Whispering Bob - The Recipe

I was listening to the BBC Radio Four Today programme some months ago on the occasion of Bob Harris' 40 years in broadcasting. They played an audio clip (they tend to do that on radio programmes) in Bob's trademark whisper: "kick back, open a bottle of pale ale and listen to this."

Now it's fair to assume that, when the legendary broadcaster originally uttered that phrase, this isn't the kind of pale ale to which he would have referred. If it were around at all, the American craft brew scene surely hadn't evolved to the level it has now at the time Bob was cutting his teeth on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Yet, US style craft beer and Whispering Bob have so much in common; they're both born of geeky innocence, bursting enthusiasm and a genuine love of their fellow musician/brewer. By being at the cutting edge of their respective fields and unafraid to push the boundaries, they have won the loyalty and respect of their fans.

So this is what I'll be brewing tomorrow and I hope it is a fitting tribute to a highly respected broadcaster.

6.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain

0.40 kg Aromatic Malt (51.2 EBC) Grain

0.40 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC) Grain

0.25 kg Caramunich Malt (110.3 EBC) Grain

0.25 kg Pale Crystal Malt (55.0 EBC) Grain

Bittering Hops

30.00 gm Chinook [11.40 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop)

30.00 gm Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (90 min) (First Wort Hop)

Flavour Hops

30 min 10.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops

15 min 10.00 gm Cascade [7.60 %] (15 min) Hops

5 min 1.00 items Protofloc (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

Late hops

25.00 gm Cascade [7.60 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)

25.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)

Yeast US-05

Estimated OG 1069

Bitterness 70.6 IBU

Colour 21.5 EBC

Estimated ABV 6.45-7%

OK it is more San Diego than Nashville and it might take me a few goes to get it right but it feels like I am on the right track.