Session Beers: Cain's Best Bitter Clone

As the advancing homebrewer matriculates through the phases of their new found hobby, they often find that their uber-hoppy and 10%+ ABV aspirations give way to more session-able, less alcoholic, even sensible ones. By "session," I mean that multiple (perhaps 3+) pints can be consumed within a single session on a work/school night. Although many of us homebrewers have fairly high Etoh tolerances, the goal of a session beer is not to drink as many beers as possible and still walk, it's to ENJOY as many beers as one wants without going past that easily reverse-able "buzz" stage, thus allowing one to drive safely and avoid annoying hangovers. It is also to provide enough flavor to be interesting, but not overwhelm the taste buds. Some would say that a 5% beer qualifies as a session beer; however, I (as usual) prefer to push the envelope and limit my "session" beers to 4% or less. "How can such a beer fulfill your flavor requirements?" you may ask. Let's look to the UK for inspiration. For centuries, our large-eared, crooked-toothed brethren across the Atlantic have enjoyed milds and bitters that barely transcend the 3% mark, and, yet, are still flavorful. One such beer (which I recently enjoyed) is Cain's Finest Bitter, This style has all the requirements for a session beer. It is a medium-bodied, dark mahogany beer, with moderate fruitiness and roast, and I have attempted to clone it below.

Cain's Best Bitter Clone (5.5 gallon batch)

OG: 1.040
IBU:  31.5
ABV:  3.6%
Color: 16 SRM

Grist:

43.8% US 2-Row; 3.5#
37.5% Maris Otter; 3#
12.5% Bairds Carastan (35-37 SRM) 1#
3.1% UK Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) .25#
3.1% Special Roast (50.0 SRM) .25#

Hops, etc:

1.0 oz. East Kent Goldings (leaf) @ 45 min.; 20.5 IBU
1.0 oz. East Kent Goldings (leaf) @ 15 min.; 11.1 IBU
1.0 tsp. Irish Moss @ 15 minutes.

Yeast:

Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale

Procedures:

Mash at 151 (feel free to go higher with this to increase dextrins for more mouthfeel) for 50 minutes. Mash-out at 168 for 10 minutes. Boil for 60 minutes.

Look for more session beer recipes/brewdays in upcoming blog posts. Be Fermentive!