Mash water/grist ratio when making english bitters

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Permalink Reply by Barry on June 20, 2014 at 11:32am

I had thought it definitely affected attenuation. Which is why the beer tastes maltier and has more body.

Obviously thickness and temperature and grist makeup and water chemistry and every other variable all have an affect, but that was the general theory as I understood it – thicker mash means more dextrinous wort. Which would definitely have an effect on attenuation.

Missed that 3 Boys bitter, wonder if there's any still on...

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Permalink Reply by Peter Smith on June 20, 2014 at 2:48pm

nah they said it lasted a long time , slow mover as people dont want to pay up for a 3.8% beer, they missed out it was awesome....   but raises an issue, people going out to taste good beer or get merry....?

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Permalink Reply by paul m on June 20, 2014 at 11:56am

i always try and stick 3litres per kg of grain. how much outside that makes a difference?

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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Jones on June 20, 2014 at 12:06pm

Had a pint of that too, that and the oyster stout back to back makes for some awesome drinking. Whats your grain bill looking like for this Peter? I got a bronze in NHC with mine fermenting with 05, havent brewed it for a while now but will dig up the recipe and throw it up

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Permalink Reply by Peter Smith on June 20, 2014 at 2:57pm

I am looking at Jamil's bitter recipe as a first point going forward , I did a first effort with 1275 (recipe below) and its 1 week in bottle, no idea yet but the samples tasted ok.... at 1.020 was very mineral but it chugged to 1.008 from 1.037 took a long time (3 weeks from 1.020 to 1.008) and that yeast is the most foc i have ever used, going to split batch next version over this yeast and 1968 youngs esb (that yeast goes cottage cheese while you turn you back on it.. in comparison)

I like the oyster stout but the bitter i could neck all night, and tomorrow, next week etc

st Original Gravity: 1.038 SG

Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG

Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.8 %

Bitterness: 30.7 IBUs

Est Color: 9.8 SRM

Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU
4.25 kg	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)	Grain	1	90.4 %
0.20 kg	Gladfield Light Crystal Malt (27.4 SRM)	Grain	2	4.3 %
0.15 kg	Gladfield Dark Crystal Malt (91.4 SRM)	Grain	3	3.2 %
0.10 kg	Special B Malt (180.0 SRM)	Grain	4	2.1 %
35.00 g	Willamette [5.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min	Hop	5	23.7 IBUs
15.00 g	Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min	Hop	6	4.6 IBUs
0.30 tsp	Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins)	Fining	7	-
15.00 g	Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 7.0 min	Hop	8	2.4 IBUs
10.00 g	Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 0.0 min	Hop	9	0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg	Thames Valley Ale (Wyeast Labs #1275) [124.21 ml]	Yeast	10	-

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Mackey on June 20, 2014 at 5:21pm

What i gather from reading john palmers book (please note I may have this wrong) is that attenuation is to do with the percentage of fermentable sugars that the yeast can ferment. 

The water/grist ratio affects the amount of fermentable/unfermentable sugars produced.  A thicker mash produces more unfermentables and therefore a maltier tasting beer with more body and less abv (only due to less fermentable sugars present and not due to less attenuation which is a function of the yeast).

Hope this makes sense,

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