The most obvious feature is how simple the recipe has become: just four elements to the grist: pale malt, enzymic malt, glucose and malt extract. (The small quantity of enzymic malt I’ve just rolled into the pale malt base.) Even without out, this version is paler. A very Lager-like 3.4 SRM.
The dropping of Flavex (which appears as No. 2 invert in the 1977 recipe) and a reduction in the quantity of glucose has more than halved the sugar content and increased the malt content from 86% to 90%. On the face of it, an improvement in the recipe. Yet this exactly the period when, according to oral accounts, when the quality of Boddington Bitter nosedived. It’s a bit of a riddle.
Three types of hops in this example, all English, two from the 1978 harvest and one from 1979. For the sake of fairness, I’ve again provided recipes with two different sets of hops. The older varieties of Fuggles and Goldings set against the newer types of Northern Brewer and Bramling Cross. There’s a pretty big difference in bitterness levels between the two: 20 IBU for the old, 32 IBU for the new varieties. Both value calculated, obviously.
| 1980 Boddington IP | ||
| pale malt | 6.75 lb | 90.00% |
| malt extract | 0.50 lb | 6.67% |
| glucose | 0.25 lb | 3.33% |
| Fuggles 120 min | 0.75 oz | |
| Goldings 30 min | 0.75 oz | |
| Goldings dry hops | 0.25 oz | |
| OG | 1034 | |
| FG | 1007 | |
| ABV | 3.57 | |
| Apparent attenuation | 79.41% | |
| IBU | 20 | |
| SRM | 3.5 | |
| Mash at | 150º F | |
| Sparge at | 158º F | |
| Boil time | 120 minutes | |
| pitching temp | 63º F | |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1318 London ale III (Boddingtons) | |
| 1980 Boddington IP alternate hops | ||
| pale malt | 6.75 lb | 90.00% |
| malt extract | 0.50 lb | 6.67% |
| glucose | 0.25 lb | 3.33% |
| Northern Brewer 120 min | 0.75 oz | |
| Bramling Cross 30 min | 0.75 oz | |
| Goldings dry hops | 0.25 oz | |
| OG | 1034 | |
| FG | 1007 | |
| ABV | 3.57 | |
| Apparent attenuation | 79.41% | |
| IBU | 32 | |
| SRM | 3.5 | |
| Mash at | 150º F | |
| Sparge at | 158º F | |
| Boil time | 120 minutes | |
| pitching temp | 63º F | |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1318 London ale III (Boddingtons) | |
I went to live in Manchester in 1980 so this was just the time when I began to drink Boddingtons Bitter regularly. I was quite happy with it at the time. I'd had it a few times previously, going back to about 1975 and at first I'd been rather taken aback by the bitterness of it. Whether it had become less bitter in the intervening period, or I'd just grown accustomed to it I couldn't say looking back 40 years.
ReplyDeleteAs an American I have no idea -- what would be a good Bitter/Pale from that period? Fullers? Bass?
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see some day a comparison between Boddington and a better reputation alternative to see if anything jumps out as a cause. Although I realize it may not be obvious from a log book.
The Boddingtons of that time had and has a huge reputation. It was up there with the best in its heyday. And it's the best bitter I've ever tasted. Which is obviously subjective but I have bumped into many people who agree. It was very different to Fuller's and Bass though. Very pale, no crystal, much more bitter, hence it's IP nomenclature I did enjoy Fuller's while I lived in London in the 80s, but I didn't love it like I loved Boddingtons, much more my mug of tea.
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