Style: Extra special bitter
Competition results: Placed second in a combined category of English pale ales, German wheat and rye ales, and sour ales at the 2006 Knickerbocker Battle of the Brews
All-grain recipe, 5-gallon batch size
Original gravity: 1.052
Final gravity: 1.013
Bitterness: 44 IBU
Alcohol by volume: 5.1 percent
7.75 pounds British two-row pale malt
.45 pounds Carahell malt
.68 pounds Victory malt
.45 pounds flaked barley
.83 pounds 40-degree Lovibond caramel malt
1 ounce Northern Brewer hops (4.8 percent AA), 60 minutes
1 ounce Fuggle hops (4.8 percent AA), 10 minutes
1 ounce Fuggle hops (4.8 percent AA), 1 minute
Mash the grain (cracked) in 16 quarts of water at 150 degrees F for 60 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon gypsum to water. Sparge until wort reaches a gravity of 1.010 (about 6.5 to 7 gallons). Boil wort, stirring occasionally, until batch reaches a volume of 5.75 gallons. Add 1 ounce of Northern Brewer hop pellets and boil for 60 minutes, adding 1 ounce of Fuggle hops with 10 minutes left in the boil, and another with 1 minute left in the boil. Remove from heat and cool to 70 F.
Fermentation: Aerate well and pitch one activator pack of Wyeast 1084 Irish ale yeast. Let ferment at 70 F for one week. Rack to secondary and let sit at 70 F two more weeks. Prime with 7/8 cup of honey, dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. Bottle. Sample after six weeks.
Judges' notes: Strong malty backbone makes this beer stand out.