BeerBorg

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Pale Bitter

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Standard/Ordinary Bitter
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.028
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.038
Final Gravity: 1.011
ABV (standard): 3.58%
IBU (tinseth): 26.54
SRM (morey): 5.58

FERMENTABLES:
5 lb - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (62.5%)
2 lb - German - Vienna (25%)
0.5 lb - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (6.3%)
0.5 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 20L (6.3%)

HOPS:
0.5 oz - Chinook, Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: First Wort, IBU: 16.6
0.5 oz - Chinook, Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 9.94

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - English Ale Yeast S-04
Starter: yes
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 72%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 59 - 75 F
Pitch Rate: 1.0 (M cells / ml / deg P)

I've made similar beer with Goldings/Fuggles. I've never tried it with Chinook.

If you like it but want to kick it up a notch and are able/willing to use liquid yeasts, try it again with Wyeast London ESB or Wyeast West Yorkshire yeast. They both make awesome bitters. West Yorkshire especially will throw some really nice esters into the mix.

I have brewed a couple 1.040 Bitters and English Milds, but it was a 3.5% abv Scottish 60 that was my lowest abv beer ever. I think I will make that again towards the end of summer. Nice cool weather beer.

I have used S-04 in several Bitters. It's a good yeast but it's fairly clean so like mentioned you wont have a lot of that English character that can really help out a low abv beer. I didn't see a mash temp, but with using the S-04 I might mash higher than usual or higher than you think you want to keep it from going under 1.010 FG.

That sounds like it is going to be a nicely flavored beer with that malt bill.

Yeah Marris Otter is good stuff. I actually try to shoot for lower ABV anymore. That way I can have a couple and not fall down.

Monty

Agree with monster... I've done a lot of low ABV/session brewing in my day. It's challenging to not come out watery or thin, but yeast and grain choices go a long way to fixing that problem. Yazoo's Dos Perros (mexican brown) used to be 3.5% abv (they have since bumped it to 5%ish), and I love brewing the old recipe for that. As mentioned by others, a good english yeast will contribute a lot of flavors, and I love using Maris Otter for these types of beers as well. This recipe looks great. A good mix of flavorful grains should make for a nice session beer.