Classic British Bitter – All Grain Recipe

Classic British Bitter – All Grain Recipe

Classic British Bitter – All Grain Recipe

Nothing beats a well-crafted British bitter. This recipe delivers a sessionable, malt-forward ale with that distinctive English character – biscuity malts, subtle fruitiness from the yeast, and a gentle bitterness that keeps you coming back for more.

Specifications

  • Batch Size: 23 litres
  • Expected ABV: 4.2%
  • Expected OG: 1.042
  • Expected FG: 1.010
  • IBU: 30-35
  • Colour: Amber/Copper

Ingredients

Fermentables

  • 3.8 kg Maris Otter pale malt
  • 300 g crystal malt (60L)
  • 150 g biscuit malt

Hops

  • 30 g East Kent Goldings (60 minutes)
  • 20 g Fuggles (15 minutes)
  • 15 g East Kent Goldings (flame out)

Yeast

  • 1 packet Safale S-04 English Ale Yeast

Other

  • 1 tsp Irish moss (15 minutes)
  • Half a crushed Campden tablet (in strike water)

Method

Step 1: Mash

Heat 12 litres of water to 74°C. Add your crushed grains and stir thoroughly to avoid dough balls. Aim for a mash temperature of 66-67°C. Hold for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 2: Sparge

Heat 18 litres of sparge water to 76°C. Drain the mash tun slowly whilst gently adding sparge water to rinse the sugars from the grain bed. Collect approximately 27 litres of wort in your kettle.

Step 3: Boil

Bring the wort to a rolling boil. Add the first hop addition (30g EKG) at the start of the 60-minute boil. Add Fuggles and Irish moss with 15 minutes remaining. Add the final EKG at flame out and let steep for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Cool and Transfer

Cool the wort rapidly to 18-20°C using a wort chiller or ice bath. Transfer to a sanitised fermenter, leaving the trub behind. You should have around 23 litres.

Step 5: Ferment

Rehydrate and pitch your S-04 yeast. Ferment at 18-20°C for 7-10 days until fermentation is complete. The yeast will drop clear beautifully.

Step 6: Package

Rack to a bottling bucket or keg. For bottle conditioning, add 100g of priming sugar dissolved in a small amount of boiled water. Bottle and condition for 2 weeks at room temperature before refrigerating.

Brewing Tips

  • Water chemistry matters: If you have soft water, consider adding a small amount of gypsum to enhance hop bitterness and calcium sulphate for that classic Burton-style character.
  • Temperature control: Keep fermentation temperatures steady. S-04 can produce fruity esters if too warm, which is pleasant in moderation but can overwhelm the malt profile.
  • Patience pays off: This bitter improves with a week or two of cold conditioning. The flavours meld together beautifully.
  • Cask-style option: For an authentic pub experience, consider serving from a pressure barrel at cellar temperature (11-13°C).

Recommended Products

Find everything you need for this recipe at BrewCo:

Cheers, and happy brewing!

Back to blog