg; 21.4 Na; 149 SO4; 23.5 Cl; 104 HC03
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 60 degrees as possible.
Keep wort cool until signs of fermentation start and then let rise to ambient temperature for 2 weeks.
Keg carbonate
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | 8/30/2015 | Strike Temp: | ||||
| Mash Temps: | 154 up to 158 cooled to 154 | |||||
| Pre-boil OG | 1.043 (1.037 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (7.76 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | 66 | ||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: Going well 68 | ||||||
| Day 2: Kraussen falling. Still bubbling 74 | ||||||
| Day 3: Bubbling done. 74 | ||||||
Brewing Notes
8/31/2015 Brewed yesterday. Everything went fine. My OG is a bit high at 1.048, but I didn't think the .002 was worth a dilution. I also pitched a little higher than usual. I don't think it is something that will have adverse affects.
8/31/2015 Fermentation going well. 68.
9/1/2015 Kraussen already starting to dissipate. Still bubbling pretty good, though. 74
9/2/2015 Bubbling pretty much stopped. We'll let it for a couple weeks to clarify and clean.
9/12/2015 Took gravity sample. 1.014 makes this a 4.5% ABV beer. Nice fruity esters. Firm bitterness. Just a bit of roast at the finish. Real nice Fuggly and EKG hop flavor. It is a beer that I will enjoy quite a bit. Not sure if the people I give it to will enjoy it as much as me, but we'll see. I will keg and bottle either later today or tomorrow.
9/15/2015 Kegged today. FG still at 1.014. Sample about the same taste. Pretty clear. Chilling in beer fridge. Also bottled in 6 12oz bottled with carb tabs. Not sure when I'll start drinking. Probably depends on when Chelsea Dagger runs out.
9/19/2015 I've had a few tonight. I really like this beer. Nice, seasonable and flavorful. Not really bitter at all. Certainly has a nice balance.
9/19/2015 This will be a big hit with whoever tries it.
9/25/2015 Filled a growler to go to the GABF babysitter.
10/24/2015 The keg is feeling pretty light. This won't last much longer. Really good. Really clear. Finally took a good photo today.
10/30/2015 Killed the keg just now. It has been a great beer. Need the keg for Falling Leaves.
8/31/2015 Brewed yesterday. Everything went fine. My OG is a bit high at 1.048, but I didn't think the .002 was worth a dilution. I also pitched a little higher than usual. I don't think it is something that will have adverse affects.
8/31/2015 Fermentation going well. 68.
9/1/2015 Kraussen already starting to dissipate. Still bubbling pretty good, though. 74
9/2/2015 Bubbling pretty much stopped. We'll let it for a couple weeks to clarify and clean.
9/12/2015 Took gravity sample. 1.014 makes this a 4.5% ABV beer. Nice fruity esters. Firm bitterness. Just a bit of roast at the finish. Real nice Fuggly and EKG hop flavor. It is a beer that I will enjoy quite a bit. Not sure if the people I give it to will enjoy it as much as me, but we'll see. I will keg and bottle either later today or tomorrow.
9/15/2015 Kegged today. FG still at 1.014. Sample about the same taste. Pretty clear. Chilling in beer fridge. Also bottled in 6 12oz bottled with carb tabs. Not sure when I'll start drinking. Probably depends on when Chelsea Dagger runs out.
9/19/2015 I've had a few tonight. I really like this beer. Nice, seasonable and flavorful. Not really bitter at all. Certainly has a nice balance.
9/19/2015 This will be a big hit with whoever tries it.
9/25/2015 Filled a growler to go to the GABF babysitter.
10/24/2015 The keg is feeling pretty light. This won't last much longer. Really good. Really clear. Finally took a good photo today.
10/30/2015 Killed the keg just now. It has been a great beer. Need the keg for Falling Leaves.