Old Oak Common
By James Cross
Recipe is part of Recipe Index
BJCP 2021 Style 11B Best Bitter
The WLP013 yeast gives a characteristic oaky flavour and ordinary strength beers are sometimes referred to a 'common', hence the name. Also a reference to the bucolic-sounding rail depot in West London.
The recipe is based on Five Points bitter, which uses whole dried Fuggles. I used Challenger for bittering and home-grown green Fuggles for late boil/ hop stand.
The bottled version cleared quickly and had a good aroma and flavour; initially too bitter but this subsided with conditioning.
Awards
CAMRA’s Champion Home Brewer of the Year 2024
1st - Session Bitters
Measures
- IBU 36
- ABV 4.2%
- OG 1.042
- FG 1.012
- EBC 20
- 24.5 litres at end of boil.
- 23 litres into fermenter.
Ingredients
Water
Aimed for light coloured and hoppy (Brewer's Friend)
Ca: 59 Mg: 5 Na: 10 Cl: 42 SO4: 124 HCO3: 0
Malt
- 4 kg Maris Otter Pale 84.2%
- 250g Pale Wheat 5.3%
- 250g Amber 5.3%
- 250g Dark Crystal 240 5.3%
Hops
- 30g Challenger pellet AA 8.5 at 60 minutes
- 300g green Fuggles at 15 minutes
- 300g green Fuggles hop stand at 80 degC
Yeast
- White Labs London Ale WLP013
Process
Mash
- 60 mins at 67 degC
Boil
- 60 minute boil
- Protafloc and yeast nutrient at 15 mins
Ferment
- Pitch at 17 degC, adding Brausol and ALDC.
- Allowed to rise to 19 degC during the first 3 days of active fermentation
- Ramped up to 22 degC for the remainder.
Serving
Green-racked a few bottles after 3 days when a couple of points above FG. Remaining bottles (used for competition) racked after 12 days, primed for 2 vols CO2. Conditioned for 3-6 weeks. No obvious difference between green-racked and primed bottles.