Classic English Bitter — Home Brew Recipe
Share
Style: English Bitter | ABV: ~4.2% | Volume: 23 litres (~40 pints) | Difficulty: Beginner
About This Recipe
A classic session bitter — the backbone of British pub culture. Copper-coloured, moreish, and deeply satisfying. This recipe uses a simple malt bill and traditional British hops for an authentic flavour.
Ingredients
- 2.5kg pale malt extract (dry or liquid)
- 350g Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
- 30g Target hops (T90 Pellet) — 60 min
- 20g Willamette hops (T90 Pellet) — 10 min
- 1 packet Gervin GV12 Ale Yeast
- ½ Protafloc tablet — 15 min
- Brewing sugar for priming
Method
- Sterilise all equipment with steriliser.
- Steep crushed crystal malt in 3L water at 67°C for 30 minutes in a muslin bag. Remove bag and bring to the boil.
- Dissolve malt extract fully. Begin 60-minute boil.
- Hop additions: Target at 60 min, Protafloc at 15 min, Willamette at 10 min.
- Cool wort to below 25°C, top up to 23L and pitch yeast.
- Ferment at 18–20°C for 5–7 days.
- Check gravity with your hydrometer — bottle when stable.
- Bottle with carbonation drops, condition 2 weeks.
Brewer's Notes
For extra depth, replace 100g of crystal malt with dark crystal. Serve at cellar temperature (10–12°C) for the full bitter experience.