Fuller’s ESB Clone Recipe
The term ESB or Extra Special Bitter is synonymous with Fuller’s ESB which is a brand in its own right. In other countries the term ESB denotes a style that covers higher ABV (around 6%) beers that have a strong malt profile with plenty of caramel notes as well as moderate bitterness.
ESB is a style that is not really embraced, at least in the UK, as paler and hoppier beers. Fullers ESB does really showcase a really well balanced malt-driven beer and is a great beer to make to hone your skills.
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 L | 60 min | 33.5 IBUs | 22.4 EBC | 1.061 | 1.016 | 5.9 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Malt, Maris Otter | 4.85 kg | 91.51 |
| Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L | 450 g | 8.49 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 18 g | 60 min | Boil | Leaf | 11 |
| Challenger | 12 g | 60 min | Boil | Leaf | 7.5 |
| East Kent Goldings (EKG) | 10 g | 15 min | Boil | Leaf | 5 |
| Northdown | 4 g | 15 min | Boil | Leaf | 8.5 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Ale (WLP002) | White Labs | 67% | 18.33°C - 20°C |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 64.5°C | 75 min |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
Extra Special Bitter
At the time Fuller’s ESB came into being in 1971 breweries often had varying version of bitter. Ordinary, Best and Special. Fuller’s went one further with “Extra Special”
Now, ESB has come to define the style which favours smooth and mellow bitterness with a full bodied malt backbone.
Malt Extract Version Of Fullers ESB
To brew a malt extract version of this beer substitute the maris otter malt for the following:
3.7kg (8.1lb) Pale Dry Malt Extract
Steep the crystal malt in a grain bag for 20 minutes, add a third of the malt extract at the start of the boil and the remaining 2/3rds a few minutes before the end of the boil.
Recipe Notes
- The ABV for the bottle and cask versions of this beer are different. The bottled version of Fuller’s ESB is 5.9% and the cask version is 5.5% ABV.
- The recipe is primarily sourced from Fuller’s own website that lists the ingredients as well as BYO magazine which is a good example of the recipe that I have brewed before.
- The Fuller’s website lists chocolate malt in the ingredients which I can only assume is to adjust the colour. Using a tiny amount in a home brew recipe is probably not worth the effort.
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