What’s interesting about this beer is that it specifically states in the brewing record that it was for Christmas. Which is interesting, given that it was brewed on 7th October – a full seven weeks before Christmas Day.
Another interesting fact about this recipe is that it was the basis for a royal wedding beer that Meantime brewed a few years back. I got a few bottles and very nice it was, too. Powerful and complex without being too fussy. These simple recipes can work really well, especially when they have a good dose of Goldings.
As with Lovibond’s other X Ales, the hops were a combination of American and Kent. Though in this case they all seem to have been new, rather a mix of new and yearlings.
The degree of attenuation is surprisingly high for a beer of such a high gravity. Though the long fermentation – a full 14 days – probably helped.
Like all Lovibond’s X Ales, XXXX was fermented quite cool. It was pitched at 56º F but the temperature only rose one degree during fermentation. Which is quite unlike normal practice. I would have expected the fermentation temperature to peak somewhere around 70º F.
| 1864 Lovibond XXXX | ||
| pale malt | 21.75 lb | 100.00% |
| Cluster 120 mins | 1.75 oz | |
| Goldings 90 mins | 1.75 oz | |
| Goldings 30 mins | 1.75 oz | |
| OG | 1096 | |
| FG | 1018 | |
| ABV | 10.32 | |
| Apparent attenuation | 81.25% | |
| IBU | 60 | |
| SRM | 8.5 | |
| Mash at | 148º F | |
| Sparge at | 165º F | |
| Boil time | 120 minutes | |
| pitching temp | 55º F | |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale | |
This is one of the dozens of recipes in my book Mild! plus. Which is avaiable in both paperback:
and hardback formats:
Huh. Never knew there was a brewery named Lovibond. Did they invent the beer color scale?
ReplyDeleteUhm, more like 11 weeks till Christmas? Was it uncommon to keep a beer that long? At 10% ABV it probably doesn't hurt?
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Yann