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Steve SPF

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Any input gratefully received.

We are super nostalgic about Boddington's bitter around here, it was almost a cult in the late 70s / early 80s. I don't want to clone it so much as create a tribute to it if I can so it wants to be straw coloured and quite dry. I'm thinking that the addition of some sugar may help but not sure.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Shed Bodds

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Standard/Ordinary Bitter
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 80 liters (ending kettle volume)
Boil Size: 85 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.034
Efficiency: 70% (ending kettle)

Hop Utilization Multiplier: 1

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.037
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 3.5%
IBU (tinseth): 45.99
SRM (morey): 3.99
Mash pH: 0

FERMENTABLES:
12 kg - Pale 2-Row (90.6%)
750 g - Torrified Wheat (5.7%)
500 g - Cara Malt (3.8%)

HOPS:
100 g - Northern Brewer, Type: Pellet, AA: 7.8, Use: First Wort, IBU: 31.31
100 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 9.05
50 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Whirlpool for 0 min at °C, IBU: 1.56
100 g - Bramling Cross, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.5, Use: Whirlpool for 0 min at °C, IBU: 4.06

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
2 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 15 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Boil

YEAST:
Wyeast - London Ale III 1318
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 73%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 17.78 - 23.33 C
Fermentation Temp: 20 C
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

PRIMING:
CO2 Level: 2.44 Volumes

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Balanced Profile
Ca2: 0
Mg2: 0
Na: 0
Cl: 0
SO4: 0
HCO3: 0
Water Notes:

NOTES:
I'm looking for this to be as close to the Boddington's bitter of the late 1970s / early 1980s.

This recipe has been published online at:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/863979/shed-bodds

Generated by Brewer's Friend - https://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2019-08-05 16:39 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2019-08-05 16:37 UTC
 
I wouldn't add sugar - at that low an OG, neutral alcohol isn't what you need. Looks good otherwise excepting the water profile - this beer looks as if it should need hard water, not RO.
 
I've read quite a few recipes for 'Boddington's' now and some of them call for sugar in order to get the final gravity down, there was a dryness about the original beer.

As far as the water goes I've really not ventured there yet, probably the next step on my learning curve.
 
I may be mis-remembering, but isn't there a slight honey sweetness to this beer? Of course, honey might not be representative of that late 70's era.
 
The current commercial Boddingtons Pub Ale does have a bit of a sweet taste, the cans have a widget to release nitrogen like with Guiness. It is a lovely, creamy frothy 4.8ABV British Ale. I read that it was the first beer to include the widget in the can.
Edit The ABV was 3.5 at some point, what is available here locally to me is 4.8%
 
The pub ale is darker and heavier so a substantially different beast. The one that draws tears to a Norhterner's eye is the 3.5% version that lasted up until the mid 80s and then got lost. I think it went to Hydes when Strangeways closed and there are stories that they lost the yeast culture, not sure.

There are recipes for the 4.8% version but they all seem to call for dark malt. The 3.5% one is a real golden/straw colour, I'm not sure about sweet though.

It was the original 'widget' beer yes, pretty sure we all pulled a can apart to see how those worked!

My first pub job was in the cellar at a Boddington's pub and we used to get through 20 Hogsheads a week, huge amounts of beer. I Think Hogsheads have been health & safetied out of existence now and quite right too, they took some stopping when they got rolling. Happy days :)
 
The current commercial Boddingtons Pub Ale does have a bit of a sweet taste, the cans have a widget to release nitrogen like with Guiness. It is a lovely, creamy frothy 4.8ABV British Ale. I read that it was the first beer to include the widget in the can.
Edit The ABV was 3.5 at some point, what is available here locally to me is 4.8%
 
Necrothread but I want to try to brew a boddingtons. @Steve SPF did you end up making this?

I love the current offerings on draft and widget cans. Obviously I have no nitro capabilities. Looking at recipes in different places for it and articles about the pre 1990s version etc. I came up with something that I want to try but want feedback. I guess the older version was much drier. I was going to use s04 slurry but I do have a pack of Nottingham. Also wondering about some sugar. Wish I had some golden syrup left but I don’t.
090DC2DF-47A1-4EC4-BDC7-84B1621F5E28.png
 
I did yes. It's an interesting one the Boddington's because all of us Bodd's nerds are differently nostalgic about it! I have what seems to be a genuine recipe from like the 1950s but my memories are from the 1980s and that's what I tried to replicate.

My grain bill is very simple. Maris Otter as a base, torrefied wheat for head retention and caramalt for colour; that's it. I do add a kilo of oats as well, I like those for mouthfeel.

I do use some brown sugar in the boil too.

I will use any bittering hop that will get me where I want to be. The recipe calls for Northern Brewer which I rarely have so this time I used Chinook but will use anything. I think the other hops are critical so very traditional EKG and Bramling Cross. I find those quite earthy and subtle; very apporpriate for the style.

It's a low ABV, very drinkable, traditional English Bitter very typical of the style at the time. Golden in colour, has to be crystal clear and is every bit as good in cask or keg; makes no real difference.

I call it a tribute rather than a clone. Boddington's is a bit of a legend round here and I never want to get ahead of myself and say mine is Boddington's; it really isn't.

An absolute doozy of a beer :)

Bodds1.JPG
Bodds2.JPG


https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/975022/shed-bodds-2020
 
Oh, and meant to say that S04 is my go-to for English styles so it's what I use for this one.
 
I should try doing a Newcastle Brown tribute. Had one last night, tasty in a minerally sort of way and 10g carbs per 12 oz. Water is very hard and provides a good bit of flavor.
 
I should try doing a Newcastle Brown tribute. Had one last night, tasty in a minerally sort of way and 10g carbs per 12 oz. Water is very hard and provides a good bit of flavor.

Another beer that natives get very misty eyed over :)
 
I should try doing a Newcastle Brown tribute. Had one last night, tasty in a minerally sort of way and 10g carbs per 12 oz. Water is very hard and provides a good bit of flavor.
Love Newcastle. Got 4 bottles left from the store. My Kroger keeps it stocked.
 
I did yes. It's an interesting one the Boddington's because all of us Bodd's nerds are differently nostalgic about it! I have what seems to be a genuine recipe from like the 1950s but my memories are from the 1980s and that's what I tried to replicate.

My grain bill is very simple. Maris Otter as a base, torrefied wheat for head retention and caramalt for colour; that's it. I do add a kilo of oats as well, I like those for mouthfeel.

I do use some brown sugar in the boil too.

I will use any bittering hop that will get me where I want to be. The recipe calls for Northern Brewer which I rarely have so this time I used Chinook but will use anything. I think the other hops are critical so very traditional EKG and Bramling Cross. I find those quite earthy and subtle; very apporpriate for the style.

It's a low ABV, very drinkable, traditional English Bitter very typical of the style at the time. Golden in colour, has to be crystal clear and is every bit as good in cask or keg; makes no real difference.

I call it a tribute rather than a clone. Boddington's is a bit of a legend round here and I never want to get ahead of myself and say mine is Boddington's; it really isn't.

An absolute doozy of a beer :)

View attachment 13117 View attachment 13118

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/975022/shed-bodds-2020
So I probably need to hold off on this. I do not have torrified wheat or caramalt. Unless Medium crystal or caramunich II works for it. I do have flaked barely though if that works for the Torrified wheat. I have EKG and NB so I’m good hop wise. Like I said I love the current Boddingtons offering but reading how much people love what it was before intrigues me.
 
I think the crystal might be a good sub, no idea about caramunich and couldn't honestly say about torrefied wheat. Head retention is a big deal here though so I always want that.

I'm not sure why it was so revered here. For me it was a really nice sweet/dry/drinkable beer that just hit the spot. I'm sure there's an element of 'rose tinted spectacles' going on but there's loads of us who are nostalgib about Boddington's and we can't all be exaggerating. Can we?? :)
 
Here is my plan today. I upped the crystal in place of caramalt. I added flaked Barley since I have no torrified wheat. Left out the oats since I already have the flaked. My homage to a boddingtons. We will see. Starting mash in 20-30 if anyone needs to correct me before then lol. Don’t want to screw up my first brew for a keg!
0F83F741-92DA-4AB5-999C-3FB5324331BD.png
 
Looks great to me; good luck!
 

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