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#30:  Rubber Boots ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
  • A heavy session beer brewed during breakup, when the snow melts and the mud compels Fairbanks residents to wear rubber boots. Eight percent crystal, 4 percent wheat and 1% roast barley for color.
Chris Swingley 
24-Apr-2004

Recipe (for 5 gallons final volume)
7.0 pounds (55%) Crisp Maris Otter Pale Malt
4.0 pounds (32%) Dingemans Pilsner Malt
0.5 pounds (4%) American Crystal 80L
0.5 pounds (4%) American Crystal 40L
0.5 pounds (4%) American Malted Wheat
2.0 ounces (1%) Briess Roast Barley (300L)

1.75 ounces   U.S. Fuggles whole hops, 4.5% AA (first wort hop)
1.5 ounces   U.S. Goldings whole hops, 4.3% AA (60 minutes)
0.5 ounces   U.K. Fuggles plug hops, 6.9% AA (dry hopped in keg)
0.25 ounces   U.S. Willamette whole hops, 4.5% AA (dry hopped in keg)

  • White Labs WLP033 Klassic Ale Yeast, pitched at 70°F
  • Starter: 3 quart starter, built up from tube (tube, 3 quarts), cooled, decanted, warmed
  • Aeration: Drill aerator for two minutes after pitching

Water
  • Fairbanks city water
  • 15 quarts mash water treated with:
    • 5.0 grams Gypsum.
  • 23.5 quarts sparge water treated with:
    • 8.0 grams Gypsum.

Mash
  • 15.0 quarts water @ 166°F, grist ratio of 1.2 quarts:pound @ 153°F (Held 115 minutes)

Sparge
  • 7.5 quarts water @ 200°F, drain
  • 16 quarts water @ 168°F, drain

Boil
  • Boiled 8.0 gallons for 90 minutes to yield 5.5 gallons wort

Fermentation
  • Primary: bucket, 7 days, 68°F
  • Secondary: glass, 15 days, 65°F

Packaging
  • Kegged with 80 grams dextrose
  • Conditioned for 3 weeks
  • Ready to drink on 5-Jun-2004

Properties
Starting Gravity: 1.062 Final Gravity: 1.011
Original Extract: 15.2°plato Apparent Extract: 2.81°plato
Real Extract: 5.17°plato
Alcohol: 6.7% by volume (5.3% by weight)
Apparent Attenuation: 81.5% Mash Efficiency: 76%
Bitterness: 37 IBU Color: 14 SRM
BU:SG: 0.60 BV: 1.47

Tasting Notes
  • 17-October-2004 (26 weeks) -- Rich, heavy bitter. Flavors are a bit muddy, and the bitterness has an unusual earthy tone that I'm not too fond of (maybe the Fuggles?), but it's a reasonable beer.

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