Hello Everyone,
I’m back again with another question concerning an English Special/Best/Premium Bitter recipe from “Brewing Classic Styles”. The recipe, as it appears in the book, is as follows:
“I’m Not Bitter, I’m Thirsty”
OG: 1.047
IBU: 30
9.5 lbs. British pale ale malt
.5 lb. Aromatic (20L)
.5 lb. Crystal (120L)
.25 lb. Special Roast (50L)
1.2 oz. Kent Goldings for 60 min.
.5 oz. Kent Goldings for 20 min.
.5 oz. Kent Goldings for 1 min.
Today I downloaded the trial version of BeerSmith 2.0, and entered the above recipe to help get acquainted with the software. Much to my surprise, after entering the recipe, the OG and IBU numbers came out as follows (BeerSmith numbers in parenthesis):
OG: 1.047 (1.058)
IBU: 30 (16.7)
Both well outside the guidelines for a Special/Best/Premium Bitter.
When I adjust the OG and IBU numbers to match the recipe, the ingredient amounts are changed as follows (again, BeerSmith numbers in parenthesis):
9.5 lbs. (7 lb 11 oz.) British pale ale malt
.5 lb. (.4 lb) Aromatic (20L)
.5 lb. (.4 lb) Crystal (120L)
.25 lb. (.2 lb) Special Roast (50L)
1.2 oz. (1.78 oz) Kent Goldings for 60 min.
.5 oz. (.74 oz) Kent Goldings for 20 min.
.5 oz. (.74) Kent Goldings for 1 min.
I’ll freely admit that I got these numbers after working with the software for all of a half hour, but it left me wondering how the numbers could be so far apart, with BeerSmith calling for less grain and more hops.
I’m hoping that someone who has experience with the program could let me know if I’m not using/understanding the software correctly, or if the recipe is somehow incorrect in the book. I’m hoping to brew this weekend and would like to know which set of numbers to go with.
As always, thanks for your consideration!