[dzlater]

I am planning on brewing I guess what would be called an Ordinary Bitter.
I looked at few recipes and came up with this.

5.5 gallon batch size
OG 1.037
30 ibu's +/-

6lbs marris otter
1 lb C40
5 oz "sugar in the raw"

1 oz 4.5% ekg @ 60, 15 ibus
.7 oz 4.5% ekg @ 30, 10 ibus
1.4 oz 4.5% ekg @ 10, 5 ibus
.5 oz 4.5% ekg dry hop in keg

The shop I am going to only sells grain in 1 lb and 5 lb bags, so that's why I went with the lb of C40 but I'm thinking it might be too much? It comes out to 13% C40. I was thinking maybe cut it down to 0.5 lb , and adding a 0.5 lb of munich or vienna, Good idea?  Anything else look out of whack?

[dannyjed]

I would use only a .5 lb of C40.

[hoser]

Do you really need the sugar?  Most "traditional" recipes include it because UK breweries used sugar in the past to save money.

[The Professor]

Do you really need the sugar?  Most "traditional" recipes include it because UK breweries used sugar in the past to save money.

I agree that .5 lb of the crystal would be plenty. 

As far as the sugar goes, all I can say is that I bought into the "no sugar" hype for 25 years...I was even a bit militant about it. 
But my ESB didn't have the same character as my favorite British beers (from Fuller's,  Bateman's, and Gale's)  until I started experimenting with sugars of various types.   I wouldn't have expected it to be the case, but in the end it seemed somehow to make all the difference. 

So there's nothing at all wrong with using sugar, and since it is not the primary or dominant fermentable  its moderate use as an adjunct does not mean you're making a lesser quality beer.   
I don't use it in everything, but where I do use it I feel that it actually results in a better beer. 
Of course, as always, such observations are based strictly on personal opinion...YMMV   

[dzlater]

Do you really need the sugar?  Most "traditional" recipes include it because UK breweries used sugar in the past to save money.

No, but I have it, so I figured what the hell? I 'm not going to use it for anything else. I bought in when I was playing around trying to make invert sugar.
If most traditional recipes include it for whatever reason, then I'm just following tradition.  
So maybe 1/2 lb crystal, and 1/2 lb something else like biscuit, or vienna ?

[denny]

I say that if you want the flavor from the C40, 1 lb. isn't too much, especially if you use the sugar to cut the body.  Follow your taste buds, bud!

[richardt]

In Designing Great Beers (by Ray Daniels), English commercial Bitter grain bills are shown to have:
65-100% (ave 89%) pale malt,
1-15% (ave 6%) crystal, and
2-20% (ave 10%) sugar. 

Wheat, chocolate, black roast, corn, flaked barley are other grains or adjuncts that occasionally are used in bitters.

I would stay with 1 lb of C-40 and bump up to 8 oz of sugar.

I wold also consider 1 lb of Munich or Vienna for more malt complexity.

I would consider nixing the dry hop addition and doing an aroma steep at knockout when the wort temp falls to 180 F or less.

[majorvices]

I say that if you want the flavor from the C40, 1 lb. isn't too much, especially if you use the sugar to cut the body.  Follow your taste buds, bud!

+1. I don't think 1 lb is excessive, especially with the sugar.

[dzlater]

In Designing Great Beers (by Ray Daniels), English commercial Bitter grain bills are shown to have:
65-100% (ave 89%) pale malt,
1-15% (ave 6%) crystal, and
2-20% (ave 10%) sugar. 

Wheat, chocolate, black roast, corn, flaked barley are other grains or adjuncts that occasionally are used in bitters.

I would stay with 1 lb of C-40 and bump up to 8 oz of sugar.

I wold also consider 1 lb of Munich or Vienna for more malt complexity.

I would consider nixing the dry hop addition and doing an aroma steep at knockout when the wort temp falls to 180 F or less.

I was using DGB when I put the recipe together.
My % are
80% MO
13% C40
7% sugar
so I am on the high end  for the C40 but still within range
Like I said originally I used a lb because I have to buy a lb.
I also have a recipe from Home Brewers Companion that is 6 lbs base malt and 1lb crystal, if it's good enough for Charlie it's good enough for me.
Thanks
Dan

[richardt]

I think you'll like it very much!

[dzlater]

I think you'll like it very much!

Yes I do, it still needs to carb up a bit more, but it tastes pretty good to me.
Though it does need a bit more bittering hops.