All-grain · 20 L (5.3 gal)
Best Bitter Recipe
BJCP 11B · Best Bitter
The cask ale of English pubs: copper-colored, light and low in carbonation, with biscuit, soft caramel and earthy English hops. Made for drinking by the pint.
Best Bitter recipe by the numbers
- Batch size
- 20 L (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity
- 1.040
- Final gravity
- 1.011
- ABV
- 3.8%
- Bitterness
- 37 IBU
- Color
- 8 SRM (16 EBC)
- Mash
- 67 °C (153 °F) for 60 minutes
- Boil
- 60 minutes
- Fermentation
- 19 °C (66 °F) for 10-14 days
- Bottling
- 3.9 g of sugar per liter (0.5 oz/gal)
About 125 kcal per 330 ml (11 oz) bottle, worked out from its original and final gravity.
Best Bitter recipe: ingredients and steps
Batch size
Recipe for 20 liters (5.3 US gallons) into the fermenter.
Malts
| Malt | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Maris Otter malt6 EBC (3 °L) | 3.25 kg (7.17 lb) | 89.0% |
| Crystal (caramel) malt120 EBC (46 °L) | 0.40 kg (0.88 lb) | 11.0% |
Hops
| Hop | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| East Kent Goldings5.5% alpha acids | 45 g (1.59 oz) | 60 minBittering |
| Fuggle4.5% alpha acids | 25 g (0.88 oz) | 15 minFlavor |
| East Kent Goldings5.5% alpha acids | 25 g (0.88 oz) | FlameoutAroma |
You will also need
Yeast: Dry English ale yeast, such as S-04: one 11.5 g (0.4 oz) packet.
Water: About 27.5 L (7.3 gal): 11 L (2.9 gal) for the mash and 16.5 L (4.4 gal) for the sparge.
Priming sugar: 3.9 g of white sugar per liter bottled (0.5 oz/gal): about 75 g (2.6 oz) for 19 L (5 gal).
Hops: pellets, kept in the freezer until brew day.
Step by step
- Heat 11 L (2.9 gal) of water to 73 °C (163 °F), add the crushed malt and stir until there are no lumps. It should settle at about 67 °C (153 °F): hold that temperature for 60 minutes, covered.
- Lift out the grain and sparge it with 16.5 L (4.4 gal) of water at 76 °C (169 °F). You should collect about 24 L (6.3 gal) of wort at 1.034.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, uncovered. When the boil starts, add the 45 g (1.6 oz) of East Kent Goldings; with 15 minutes left, 25 g (0.9 oz) of Fuggle.
- Turn off the heat, add another 25 g (0.9 oz) of East Kent Goldings and let it stand for 10 minutes.
- Chill as fast as you can to 19 °C (66 °F), transfer about 20 L (5.3 gal) to the sanitized fermenter and take a gravity reading: it should be around 1.040.
- Pitch the yeast and ferment at 19 °C (66 °F).
- When the gravity stays at 1.011 for three days in a row, bottle with just a little sugar: this beer is meant to be drunk with very little carbonation. Two weeks at room temperature.
At under 4% alcohol, it's one of the quickest to be ready: three weeks after bottling, it's already at its best.
If your East Kent Goldings isn't 5.5% alpha acids, use 45 × 5.5 ÷ your percentage, in grams, to keep it at about 37 IBU.
Serve it at 10-12 °C (50-54 °F): too cold, and it loses the malt flavor.
The style: Best Bitter (BJCP 11B), with its history, its numbers and other ways to brew it.
Different setup? Recalculate with the water calculator, the IBU calculator and the priming sugar calculator.
Rating recipes and keeping a brew log need an account, which is only available in Spanish for now. English accounts are coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
How strong will this Best Bitter be?
About 3.8% ABV: it starts at 1.040 and finishes at 1.011, and (OG − FG) × 131.25 gives that percentage.
How long until it is ready?
One brew day, fermentation at 19 °C (66 °F) for 10-14 days and about two weeks in the bottle: give it a little over a month.
Can I use a different bittering hop?
Yes. What matters is keeping the bitterness: if you use another hop instead of East Kent Goldings at 5.5% alpha acids, work out the grams from its alpha acids (or with the IBU calculator) to stay at about 37 IBUs.
What if my system does not get 72% efficiency?
Your gravity will come out different. Scale the base malt up or down (or add a little dry malt extract to the boil if you fall short) and recalculate the water with the calculator.
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Reference style: Best Bitter in the BJCP guidelines, 2021 edition. Original recipe by Hacer Cerveza Casera, designed for a homebrew setup.