Let[s Brew Wedenesday - 1885 W.E. & J. Rigden Special Ale

The recipe writing has been going well. I've now over 400 for "Free!", by upcoming book. If I can keep up this pace, I may have all the recipes polished off by the end of the year. 

Next up strength-wise of Rigden’s Bitters is the rather oddly-named Special Ale. Not sure what makes this “special”. It’s just a mid-strength Pale Ale.

There’s rather more malt in the grist, as there’s no flaked maize. Though there is a higher percentage of sugar than in AK. And that sugar leads to quite a dark colour for the finished beer. Not quite as dark as Mild Beer, but on the way there.

Two types of hops were used. Both English, though I only have details of one: Sussex from the 1884 harvest. The other is just another squiggle.

The very heavy rate of dry-hopping leads me to believe that this was probably a semi-stock beer. Aged for three months or so before sale. 

1885 W.E. & J. Rigden Special Ale
pale malt	8.00 lb	74.42%
No. 2 invert sugar	2.75 lb	25.58%
Fuggles 120 mins	2.75 oz
Goldings 30 mins	2.75 oz
Goldings dry hops	2.25 oz
OG	1055
FG	1011.5
ABV	5.75
Apparent attenuation	79.09%
IBU	64
SRM	10.5
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	180º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale