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Grain Bill
| BESTMALZ BEST Pilsen | ~6 lb |
| The Swaen GoldSwaen Hell | ~3 lb |
| Flaked Oats | 8 oz |
| Midnight Wheat | small addition |
Hops
| UK Goldings — 60 min (bittering-heavy) | ~1.0 oz |
| UK Goldings — late additions | ~0.5 oz |
Yeast
| Fermentis SafAle S-04 English Ale | 1 pkg |
Fermented at 66°F to help balance sweetness from the elevated crystal malt content.
Notes
- The original Pretender. An English Bitter assembled from whatever was on hand. It's pretending, and it knows it.
- GoldSwaen Hell at ~36% of the grain bill made this a bigger, sweeter beer than a traditional bitter. The 66°F fermentation temp was chosen to keep the sweetness in check.
- Served at MWP 8, 2025.
- Approximate recipe — exact measurements were less precise than the 2026 version.