Microbrewed Adventures - Charles Papazian [53]
Meanwhile, without a compromise of tradition the number of good-quality real ales served will continue to dwindle. Many that are forced through dirty taps will turn off new beer drinkers, just as they have momentarily turned me off.
YET I ALWAYS RETURN to the motherland of traditional ale in search of unforgettable experiences, enjoying relatively low-alcohol yet full-flavored “ordinary bitter” in well-kept pubs. In my recurrent journeys, I am often guided to the best England has to offer. These memorable encounters with place, time, people and pint after pint of delicious ordinary ale are the best examples of how good life can be.
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BEYOND-THE-ORDINARY ORDINARY BITTER
I have come within 90 percent of achieving what I consider a Brakspear’s Bitter clone. I have refined the technique, ingredients and process to my satisfaction. Inspired by a legendary beer made by a legendary brewery, I regularly brew my own Beyond-the-Ordinary Ordinary.
The Brakspear’s brewery would condition their water to assure there was enough calcium and sulfate ions. They used invert sugar #2 (a brown sugar, rich in toffeelike flavor) as an adjunct. Most of their hops were whole East Kent Goldings, aged in a cool room for as long as six to nine months. After pitching the yeast, the beer is observed as it ferments for the first 24 hours. Then it is transferred, with some aeration, into another open fermentation tank. This is called their “double-drop” process.
The resulting ale had a soft degree of fruitiness, full flavor and an aroma of earthy mineral-like hops with a balance of caramel/toffee flavors, all contributing to a complex and harmonious balance that reflects the peak achievements of a brewer’s passion for beer.
The invert sugar #2 used by the brewery lends a rich flavor to even their mildest ales. Aging their Kent Goldings hops at cool room temperatures enhances cold hop oxidation and promotes good flavor. American brewers are so obsessed with fresh hops and oxygen barrier packaging that the positive evolution of flavor in an oxygen environment under proper conditions is all but lacking as a choice for beer drinkers in most American “English-style” ales. During the transfer of the just-beginning fermenting wort, much oxygen is picked up. This creates a mixed fermentation-respiration cycle, which seems to positively affect the complexity of character. I am convinced that you can begin to capture the tradition of Brakspear’s Henley-on-Thames Ordinary Bitter by brewing your own at home. This recipe can be found in About the Recipes.
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On one such journey, while touring the countryside along the river Thames west of London, I was absolutely thrilled to encounter the ales of the Brakspear’s Brewery at Henley-on-Thames. Brakspear’s Bitter was considered one of England’s greatest beers. It certainly enlivened my heart as I enjoyed the rich taste of East Kent Goldings hops and the full flavor of countryside English malt, skillfully brewed and fermented at the 200-plus-year-old brewery. I found the malt and hop character I seek in English ales both on tap as real ale and in bottles. What was most extraordinary was that I especially enjoyed the Ordinary, likely brewed at 1.038 or thereabouts, low in alcohol (3.4 percent by volume) but bursting with flavor. Keep in mind that this was a full-flavored ale that you won’t find in most American brewpubs or in a craft-brewed bottle. How many craft pale ales can you name that start with gravities below 1.040 (10 B)? They hardly exist. But to tell you the truth, you can get a full-flavored and satisfying ale at these low gravities by infusing extra malt and hop flavor.
British ale enthusiasts mourned the closing and razing of the brewery in 2002, making way for profit-friendly housing developments in the small town of Henley-on-Thames. The beer became contract brewed elsewhere, but it has been a shadow of its former self. The brewers