Classic English Bitter — Home Brew Recipe
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Style: English Bitter | ABV: ~4.2% | IBU: 30–35 | Volume: 23 litres (~40 pints) | Difficulty: Beginner–Intermediate
About This Recipe
This quintessential British ale showcases the best of English brewing tradition — a biscuity malt backbone with subtle, lingering hop bitterness. The backbone of British pub culture: copper-coloured, moreish, and deeply satisfying. Ideal for both newcomers and experienced brewers alike.
Expected Results
- Original Gravity: 1.042
- Final Gravity: 1.010
- ABV: 4.2%
- IBU: 30–35
- Colour: Copper/amber
Ingredients (23 litres)
Adds one of each ingredient below to your basket — adjust quantities at checkout to match the amounts in the recipe. Maris Otter pale malt and brewing sugar aren't included (choose your preferred packs from the links below).
Malt
- 3.5kg Maris Otter pale malt
- 300g Crystal Malt (60L)
- 150g amber malt
Hops
- 30g East Kent Goldings — 60 min
- 20g Fuggles — 15 min
- 15g East Kent Goldings — flame out
Yeast
- 1 packet English ale yeast (e.g. Safale S-04 or Gervin GV12)
Other
- Half a Campden tablet (treating water)
- ½ Protafloc tablet or Irish moss — 15 min from end of boil
- Brewing sugar for priming
Method
Step 1: Prepare Your Water
Sterilise all equipment with steriliser. Heat 12 litres of water to 74°C, treating with half a Campden tablet if your tap water is chlorinated.
Step 2: Mash
Add all crushed grains to your mash tun and pour in the heated water, stirring thoroughly to eliminate dry spots. Target a mash temperature of 66°C. Rest for 60 minutes.
Step 3: Sparge
Heat 18 litres of water to 76°C. Drain the mash tun slowly whilst gently adding sparge water. Collect approximately 27 litres of wort.
Step 4: Boil
Bring the wort to a rolling boil. Add 30g East Kent Goldings at the start of the 60-minute boil. With 15 minutes remaining, add 20g Fuggles and your Protafloc/Irish moss. At flame out, add the final 15g East Kent Goldings and steep for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Cool and Ferment
Cool the wort rapidly to 18–20°C using a wort chiller or ice bath. Transfer to a sanitised fermenter, leaving sediment behind. Pitch your yeast and seal with an airlock. Ferment at 18–20°C for 7–10 days.
Step 6: Condition and Package
Check gravity with your hydrometer — once stable over two days, bottle or keg. For bottle conditioning, add 80g priming sugar dissolved in a little boiled water (or use carbonation drops). Condition for at least two weeks at room temperature before refrigerating.
Brewer's Notes & Tips
Water chemistry matters: English bitters benefit from water with moderate sulphate levels. If you're in a soft water area, consider adding a small amount of gypsum to enhance hop character — see our Water Profile Calculator.
Temperature control: Keep fermentation temperatures steady. S-04 works beautifully at 18°C, producing clean flavours with subtle fruity esters that complement the malt.
Patience pays off: Whilst drinkable after two weeks of conditioning, this bitter truly shines after four weeks.
Cask-style serving: For an authentic pub experience, consider using a pressure barrel with low carbonation rather than highly carbonated bottles, and serve at cellar temperature (10–12°C).
Variation: For extra depth, replace 100g of crystal malt with dark crystal.