Wednesday 8 November 2023

Let's Brew Wedesday - 1981 Eldridge Pope Dorchester Bitter

I've been pleasantly surprised by how many recipes I've been able to scrape up for "Keg!". 73 so far. Though I've had to stretch the timefram a little to include beers from the late 1960s and early 1980s. As in the case with this recipe.

In the Southwest of England, where Eldridge Pope’s home of Dorchester lay, there was a local Bitter variety. A very weak one, sometimes called Boy’s Bitter. Often filling the gravity slot once occupied by Mild, which was becoming rare in the region.

With its low rate of hopping, crystal malt and an ordinary degree of attenuation, I’m guessing this came over as maltily sweet.

Nothing very odd in the grist. Other than the wheat flour, That’s a bit strange. Especially in that amount. Pale and crystal are the only malts. Plus some sugar, of course. They weren’t going to leave that out.

Lots of hops. Four types of English and one of Styrian. All undated. And with no clue as to their variety was. 

1981 Eldridge Pope Dorchester Bitter
pale malt 5.00 lb 73.10%
crystal malt 60 L 0.67 lb 9.80%
wheat flour 0.50 lb 7.31%
No. 2 invert sugar 0.67 lb 9.80%
Styrian Goldings 75 min 0.125 oz
Fuggles 75 min 0.33 oz
Fuggles 60 min 0.33 oz
Goldings 30 min 0.33 oz
OG 1033
FG 1009
ABV 3.18
Apparent attenuation 72.73%
IBU 16
SRM 8
Mash at 153º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 75 minutes
pitching temp 62.5º F
Yeast WLP099 Super High Gravity Thomas Hardy


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Ron.

Would you have any idea or indication about the use of flour in this recipe?

I imagine, that would make sparging unnecessarily difficult. I can't fathom what advantage the usage might bring, except cost-cutting.

(Maybe all that was covered on you blog in the past.)

Cheers! Fabian

Chris Pickles said...

I had a pint of this in 1978 at a pub in Downton in Hampshire, just south of Salisbury. I'd been to see the famous Anglo Saxon church ar Breamore. Anyway I found it extremely lacking in body, not surprisingly, but also very bitter. I had a couple of pints of cider first, so maybe that skewed my perception.

Anonymous said...

Bitter more like a light mild ale maybe it was to help it sell it better as by that stage mild ale was often and still is often associated with a browny colour ale.
Will you be covering any Irish beers Ron?
Oscar

Anonymous said...

So a bitter not a rebranded pale mild ale