Theakston Best Bitter All Grain Tribute Recipe Kit

Theakston Best Bitter All Grain Tribute Recipe Kit

Bring the character of a classic Yorkshire bitter to your own home brewery with our Theakston Best Bitter All Grain Tribute Recipe Kit.

Designed to recreate the character of this much-loved British session ale, this 23 litre all grain beer kit produces a traditional English Best Bitter with a beautifully balanced combination of malt, bitterness and classic British hop character.

Theakston Best Bitter is known for its golden-amber colour, full yet approachable malt character and refreshing dry finish. Our tribute recipe follows the traditional British bitter approach, using Maris Otter malt and Crystal malt to provide a solid malt backbone, with Challenger and Fuggles hops contributing the characteristic earthy, spicy and lightly fruity hop notes.

The result is a highly drinkable 3.8% ABV British Best Bitter with a gentle sweetness balanced by firm but rounded bitterness. Expect a satisfying malt character, subtle hop flavour and a clean, dry finish that makes this the sort of beer you'll want another pint of.

Brew Your Own Theakston Best Bitter

This is a genuine all grain recipe kit, supplied with all the ingredients required to brew  23 litres of beer. 

The recipe includes:

• Maris Otter malt – the classic English base malt providing a rich, slightly biscuity malt foundation.
• Crystal malt – adding colour, body and a touch of malt sweetness.
• Challenger hops – providing the main bitterness along with classic English hop character.
• Fuggles hops – adding traditional earthy, woody and lightly spicy hop notes.
• Safale S-04 yeast – a popular English ale yeast well suited to traditional British bitters.
• Protofloc – to help produce a bright, clear finished beer.

The Finished Beer

Our Theakston Best Bitter tribute is designed around a traditional 23 litre batch with a target:

Brew Facts

Original Gravity: 1.038
Final Gravity: 1.009
ABV: 3.8%
IBU: 24
EBC:15

The finished beer should have a golden to amber appearance, a pleasing malt character and a refreshing bitterness. The combination of Challenger and Fuggles gives the beer the unmistakable feel of a traditional British cask ale.

A Classic British Bitter for the Home Brewer

If you're a fan of Theakston Best Bitter, traditional Yorkshire ales or simply well-made British bitters, this is a great recipe to have in the brewery.

It's also an excellent choice if you're looking to brew a traditional English bitter from an all grain kit. At around 3.8% ABV, it's strong enough to have plenty of flavour while remaining an exceptionally drinkable session beer.

Serve it traditionally with a good creamy head and, if you have the equipment, from a hand-pulled beer engine for the full British real ale experience.

This recipe is based on the well-known clone formulation from Graham Wheeler’s book Brew Your Own British Ales, a trusted source for traditional British cask ale recipes.

Please note: This is a tribute recipe kit inspired by Theakston Best Bitter and is not an official Theakston Brewery product.

Please note all grains come crushed