Burton Ale, January 30, 2011

In this past issue of Zymurgy, Martyn Cornell and Antony Hayes outlined the ultimate English comfort beer, Burton Ale.  With Kara of White Labs also wanting to try out White Labs WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast, we decided to give this style a try.  I don't recall ever having a Burton Ale nor do I believe it's available in our very rich beer community of San Diego.  I suppose in the earlier days of homebrewing of Dave Line and Charlie Papazian, you would simply need to make a style just to be able to try it.

Burton Ale: A British Comfort Beer - Article from Zymurgy Vol. 34 No. 1

I would like to do more long term projects like this one.  In the article, Cornell and Hayes explain that aging is an important component to Burton Ales and suggest a year to 18 months.  I will do just that.  My only limitation is that our house tends to warm up quite a bit towards the end of summer.  At this time, I will transfer the beer to a Cornelius keg and continue aging in my kegerator or the lager cave.

As for using water adjustments as per my Brew Year's Resolution, I tried to follow the suggested recipe guidelines for this beer.  Total Alkalinity (as Calcium Carbonate) between 100-120ppm and free calcium between 180-220ppm.  Using the Palmer's water calculator, I determined that my San Diego water would be a good starting point.  I played with salt adjustments and decided to add Gypsum and Epsom Salts to the mash water.  Calculated based on annual average analysis of my tap water, the additions will give an adjusted calcium of 183ppm and a residual alkalinity as calcium carbonate at 124ppm.  Sulfates are in the red (565ppm) from these additions though it seems acceptable to the Burton on Trent water profile that this beer is based on.

Could have used some anti-foam or a blow-out tube for this Burton Ale.

I will follow up with details here as the year progresses though as with any long-term project, it's best to just forget about it!  I have two other long-term beers in progress: American Barley Wine and an Oud Bruin.  Forget about those too!

Burton Ale

BJCP Category 19-A Old Ale

Author: Chillindamos
Date: 1/30/11

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 69.7%
Attenuation: 78.7%
Calories: 266.52 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.080 (1.060 - 1.090)
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Terminal Gravity: 1.017 (1.015 - 1.022)
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Color: 17.82 (10.0 - 22.0)
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Alcohol: 8.32% (6.0% - 9.0%)
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Bitterness: 112.3 (30.0 - 60.0)
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Ingredients:

13.0 lb Maris Otter Pale
1.0 lb Belgian Munich
4.0 oz American Chocolate Malt
1.0 tsp 5.2 pH Stabilizer - added during mash
1.0 lb Light Brown Sugar
6.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
2.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 tsp Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 ea White Labs WLP023 Burton Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

00:14:54 Mash-In - Liquor: 3.56 gal; Strike: 172.25 °F; Target: 152.0 °F
01:14:54 Saccharification Rest - Rest: 60 min; Final: 148.2 °F
01:24:54 Vorlauf, bitches! - Rest: 10.0 min; Final: 147.6 °F
02:34:54 Fly Sparge - Sparge Volume: 5.1 gal; Sparge Temperature: 170.0 °F; Runoff: 7.02 gal

Notes

Added 7 grams of Gypsum and 3 grams of Epsom Salts to the mash tun using 100% San Diego Alvarado filtered water. OG: 1.080 @ 68°F Used two vials of WLP023 to make a 900ml starter the night before. Stir plate used. Oxygenated wort for 60 seconds. Primary ferment in 6 gallon Better Bottle at ambient household temperatures (60-63°F). Blow out for nearly two days! Will age in secondary for at least 5 months before kegging. Cold age in the keg for another 6 months or so. Dry hop with 2oz. East Kent Goldings two week prior to full carbonating pressure for serving. Update 2/23: Racked the Burton Ale over to secondary. Current gravity is 1.017 @ 58°F. It will age here until my cellaring location in the house warms up too much.

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.12

BeerTools Pro Needed Features

Hey, BeerTools Pro!  I'd like to customize a template for exporting to HTML.  Could you do this please!?  In this template, I'd like to have the option to turn on/off components and stylize the way I want it to display.  I would like to be able to add water chemistry and fermentation details (including aeration/oxygen) to the export.  Other stuff - adjusted gravity based on an input temperature, water and salts as ingredients, fermentation details (vessels, temps, racking, time), adding dry hopping along with its' time and method, yeast pitching rate calculator for starters etc. based on OG and yeast type as on Jamil's website (Jamil's Yeast Pitching Rate Calculator).

References:
Cornell, Martyn, and Antony Hayes. "Burton Ale: A British Comfort Beer." Zymurgy 34.1 (2011): 22-25. Print.