Saturday 5 March 2016

Let's Brew Wednesday (Saturday edition) – 1885 Thomas Usher Stout

Englische Woche. It’s the German phrase for playing two competitive football games in a week. I’ve always thought of myself as a Premier League-class player. So I’m going English Week with recipes.

As you’ve surely twigged, it’s a clever ruse to pad the blog with other crap I have hanging around. A bit like Little Dave. Hanging around, I mean. He did lots of that. I remember the one time I tried ignoring him calling around. First he rang the bell. Then banged on the front door. Then climbed up outside my room and banged on the window. I manage to ignore the banging for 36 minutes, then gave in. “Bit tired today, Dave.”

Moving back on topic, I’ve a Scottish Stout for you. For no particular reason, other than that I had the recipe hanging around and I’ve a long trip coming up. Have to bash out the posts this week. If all goes well, I’ll be relaxing in an Albany bar, laughing with my chums over my current level of paranoia.

Been checking my sales. Heartened to see that Decoction! is one of my self-publish best-sellers, pushing into double figures like a tentative England number 10. Yeah!

You’ve clocked me. I’m just trying to distract you from the normality of the recipe. Which I’ve just realised is my point. This is an ordinary beer. Nothing special. Something brewed without pretension and drunk without fuss.  The sort of beer I love.

Did I mention the best town for beer ever? The one that pulled down the kecks and leathered the arse of other cities like my pervy music teacher with his slipper? Better than Portland, San Diego, Munich, Edinburgh and Swindon. No? You’ll have to wait until next time then.

Scottish Stout, not that strong, heavy on the amber malt, all foreign hops, not stupidly under-attenuated or sweet. But surprisingly bitter.



Recipe . . .




1885 Thomas Usher Stout
pale malt 6.50 lb 54.17%
black malt 1.00 lb 8.33%
amber malt 4.50 lb 37.50%
Cluster 90 min 1.00 oz
Strisselspalt 60 min 0.75 oz
Spalt 30 min 2.25 oz
OG 1050
FG 1015
ABV 4.63
Apparent attenuation 70.00%
IBU 62
SRM 32
Mash at 154º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 60º F
Yeast WLP028 Edinburgh Ale



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this the same usher's from edinburgh as the brewpub? I think they just got a new micro system installed from scotiawelding (same company which did caledonian's brewpub when martyn visited).

Lady Luck Brewing said...

This looks like just the kind of beer that needs to be brewed soon.