At the moment, I’ve got a batch of Extra Strong Bitter (ESB) in bottles – One week old. This is the first brew I have done to my own recipe.

ESB is the stronger version of English Best Bitter. Historically it was served with very little carbonation, and was served at cellar temperature. The BJCP Style guide suggests that appearance should be “Golden to deep copper. Good to brilliant clarity. Low to moderate white to off-white head. A low head is acceptable when carbonation is also low”.

My base malt was Maris Otter Ale malt, which made up 90% of the grist. The remainder was made up of wheat malt, crystal malt, and a little bit of chocolate malt. I chose Target hops for bittering, and East Kent Goldings for aroma. I’m hoping it turns out to style, and tastes good.

I’m still deciding how I’m going to write up brews. I think they will be something like this post. I will probably add to posts over time – due to the length of time between brewing and consuming. When we crack the first bottle open, I’m going to try to take pics, and add these to each brew post.

Updated: First pour pic. This beer is not really ready yet, but I couldn’t help myself, so Dad and I tasted it the other night. I’m very happy with how it turned out