VB-Style Bitter

Brew day

1. Clean and sanitise. Clean and sanitise your fermenter, lid, airlock, tap, spoon and hydrometer.
2. Soften the tin. Stand the sealed Morgan's Australian Bitter tin in hot water for about 10 minutes so the malt pours easily.
3. Dissolve the tin and sugars. Pour about 2 litres of just-boiled water into the fermenter. Add the tin contents and the 1 kg Morgan's Body Blend and 250 g Dextrose, and stir until fully dissolved.
4. Top up to 23 litres. Top up with cold tap water to the 23 litre mark and stir well. Aim for 18–22 °C.
5. Take a gravity reading. Write down the hydrometer reading. This is your original gravity (OG). ABV calculator
6. Pitch the yeast. Sprinkle the Morgan's Premium Ale Yeast over the surface, in place of the yeast supplied with the tin.
7. Add the finishing hops. Add the Pride of Ringwood finishing hops as directed on the pouch.

Tip: Don't pitch into wort warmer than 25 °C. It stresses the yeast and can cause off-flavours.

Fermentation

1. Seal and ferment. Fit the lid and airlock and keep the fermenter at 18–22 °C, out of direct sunlight.
2. Check it has finished. Fermentation usually takes 7–10 days. When the hydrometer reading is the same two days in a row, it's ready to bottle.

Tip: Only bottle once the gravity is stable. Bottling too early can over-carbonate the beer and burst bottles.

Bottling

1. Prime and fill. Add carbonation drops or measured dextrose to clean, sanitised bottles, fill to about 3 cm from the top and seal. Priming sugar calculator
2. Condition and enjoy. Store upright at 18 °C or warmer for at least 2 weeks, then chill before serving.

Tip: Kegging instead? Add an extra 200 g of dextrose on brew day to keep the alcohol on target for a 23 litre batch.

Make it your own

Everyone brews a little differently, and that's half the fun. Use this recipe as a starting point, then adjust it to suit your taste: a little more or less sugar for strength, a different hop for aroma, or a warmer or cooler ferment.

For a bigger bitter edge, add the Pride of Ringwood pouch at the start of fermentation rather than later. Write down what you changed so your next batch turns out just the way you like it.