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Recipe: Dutchess Ales Duffield Best Bitter
Courtesy of Mike Messenie at cask-centric Dutchess Ales in Wassaic, New York, this homebrew-scale recipe is a pleasantly lush and nuanced take on their original Best Bitter, meant for natural cask-conditioning in a 5.4-gallon (20-liter) “pin.”
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“Discovering that a standard five-gallon homebrew batch fits snugly in a 5.4-gallon pin was the birth of Dutchess Ales,” Messenie says. “This recipe makes a slightly [drier and hoppier] ale than the ‘classic’ English best bitter, but it certainly fits the mold, as both the U.K. and U.S. brewing industries evolve in this direction.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 75%
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 33
ABV: 4.6%
“Discovering that a standard five-gallon homebrew batch fits snugly in a 5.4-gallon pin was the birth of Dutchess Ales,” Messenie says. “This recipe makes a slightly [drier and hoppier] ale than the ‘classic’ English best bitter, but it certainly fits the mold, as both the U.K. and U.S. brewing industries evolve in this direction.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 75%
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 33
ABV: 4.6%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
6.9 lb (3.1 kg) Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter
8 oz (227 g) Thomas Fawcett Oat Malt
6 oz (170 g) Thomas Fawcett Crystal 45L
6 oz (170 g) flaked oats
4 oz (113 g) Bairds Light Munich
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.5 oz (14 g) Centennial at 60 minutes [18 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Willamette at 10 minutes [3 IBUs]
0.25 oz (7 g) Centennial at 10 minutes [3 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) East Kent Goldings at 10 minutes [4 IBUs]
2 tsp (10 ml) Irish moss at 10 minutes
0.25 oz (7 g) Willamette at whirlpool [1 IBU]
0.25 oz (7 g) Centennial at whirlpool [2 IBUs]
0.25 oz (7 g) East Kent Goldings at whirlpool [2 IBU]
YEAST
White Labs WLP039 East Midlands Ale or White Labs WLP005 British Ale
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains except for the flaked oats, then mash the grains with the oats at 151°F (66°C) for 60 minutes, aiming for a water-grist ratio of 1.3. Vorlauf briefly to ensure the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and Irish moss according to the schedule. After the boil, stir for about 10 minutes to create a vortex, adding the whirlpool hops when the temperature has dropped to about 185°F (85°C) and allow 20 minutes to settle. Chill to about 66°F (19°C), aerate well, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 67°F (19°C) for about 8 days.
Sanitize the cask and insert the keystone. Prepare priming solution with 1.2 oz (34 g) of dextrose diluted in about 1 cup (237 ml) of water, add solution to the cask, then rack the beer into the cask via the shive hole (on top). Hammer in the shive and condition at 64–70°F (18–21°C) for about 10 days. Cool to 52–55°F (11–13°C) if possible, then tap and enjoy with friends. This will yield about 32 imperial pints (about 38 U.S. pints)—a good party.
BREWER’S NOTES
Gear: You’ll find that homebrewed cask is a well-received party trick. All the components—pins, shives, keystones, spiles, taps—are readily available online from places such as U.K. Brewing Supplies. Give real ale a try!
Yeast: We love the East Midlands strain, but the readily available WLP005 fits as well, as both veer slightly dry with more subtle ester production than most English strains.
Water: I aim for a 1:1 calcium sulfate-to-calcium chloride ratio. You can also toy with just a dash of calcium carbonate to emulate the fine ales of Britain’s South.
