Article

20 Clone Recipes from 20 Years

In our premiere issue (released in July 1995), Editor Craig Bystrynski, introduced the world to a magazine that promised to, “Celebrate the art and science of brewing.” He added, “We write about brewing because it’s fun. We won’t preach at you, get bogged down in brewing ‘politics,’ or describe beer like it’s the latest release from Chateau Le Snooté. Our stories are aimed at beginning brewers and experts, extract brewers and full mashers.” In the time since that first issue hit the stands, we have tried to follow that mission in everything we publish in these pages. Homebrewing has come a long way since 1995 and it’s been quite interesting to see how much ingredients, equipment, beer styles, craft beer, homebrewing events and competitions, and interest in all things beer in general, have grown, changed and developed over the years. To celebrate this milestone, we looked back on every year we’ve been publishing Brew Your Own to find craft breweries who opened in those years.

We managed to gather a pretty impressive collection of recipes from those breweries to help us commemorate 20 years of homebrewed beer — some old favorites, and some very new to the scene, which include: Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewery, Ithaca Beer Co., Starr Hill Brewery, 21st Amendment Brewery, Bozeman Brewing Co., Terrapin Beer Co., The Alchemist, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Surly Brewing Co., Ninkasi Brewing, Right Brain Brewery, The Bruery, Maine Brewing Co., Heretic Brewing Co., Anchorage Brewing Co., Trillium Brewing, Bluejacket, Defiance Brewing Co., and Fortside Brewing Co.

Thank you to all the readers of Brew Your Own, old and new, for allowing our staff to make a living writing about homebrewing — we have certainly been “living the dream” and it would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you, also, to all of our editorial contributors, editorial review board, advertisers, and contest sponsors, for all of the support throughout the years. Brew Your Own is a collaboration of many people who like to brew their own beer. So now, raise a glass, and cheers!

Founded: 1995
WEYERBACHER BREWING CO.

Potato chips and beer are a pretty good fit. Yet, that pairing wasn’t quite so simple for Weyerbacher founder Dan Weirback. Before starting his brewery (with his wife Sue), Weirback operated a potato chip route in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Already passionate about “the burgeoning craft beer movement of the early-’90s,” a trip to Vermont’s Long Trail Brewery “tipped the scales,” Weyerbacher brewmaster Chris Wilson explains. Weyerbacher opened in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1995. Weirback initially brewed common styles but later shifted to stronger, more unusual beer styles, the kind Weirback calls, “esoteric beers that don’t fit style guidelines very well, yet are quite intriguing beers.” “We will brew only beers that are interesting and different from others in the marketplace,” Weirback says, “and only beers that we have a passion to brew and drink.”

Weyerbacher Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.096 FG = 1.015
IBU = 30 SRM = 31 ABV = 11.6%

Ingredients
13.5 lbs. (6.12 kg) Pilsner malt
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) wheat malt
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) Special B® malt (130 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) dark Belgian candi sugar (15 min.)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) cane sugar (15 min.)
7.2 AAU Apollo hops (90 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 18% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Bramling Cross hops (0 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
0.1 oz. (3 g) ground star anise (15 min.)
0.25 oz. (7 g) ground coriander (2 min.)
White Labs WLP540 (Abbey IV Ale) or Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) yeast
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) yeast (if a re-pitch is needed, or if priming)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 5.1 gallons (19.3 L) of 161 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Mash out at 172 °F (77 °C). Vorlauf until the runnings are clear. Sparge the grains until you collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort at approximately 1.061 specific gravity in your boil kettle. Boil for 90 minutes adding hops, yeast nutrient, sugar, and spices according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0-minute hop addition according to the ingredients list. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 8 minutes. Next, chill the wort to 70 °F (21 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch yeast cells. The recommended pitch rate is 324 billion yeast, so it is highly recommended that you make a large starter or pitch a slurry from a smaller beer (see Tips for Success).

Ferment for three days at 70 °F (21 °C), then let the temperature rise up to about 75 °F (24 °C) to finish the remainder of primary fermentation. Rack to a secondary vessel and allow the beer to condition for an additional 2–4 weeks. Prime and bottle, or carbonate to 2.7 volumes of CO2, keg, and enjoy!

Weyerbacher Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.096 FG = 1.015
IBU = 30 SRM = 31 ABV = 11.6%

Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
6 oz. (0.17 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) Special B® malt (130 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) dark Belgian candi sugar (15 min.)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) cane sugar (15 min.)
7.2 AAU Apollo hops (90 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 18% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Bramling Cross hops (0 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
0.1 oz. (3 g) ground star anise (15 min.)
0.25 oz. (7 g) ground coriander (2 min.)
White Labs WLP540 (Abbey IV Ale) or Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II) yeast
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) yeast (if a re-pitch is needed, or if priming)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the two varieties of crushed crystal malts in a grain bag, then add the grain bag to 2 gallons (7.57 L) of 150 °F (66 °C). Allow grain bag (which will float) to steep for 20–30 minutes while you continue to heat the water up to no hotter than 170 °F (77 ° C) in order to avoid extracting tannins. Next, remove the grain bag and top your kettle up with enough pre-heated water to reach a total pre-boil volume of 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). Once you reach a boil, remove the pot from the heat and add the malt extract. Turn the heat source back on and boil for90 minutes adding hops, yeast nutrient, sugar, and spices according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0 min. hop addition. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 8 minutes. Next, chill the wort to 70 °F (21 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch yeast. The recommended pitch rate is 324 billion yeast cells, so it is highly recommended that you make a large starter or pitch a slurry from a smaller beer (see Tips for Success).

Ferment for three days at 70 °F (21 °C), then let the temperature rise up to about 75 °F (24 °C) to finish the remainder of primary fermentation. Rack to a secondary vessel and allow the beer to condition for an additional 2–4 weeks. Prime and bottle, or carbonate to 2.7 volumes of CO2, keg, and enjoy!

Tips for Success:
Due to the high original gravity of this beer, pitching the proper amount of yeast is key. Brewmaster Chris Wilson urges brewers that, “You need lots of healthy vigorous yeast!” There are a couple of ways to do this. First would be to make a large starter about a week prior to brew day, then cold-crash the starter and decant it off the liquid prior to pitching the yeast. If you’re using a stir plate, that would mean about 2.25-L starter. If you’re not using a stir plate, a better option would be to brew up a smaller (low gravity) beer first and use the yeast slurry from that fermenter to re-pitch into this beer. This should allow the yeast to properly attenuate your 20th Anniversary clone. Even if you do everything correct, Chris Wilson says that, “the yeast proved to be a bit finicky and pooped out on each batch at about 1.030 SG. We had to repitch to get it restarted on each occasion. It was still fermenting slowly and might have eventually done the job. Repitching did the job for us.”

In regards to the spices, make sure that you err on the side of caution and use less rather than more. Chris Wilson says, “We wanted the spice to complement the ester profile of the Rochefort yeast. We were looking for a background flavor that most people would be unable to pick out.”
— Glenn BurnSilver

Founded: 1996
FIRESTONE WALKER BREWING CO.

Founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and David Walker, the pair dusted off some old brewing equipment that Adam Firestone’s dad had purchased back in the 1980s to brew non-alchoholic beer. In the beginning, their focus was to produce barrel-fermented beers, connected in a union system, similar to Burton-Upon-Trent union systems. In 2001, Matt Brynildson took the helm of the newly-acquired Paso Robles, California brewery and in subsequent years they were named Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year four times at the World Beer Cup and three times at the Brewers Association Great American Beer Festival. Matt continues the tradition started by Firestone and Walker, using the Firestone Union system with their Double Barrel Ale and their line of barrel-fermented and barrel-aged beers. In July 2015 Firestone Walker combined its operations with Belgium-based brewery Duvel Moortgat.

Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s Double Barrel Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.013
IBU = 33 SRM = 13 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.27 kg) US 2-row pale malt
5 lbs. (2.27 kg) British pale ale malt
12 oz. (0.33 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
10 oz. (0.29 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
3.5 oz. (99 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
1.5 oz. (43 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
3.5 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Golding hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) medium toast American oak cubes (in primary fermenter)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet
White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) or Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a multi-step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 3.5 gallons (13 L) of water to stabilize the mash at 145 °F (66 °C) and hold for 60 minutes. Raise temperature of mash to 155 °F (68 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Raise the mash to 168 °F (76 °C) and begin to lauter.

Collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort to begin your 60 minute boil. Add hops per the schedule in the ingredients list, adding the final hop addition just after turning off the heat. At the end of the boil, you should have 5.5 gallons (21 L) in your kettle.

After the boil, give your wort a stir to create a whirlpool, then let the wort settle for 30 minutes prior to chilling. Cool your wort to 66 °F (20 °C) for fermenting, aerate well, then pitch your yeast along with the oak cubes. After seven days, rack the beer into a secondary vessel, then add the dry hops and wait 3–4 days. Bottle or keg as usual.

Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s Double Barrel Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.051 FG = 1.013
IBU = 33 SRM = 13 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg) extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
10 oz. (0.29 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
3.5 oz. (99 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
1.5 oz. (43 g) chocolate malt (350 °L)
3.5 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) East Kent Golding hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) medium toast American oak cubes (in primary fermenter)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet
White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) or Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place crushed grains in a muslin bag. Begin heating 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water. Place the grain bag in the water when the temperature hits 160 °F (71 °C) and hold for 20 minutes. Remove the grain bag and wash with 2 qts. (2 L) hot water. If your kettle can hold the water, top off to 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) and add all the malt extract. If your kettle can only do a partial boil, then add the liquid malt extract during the final 15 minutes of the boil. Total boil time is 60 minutes. Add hops per the schedule in the ingredients list, adding the final hop addition just after turning off the heat.

Following the boil, give your wort a stir to create a whirlpool, then let the wort settle for 30 minutes prior to chilling. Cool your wort to 66 °F (20 °C), top off to 5.5 gallons (21 L), aerate the wort then pitch your yeast along with the oak cubes. After seven days, rack the beer into a secondary vessel, then add the dry hops and wait 3–4 days. Bottle or keg as usual.

Tips for Success:
The team at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. created one of the only, if not the only, union brewing method in the United States. Inspired by the Burton union systems made popular by the breweries in Burton-Upon-Trent, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. dubbed their barrel union the “Firestone Union.” Using 60-gallon (227-L) American oak barrels, 20% of Double Barrel Ale is barrel-fermented for 6 days in these barrels before being blended back into the main batch. The remaining 80% is fermented in stainless conicals. This system makes it nearly impossible to duplicate the Firestone Union process at home. Instead homebrewers can opt to add 1 oz. (28 g) of American oak cubes in primary fermentation to simulate the barrel fermentation profile. Unfortunately for most of us, the only place to try Double Barrel Ale in its unblended, 100% barrel fermented state is at their brewery in Paso Robles or their Taproom Restaurant in Buellton. But that taste (and the rest of Firestone Walker’s stellar lineup of beers) is certainly worth a pilgrimage!

Matt Brynildson is known for dry hopping his beers prior to the termination of primary fermentation to try to take advantage of biotransformations, which hop oils can undergo in the presence of yeast. The goal is to add the hops with just a few gravity points left in fermentation. Also be aware of “beer volcanoes” as the hops can create a nucleation point to release dissolved CO2, creating a volcano effect on the beer, which can lead to a significant amount of beer loss and a giant mess. If you do go ahead with this form of dry hopping, be aware of this potential downfall.
— Dave Green

Founded: 1997
OSKAR BLUES BREWERY

Originally opened 1997 in Lyons, Colorado as a brewpub, Oskar Blues Brewery, later moved their production to Longmont, Colorado where they started to put their craft beer in a can. While they may not have been the first to put craft beer in a can, they certainly changed the minds of more than a few consumers and fellow brewers about the way craft beer could be packaged. First packaging their beers into cans in 2002, Oskar Blues produced world class, high-test craft beer. Now proving to be a seminal point in the US craft beer history, we certainly remember our first time having both their flagship Dale’s Pale Ale and Ten FIDY back about 2006 . . . do you?

Oskar Blues Brewery’s Ten FIDY clone

(3 gallons/11 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.034
IBU = 98 SRM = 74 ABV = 10.5%

This recipe was developed to be brewed using a parti-gyle technique, producing 3 gal (11 L) of finished Ten FIDY and a second, larger volume, small beer. Ten FIDY is a first runnings beer. Oskar Blues often utilizes second runnings in a different beer. 

Ingredients
10.6 lbs. (4.8 kg) 2-row pale malt (2 °L)
2.85 lbs. (1.3 kg) Munich malt (9 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) Simpsons caramalt (25 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) Simpsons dark crystal malt (95 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
1.22 lbs. (0.55 kg) roasted barley (550 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) flaked oats
4 oz. (113 kg) re-hydrated rice hulls (added during lautering)
18 AAU Summit™ hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 18% alpha acid)
3.4 AAU Columbus hops (10 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acid)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet (10 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast
Lallemand CBC-1 yeast (if priming)
2⁄5 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Target the mash ratio to be about 1.3 quarts of water to 1 pound of grain (2.7 kg/L), or 37% malt by weight. Be sure to add in the volume of dead space liquid that is left in the mash tun after it is drained. For this recipe, that means approximately 28 qts (26.5 L) of strike water estimating 2 qts. (2 L) dead space in the mash tun. Mash the grains at 152 °F (67 °C) and hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature of the grain bed to mash out at 168 °F (76 °C), add the rice hulls, then begin lauter phase by recirculating the wort back on top of the grain bed (vorlauf). Vorlauf until the wort runs clear, then drain all the wort in the mash tun into your kettle. There should be about 4 gal. (15 L) in your kettle with a gravity reading around 1.086. Add an appropriate amount of dried malt extract if this gravity is too low.

Total boil time is 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list, and Whirfloc® tablet with 10 minutes left in the boil. At 0 minutes, turn off the heat and give the wort a stir for at least a minute and let it settle for 10 minutes. The total volume in the kettle should be about 3.25 gallons (12.3 L). You can add some cold tap water to correct the volume if necessary. Chill to yeast pitching temperature, pitch the yeast, then heavily aerate the wort. After 12 hours, hit the wort with a second dose of oxygen if possible. Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 2–3 weeks or until target gravity has been achieved. Transfer to a secondary vessel and drop the temperature to 54 °F (21 °C) and condition the beer for a minimum of 3 weeks. At this point you have the option of leaving the base beer as is or adding an array of ingredients such as vanilla or whiskey soaked oak chips to suit your tastes. Rack to a keg and force carbonate, or rack to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar, and bottle. If the beer was aged in secondary for more than a few months, adding priming yeast such as Lallemand’s CBC-1 is suggested if bottle conditioning.

Oskar Blues Brewery’s Ten FIDY clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.034
IBU = 98 SRM = 71 ABV = 10.5%

If you are not looking to utilize the parti-gyle process, then a partial mash will probably be your best bet to achieve a beer closest to Ten FIDY.

Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.6 kg) extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Munich liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich malt (9 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) Simpsons caramalt (25 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) Simpsons dark crystal malt (95 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
1.22 lbs. (0.55 kg) roasted barley (550 °L)
1.43 lbs. (0.65 kg) flaked oats
30.6 AAU Summit™ hops (60 min.) (1.7 oz./48 g at 18% alpha acid)
3.4 AAU Columbus hops (10 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acid)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet (10 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast
Lallemand CBC-1 yeast (if priming)
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the crushed Munich malt in a muslin bag with the flaked oats. Submerge the grain bag in 1 gallon (~4 L) of hot water to hold the mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (76 °C), then remove the grain bag and wash with 2 qts. of 168 °F (76 °C) water. Add an additional 2 gallons of 168 °F (76 °C) water to the wort, then add the remainder of the crushed specialty grains in a second muslin bag. Hold for 20 minutes at this temperature. Remove the specialty grain bag and rinse with 1 gallon (~4 L) of hot water. Top off kettle to about 6 gallons (23 L) water and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, remove the kettle from heat and add the liquid and dried malt extract. Stir until all the malt extract is dissolved, then return the wort to a boil. The wort gravity at this point should be 1.089 at room temperature.

Total boil time is 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated and Whirfloc® tablet with 10 minutes left in the boil. At 0 minutes, turn off the heat then give the wort a stir for at least a minute and let settle for 10 minutes. Chill to yeast pitching temperature, pitch the yeast then heavily aerate the wort. After 24 hours, hit the wort with a second dose of oxygen. Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 2–3 weeks or until target gravity has been achieved. Transfer to a secondary vessel and drop temperature to 54 °F (21 °C) and condition the beer for a minimum of 3 weeks. Now follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe above.
— Dave Green

Founded: 1998
ITHACA BEER CO.

Dan Mitchell, a beer lover inspired by the natural beauty and active lifestyle afforded to him via the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, channeled that inspiration and opened Ithaca Beer Co. in Ithaca, New York back in 1998. The brewery has become a craft beer staple over the past 17 years and one of the most influential beers in their portfolio is without a doubt Ithaca’s Flower Power IPA, which has made it to the National IPA Championship Final Four in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Of their standout IPA, Ithaca’s website states, “Simultaneously punchy and soothing with a big body and a finish that boasts pineapple and grapefruit. Flower power is hopped and dry-hopped five different times throughout the brewing and fermentation process.”

Ithaca Beer Co.’s Flower Power IPA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.072 FG = 1.015
IBU = 75 SRM = 6 ABV = 7.5%

Ingredients

14 lbs. (6.35 kg) 2-row pale malt
6.6 oz. (0.19 kg) honey malt
6.6 oz. (0.19 kg) acidulated malt
3.3 AAU Chinook pellet hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 13% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® pellet hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
6 AAU Citra® pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
5 AAU Centennial pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
3 AAU Ahtanum™ pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
9 AAU Citra® pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 12% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Centennial pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 10% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Ahtanum™ pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Simcoe® pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
1 oz. (28 g) Amarillo® pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Simcoe® pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Amarillo® pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 5.1 gallons (19.3 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (68 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 3.2 gallons (12.1 L) of 168 °F (75.5 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of 1.059 SG wort is collected in your boil kettle. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0 min hop additions according to the ingredients list. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring the wort for 2 minutes and then let it rest for an addition 23 minutes to achieve a 25 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 65 °F (20 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch the yeast. The recommended pitch rate is 240 billion yeast cells which can be obtained by using either 1 vial/packet after making a 1 L stir plate starter, by using 1 vial/packet after making a 2.75 L non-stir plate starter, or by using 2.5 vials/packets without a starter.

Ferment between 65 °F (18 °C) and 66 °F (19 °C) for the first three days, then ramp up to 69 °F (20.5 °C) for the remainder of primary fermentation. On day eight, add your first round of dry hops directly to the primary fermenter. On day twelve, add your second round of dry hops directly to the primary fermenter. On day fifteen, begin to slowly crash cool the fermenter down at the rate of 5° F (2.7 °C) per day for 7 days until the beer reaches 34 °F (1 °C) and then bottle or keg the beer. Carbonate to between 2.2 and 2.3 volumes of CO2 and enjoy!

Ithaca Beer Co.’s Flower Power IPA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.072 FG = 1.015
IBU = 75 SRM = 6 ABV = 7.5%

Ingredients
9.75 lbs. (4.4 kg) golden light liquid malt extract
4 oz. (0.11 kg) honey malt
1 tsp. (5 ml) 88% lactic acid
3.3 AAU Chinook pellet hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 13% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® pellet hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
6 AAU Citra® pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
5 AAU Centennial pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
3 AAU Ahtanum™ pellet hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 6% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
9 AAU Citra® pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 12% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Centennial pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 10% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Ahtanum™ pellet hops (0 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 6% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Simcoe® pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
1 oz. (28 g) Amarillo® pellet hops (dry hop for 7 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Simcoe® pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Amarillo® pellet hops (dry hop for 3 days)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the honey malt in a muslin bag, then add the grain bag to 2 gallons (7.57 L) of 150 °F (66 °C) water plus the lactic acid. Allow grain bag (which will float) to steep for 20–30 minutes while you continue to heat the water up to no hotter than 170 °F (77 °C) in order to avoid extracting tannins. Next, remove the grain bag, top your kettle up with enough pre-heated water to reach a total pre-boil volume of 6.5 gallons (24.6 L), and turn your heat source back on. Once you reach a boil, add your malt extract, hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings according to the ingredients list. After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0 min. hop additions according to the ingredients list. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring the wort for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 23 minutes to achieve a 25 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter Aerate the wort with pure O2 for 90 seconds and pitch the yeast.

Recommended pitch rate is 240 billion yeast cells which can be obtained by using either 1 vial/packet after making a 1 L stir plate starter, by using 1 vial/packet after making a 2.75 L non-stir plate starter, or by using 2.5 vials/packets without a starter.

Ferment between 65 °F (18 °C) and 66 °F (19 °C) for the first three days, then ramp up to 69 °F (20.5 °C) for the remainder of primary fermentation. On day eight, add your first round of dry hops directly to the primary fermenter. On day twelve, add your second round of dry hops directly to the primary fermenter. On day fifteen, begin to slowly crash cool the fermenter down at the rate of 5° F (~3 °C) per day for 7 days until the beer reaches 34 °F (1 °C) and then bottle or keg the beer. Carbonate to between 2.2 and 2.3 volumes of CO2 and enjoy!

Tips for Success:
This bold hoppy IPA tastes best when using a “burtonized” water profile that is rich in sulfate. If you know your starting water profile and how to calculate salt additions, try aiming for a water profile around 75 ppm Calcium, 13 ppm Magnesium, 9 ppm Sodium, 133 ppm Sulfate, 56 ppm Chloride, and 26 ppm Bicarbonate.

Ithaca uses an English “house yeast” that is similar in profile to White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale). If you are feeling adventurous and have access to Ithaca Beer Companies products, then you can attempt to utilize the actual bottle dregs (building them up with a multi-stage stir plate starter first is recommended) to gain some of the Ithaca Beer Company house yeast profile. You should be able to collect them from either Flower Power itself or the Cascazilla Hoppy Red Ale that Ithaca offers.

On a delicious side note, try pairing your Flower Power clone with strong cheeses like Stilton, Danish Blue, or Gorgonzola!

— Dennis Maciupa

Founded: 1999
STARR HiLL BREWERY

Starr Hill was founded in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1999, taking up residence in the former home of Virginia’s first craft brewing operation, Blue Ridge Brewing Company, (and sharing the space with the famed Starr Hill Music Hall). The brewery took its name from the neighborhood where the original storefront was located, but since that time, like many craft success stories, they’ve moved shop to a larger facility (in nearby Crozet, Virginia) and expanded their distribution throughout the region, but the Main Street and neighborhood mentality prevails. With an impressive collection of Great American Beer Festival medals to their credit, Starr Hill is a leading figure in the impressive (and under-heralded) Virginia craft beer scene.

Starr Hill Brewery’s Jomo clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 24 SRM = 11 ABV = 5.4%

Jomo Vienna Lager is a smooth Vienna-style lager that is available from Starr Hill year round. Fermented with Southern German lager yeast, its crisp, clean taste, and noticeable hop aroma are effectively balanced with a slight malty sweetness. Jomo has won multiple awards, including two gold medals (2004, 2011), one silver (2005), and a bronze (2003) at the Great American Beer Festival.

Ingredients

7.25 lbs. (3.3 kg) Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) crystal malt (20 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dark Munich malt (9 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Belgian aromatic malt
6.25 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of 161 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes before starting the lautering process. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) of sparge water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50 °F (10 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) for 4 days, or until the beer reaches 1.024. At that time, increase the temperature to 58 °F (14.4 °C) for an additional seven days. Once the beer reaches final gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. Cold conditioning at near-freezing temperatures can be done prior to or after packaging, and should last for at least six weeks.

Starr Hill Brewery’s Jomo clone

(5 gallons/19L, partial mash)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 24 SRM = 11 ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsen liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) crystal malt (20 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dark Munich malt (9 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Belgian aromatic malt
6.25 AAU Hallertau Tradition hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place crushed grains in a large grain bag. Bring 1 gallon (4 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) to reach a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Remove
the grain bag, then wash the grains with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Let the grains drain fully. Top off to 6 gallons (23 L) of water, then add the liquid malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50 °F (10 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 50 °F (10 °C) for 4 days, or until the beer reaches 1.024. At that time, increase temperature to 58 °F (14.4 °C) for an additional seven days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. Cold conditioning at near-freezing temperatures can be done prior to or after packaging, and should last for at least six weeks.

Tips for Success:
Starr Hill Brewmaster Robbie O’Cainsays that there are three key elements to brewing their Vienna lager: Temperature, time, and water. First, mash on the low end of the temperature spectrum (149 °F/65 °C) to improve attenuation and produce a very fermentable wort with few long-chain sugars.

Second, temperature control is very important for fermenting lagers, as well as for the lagering phase. If you like brewing lagers and haven’t already done so, converting an old dorm or full-size refrigerator, or chest freezer, into a fermentation chamber (utilizing a temperature controller) is a great project (there are many design ideas for building one of these on the Internet). Sometimes lager strains can produce sulfur compounds during fermentation that can give off weird odors. If you take your time in the conditioning phase, these should disappear. Also, take your time letting this beer lager at cold temperatures. “This beer is about patience,” Robbie says.

And third, Starr Hill brews with very soft water, so if your water has a solid mineral base you might consider diluting your mash or boil water with a distilled water (or at least use something bottled that’s softer than yours!).

The recommended pitching rate for a Vienna lager is in the 1.5–1.75 billion cells per liter range, so you may want to pitch your yeast using a yeast starter.

If you are planning to prime your Vienna lager for natural carbonation (versus force carbonating with CO2), let the bottles or keg warm up to room temperature for three weeks after packaging.

— Josh Weikert

Founded: 2000
21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY

2000 “It was as simple as wanting to make fantastic beer,” brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan says of the founding of San Francisco, California’s 21st Amendment Brewery in August 2000 with partner Nico Freccia. O’Sullivan and Freccia initially met during a UC- Davis, California summer brewing course. That friendship blossomed when Freccia, a writer for Celebrator Beer News, was invited to guest brew at Berkeley, California’s Triple Rock Brewery with O’Sullivan. “It was then (that) we hatched the plan to open up our own place,” O’Sullivan says. The pair began in a 500 square foot space with a 12 barrel set up. Like most quality beer operations, they quickly outgrew the space. Though they still operate in the original downtown location, a 100-barrel brewery with a 75,000-barrel capacity recently came online in nearby San Leandro, California.

21st Amendment Brewery’s Back in Black clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.066 FG = 1.014
IBU = 65 SRM = 30 ABV = 6.8%

21st Amendment was ahead of the curve with Back in Black IPA. First brewed in 2008, it was one of the first IPAs using dark malts to boost IPA character without sacrificing hops flavors.

“Black IPAs or Cascadian Dark Ales were really not the norm back then and we wanted to create a unique IPA with dark malt character,” O’Sullivan says.

They describe their year-round black IPA as, “Inspired by Paul Revere’s midnight ride, we rebelled against the British style IPA, embraced the more aggressive American version and then recast it in bold, brave, defiant black. Our Black IPA is a Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of the expected. Brewed like an American IPA but with the addition of rich, dark malts, this beer has all the flavor and hop character you expect with a smooth, mellow finish.”

Ingredients
11 lbs. (4.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) light Munich malt (6 °L)
12 oz. (28 g) Caramunich® II malt (45 °L)
12 oz. (28 g) Carafa® Special III malt
13.8 AAU Columbus hops (55 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
18.4 AAU Centennial hops (0 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 9.2% alpha acids)
17.3 AAU Columbus hops (0 min) (1.25 oz./35 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.5 gallons (10.6 L) of 162 °F (72 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (65.5 °C). Hold the mash at this temperature for 60 minutes until ezymatic conversion is complete. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off the heat, add the final addition of hops, and begin a vigorous whirlpool in the kettle. Let the hot wort stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.
Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Add the dry hops and raise the temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) for five more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, rack to a keg and force carbonate or rack to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar, and bottle. Target a carbonation level of 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve its clarity.

21st Amendment Brewery’s Back in Black clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.066 FG = 1.014
IBU = 65 SRM = 30 ABV = 6.8%

Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Munich liquid malt extract
12 oz. (28 g) Caramunich® II malt (45 °L)
12 oz. (28 g) Carafa® Special III malt
13.8 AAU Columbus hops (55 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
18.4 AAU Centennial hops (0 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 9.2% alpha acids)
17.3 AAU Columbus hops (0 min) (1.25 oz./35 g at 13.8% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 5.6 gallons (21 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there, add the milled specialty grains in grain bags and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add the dried and liquid malt extracts while stirring, and stir the wort until the extracts are completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops according to the ingredient list.After the boil, turn off the heat and begin a vigorous whirlpool in the kettle. Let the hot wort stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Add the dry hops and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for five more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity.

Tips for Success:
If you don’t normally brew with some of the darker roasted grains that are required for brewing a black IPA, it’s not a bad idea to get a city water report (or have one done if you have a well or spring) on your homebrewery’s water source to find out how much carbonate you have. Dark grains will lower the pH of the mash/wort (increase acidity), so you may want to add a little bit of calcium carbonate to your water to counteract. If you add calcium carbonate, 1 tsp. per 5 gallons/19 L is a good rule of thumb to follow. The goal is to keep your mash in the 5.2 to 5.4 range pH range. For more about brewing with chalk we recommend visiting http://www.braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Building_brewing_water_with_dissolved_chalk.

— Glenn BurnSilver

Founded: 2001
BOZEMAN BREWING CO.

Todd Scott and Lisa Danzl started Bozeman Brewing Company in 2001, after Todd attended the Fermentation School at UC-Davis, California and worked for 10 years as brewer for Spanish Peaks Brewery (also in Bozeman, Montana). When Spanish Peaks moved their production brewery to California, Todd and Lisa wanted to stay in Montana, and Bozeman Brewing was the logical next step for them. The brewery and tasting room is on the north side of Bozeman’s historic brewing district. After opening, Bozeman Brewing’s flagship beer, Bozone Select Amber Ale (based on a recipe that Todd had perfected over the years), made its way to the beer drinkers of Montana and beyond. Today, the Bozone tasting room at the original location rotates more than four seasonal ales and lagers, along with their regular lineup of Hopzone IPA, Plum Street Porter, and Bozone Hefeweizen, all on tap.

Bozeman Brewing Co.’s Bozone Hefeweizen clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.010
IBU = 21 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.1%

This American version of a German classic wheat beer is unfiltered resulting in its turbid appearance and brewers yeast benefits. This hefeweizen contains 50% malted wheat, German acidulated malt, as well as 50% Montana grown and malted pale barley. This beer is lightly hopped with German and American hops to allow for a gentle malt body with a mild yeasty flavor to make this golden, cloudy beer refreshing and satisfying. 

Ingredients

5.4 lbs. (2.45 kg) 2-row pale malt
5.4 lbs. (2.45 kg) wheat malt
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) acidulated malt
5.5 AAU Cascade leaf hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
4.25 AAU Northern Brewer leaf hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
1.87 AAU Saaz pellet hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 3.75% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This is a single step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 3.4 gallons (12.8 L) of water at 161 °F (72 °C), stabilizing at 150 °F (65.5 °C) for 60 minutes until conversion is complete. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (75.5 °C) with approximately 2.2 gallons (8.3 L) of 200 °F (93 °C) water, and then collect 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort to begin a 60-minute boil. The specific gravity of the boil should be about 1.038. When the wort comes to a boil add 1 oz. (28 g) of Cascade hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 5 minutes left in the boil add the 0.5 oz. (14 g) of Northern Brewer and Saaz hops. There should be about 5.5 gallons (21 L) of wort left in the kettle.

Cool the wort, and pitch the yeast when the temperature of the wort is less than 75 °F (24 °C), and cool the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting. When fermentation is complete, wait about 3 more days for a diacetyl rest, and then rack to a bottling bucket and add bottle or keg, or keg and force carbonate.

This beer is intended to be cloudy, so do not worry about racking to clarify the beer, or using Irish moss or Whirlfloc®. Agitate the beer slightly prior to pouring to get the yeast back in suspension, for the classic cloudy hefeweizen appearance.

Bozeman Brewing Co.’s Bozone Hefeweizen clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.049 FG = 1.010
IBU = 21 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.1%

Ingredients

3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Briess Bavarian wheat liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Briess Bavarian wheat dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Briess Pilsen Light dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) wheat malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) acidulated malt
5.5 AAU Cascade leaf hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
4.25 AAU Northern Brewer leaf hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
1.87 AAU Saaz pellet hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 3.75% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

When using malt extract, check on the ratio of wheat to barley in the extract. You want to use a combination of extracts that get you close to equal proportions of wheat to barley in this beer. Briess (as suggested in the ingredients list) has a good ratio.

Steep the crushed malted grain in 3 gallons (11.3 L) of 150–160°F (66–71 C°) water for 30 minutes, stirring the grain just prior to removing. Remove the grain from the hot water with a strainer, and then bring wort to a boil. When boiling starts, remove pot from burner and slowly add all of the dried malt extract malt extract, stirring to dissolve. Return to a boil, then add 1 oz. (28 g) of Cascade hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 5 minutes left in your boil add the Northern Brewer and Saaz hops.

At the end of the boil turn off the heat, add all of the liquid malt extract, and stir until all malt is dissolved. Strain the hot wort into a fermenter filled with approximately 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of cold water top off to the 5.5 gallon (20.8 L) mark. Pitch your yeast when the temperature of the beer is less than 78° (26 C°), and allow to cool to 68° (20 C°) for fermenting. When fermentation is complete, wait about 3 more days for a diacetyl rest, and then rack to a bottling bucket and add bottle or keg, or keg and force carbonate.

This beer is intended to be cloudy, so do not worry about racking to clarify the beer, or using Irish moss or Whirlfloc®. Agitate the beer slightly prior to pouring to get the yeast back in suspension, for the classic cloudy hefeweizen appearance.

Tips for Success:
When you are milling your wheat malt, set the mill on a bit of a finer setting than you would for barley malt as wheat malt is a little smaller and denser than barley, and can be harder to crack. Do not, however, set it too fine or the resulting grains will gum up the mash. Also, a high percentage of wheat in a hefe recipe can slow down the lautering process. Greg Zaccardi, Brewmaster and Founder of High Point Brewing Company (formerly known as High Point Wheat Beer Co.) in Butler, New Jersey, said in a prior BYO “Tips from the Pros” column, “During lautering be prepared to use some method of cutting the grain bed very delicately. Use a stick, canoe oar, or a long stainless steel serving spoon to cut through the grain bed to ensure no channeling or the ‘concrete effect.’ Begin lautering slower than with an all-barley brew so you don’t draw the grain right into the screen.”

— Steve Bader

Founded: 2002
TERRAPIN BEER CO.

Terrapin Beer Co., in Athens, Georgia hit the ground running in 2002 when they opened their brewery doors, released their sole offering at that point in time (Rye Pale Ale), and won a GABF Gold Medal for it that same inaugural business year! They have released many solid beers since then, most notably their Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout. It’s a thick and rich stout that features a locally roasted (@ Jittery Joe’s) premium blend of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, and Zimbabwe coffee. This year Terrapin is celebrating its 10th year brewing Wake-N-Bake.

Terrapin Beer Co.’s Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.086 FG = 1.020
IBU = 50 SRM = 49 ABV = 9.4%

Ingredients
12.25 lbs. (5.6 kg) UK 2-row pale malt
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) flaked oats
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) flaked barley
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Simpsons chocolate malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Thomas Fawcett dark crystal malt (85 °L)
9 oz. (0.26 kg) Simpsons roasted barley
9 oz. (0.26 kg) Simpsons black malt
9.6 AAU Nugget pellet hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 12.8% alpha acids)
7.7 AAU Nugget pellet hops (30 min.) (0.6 oz./17 g at 12.8% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 kg) Jittery Joe’s “Terrapin Wake-n-Bake” coffee (coarsely ground)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains (flaked oats and flaked barley don’t need to be milled) and mix with 6 gallons (23 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 3.5 gallons (13.25 L) of 169 °F (76 °C) water until 7 gallons (26.5 L) of 1.065 SG wort is collected in your boil kettle. Boil for 75 minutes adding hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings according to the ingredients list. After the boil, turn off the heat then whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 8 minutes to achieve a 10 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 66 °F (19 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch yeast. Recommended pitch rate is 294 billion yeast cells which can be obtained by using either 1 packet after making a 1.5 L stir plate starter, 1 packet after making a 4.4-L non-stir plate starter, or 3 vials/packets without a starter.

Allow the fermentation to free rise up to 68 °F (20 °C) and hold it at that temperature until the beer reaches 60% apparent attenuation (1.033 SG) then raise the temperature up to 72°F (22 °C) and hold at this temperature for an additional 14 days. Slowly crash cool the fermenter down at the rate of 5 °F (3 °C) per day for about 8 days or until you reach 32 °F (0 °C). Hold at this temperature for an additional 5-7 days. Then rack the beer onto the coarsely ground coffee. After 48 hours on the coffee, transfer the beer into a keg or bottling bucket. Carbonate to 2.2 volumes of CO2 and enjoy!

Terrapin Beer Co.’s Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.086 FG = 1.020
IBU = 50 SRM = 49 ABV = 9.4%

Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) golden light liquid malt extract
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) UK 2-row pale malt
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) flaked oats
1.75 lbs. (0.79 kg) flaked barley
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Thomas Fawcett dark crystal malt (85 °L)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Simpsons chocolate malt
9 oz. (0.26 kg) Simpsons roasted barley
9 oz. (0.26 kg) Simpsons black malt
16 AAU Nugget pellet hops (60 min.) (1.25 oz./35 g at 12.8% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Jittery Joe’s “Terrapin Wake-n-Bake” coffee (coarsely ground)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) or White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
You will need either a small mash tun or two large “brew-in-a-bag” bags to make this partial mash work. Place the crushed 2-row pale malt, flaked oats, and flaked barley in the first bag. Add the grain bag to 3 gallons (7.57 L) of 160 °F (71 °C) water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold at this temperature for 45 minutes, then add the crystal, chocolate, barley, and black malt in the second bag. Hold for 15 minutes. Next remove both grain bags, and wash them with 2 gallons (7.6 L) hot water, then top your kettle up with enough pre-heated water to reach a total pre-boil volume of 7 gallons (26.5L), and turn your heat source back on. Once you reach a boil, add your malt extract, then the hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings as per the schedule. Boil for 75 minutes. After the boil, turn off the heat then whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 8 minutes to achieve a 10 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 66 °F (19 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Now follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
If opting for North American 2-row malt in the all-grain recipe, increase your mash temperature to 154 °F (68 C) to properly limit yeast attenuation.

The instructions here outline Terrapin Beer Co.’s method for adding coffee. There are other methods, however.

Method #1: The 212 °F (100 °C) whirlpool addition. If you worry about sanitation (and don’t mind extra acidity from hot brewing the coffee), steep coarse coffee after flameout for 30 min., about 2 oz. (56 g) would suffice.

Method #2: The 200 °F (93 °C) whirlpool addition. If you wish to minimize acidity, consider allowing your wort to chill down just below 200 °F (93 °C) before adding the coarsely ground coffee.

Method #3: Dry beaning. Essentially you dry hop with 2 oz. (56 g) of coarsely ground coffee in a sanitized hop or grain bag for 48–72 hours before packaging.

Method #4: Cold extract coffee addition. To further reduce acidity, soak 4 oz. (112 g) of coffee in 16 fl. oz. (473 mL) of pre-boiled and then chilled water for 12 hours. Strain the coffee through a kitchen strainer into a container. After the bulk of the coffee extract is collected, place the strainer over a bowl for a few hours to get every last drop. Add the coffee extract to packaging (bottling bucket or keg). For a well rounded coffee profile, try a combination of methods #2, #3, and #4.

— Dennis Maciupa

Founded: 2003
THE ALCHEMIST

Founded in 2003 in Waterbury, Vermont by John and Jen Kimmich as a brewpub, The Alchemist has become a legend in its own time, rocketing to the top of beer afficionado’s “must drink” lists since their humble beginnings. So much so, that when I contacted John about this issue’s recipe roundup, his response came back, “Would be glad to help, but I must warn you, I’m getting clone recipe fatigue . . .” Can you blame the guy? At last count, the homebrewing forum HomeBrewTalk.com had a thread about cloning his Double IPA Heady Topper that at last view was at 320 pages and counting; about 3,200 individual posts in two years. After suffering devastating property damage in 2011’s Hurricane Irene, The Alchemist has moved on from their brewpub roots and now operates as strictly a brewery.

The Alchemist’s Moose Knuckle clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.013
IBU = 60 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.5%

This is an American pale ale recipe pulled from the old files of The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, prior to the devastating 2011 flood from Hurricane Irene that badly damaged the original brewpub property in Waterbury, Vermont and forced the closure of that location. John Kimmich states that Moose Knuckle was a very straight-forward recipe with little to hide behind. One of the most important principles to follow when attempting to brew like John Kimmich is to brew with the freshest ingredients possible. And of course, keep the beer cold and drink it as fresh as possible. He is known to openly frown upon hoarding and reselling his beer and the brewery’s website states, “Today we brew 180 barrels per week in twelve 15 barrel batches. We never hold back inventory, and we move all of our beer weekly in a concerted effort to provide the freshest, hoppiest packaged IPA on the market.”

Ingredients
11 lbs. (4.3 kg) Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter malt
3.5 AAU Warrior® hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
4.75 AAU Centennial hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9.5% alpha acids)
3.5 AAU Cascade hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
The Yeast Bay (Vermont Ale) or GigaYeast GY054 (Vermont IPA) or East Coast Yeast ECY29 (North East Ale) or Omega Yeast Labs (DIPA Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cups corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Crush the malt and add it to 4 gallons (15 L) of strike water to achieve a stable mash temperature at 160 °F (71 °C). Raise the temperature to mash out and begin to lauter. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition after the wort comes to a boil and a second hop addition with 5 minutes left in the boil. After you turn off the heat, add the final addition of hops, then stir the wort to create a whirlpool, and let it settle for 30 minutes with the lid on before cooling to yeast pitching temperature. After 30 minutes, chill the wort rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C) and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). After fermentation is complete, add the dry hops and let the beer sit on the hops for 3-4 days. Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 volumes CO2.

The Alchemist’s Moose Knuckle clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.013
IBU = 60 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.5%

Ingredients

7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
3.5 AAU Warrior® hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
4.75 AAU Centennial hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 9.5% alpha acids)
3.5 AAU Cascade hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
The Yeast Bay (Vermont Ale) or GigaYeast GY054 (Vermont IPA) or East Coast Yeast ECY29 (North East Ale) or Omega Yeast Labs (DIPA Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cups corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Heat 5 gallons (19 L) of soft water up to boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the brewpot from the heat and stir in the liquid malt extract. Stir until all of the extract is dissolved then return the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition just after the wort comes to a boil and a second hop addition with 5 minutes left in the boil.

After you turn off the heat, add the final addition of hops, then stir the wort to create a whirlpool, and let it settle for 30 minutes with the lid on before cooling to yeast pitching temperature. After 30 minutes, chill the wort rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C) and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). After fermentation is complete, add the dry hops and let the beer sit on the hops for 3-4 days. Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 volumes CO2.

Tips for Success:
Floor malted Maris Otter grains will help lay a solid malt back bone. But don’t be afraid to mash on the hotter end of the spectrum to maximize the alpha amylase enzymes which can help build the body of the beer. The Cascade and Centennial hops add nice grapefruit and orange qualities that pair nicely with the slight fruitiness that the Alchemist’s yeast strain adds. As always with hop-forward beers, pay special attention to oxygen uptake post fermentation as the hop aroma can quickly degrade if you are not careful.

The Alchemist’s beers are brewed with very soft water. If you get a water report and find that your water has a solid mineral base you might consider diluting your mash or boil water with a distilled water (or at least use something bottled that’s softer than yours!). You may also want to add 1–2 tsp. sulfates if using reverse osmosis or soft water low in permanent hardness.

Also, John Kimmich is a very technique-oriented brewer with all of his beers, so don’t be afraid to experiment with your dry hopping to try and find the best flavor profile. Bagging your hops in a muslin brewing bag commonly used for steeping grains can make them easier to retrieve when you are ready to remove them from the beer. If you bag your dry hops, however, keep in mind that it can reduce the hops exposure to the beer and possibly disturb the blanket of CO2. Remedy this by making sure you don’t pack the bag of hops too tightly.

— Dave Green

Founded: 2004
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Ron Jeffries (Owner, Brewmaster, and all around super cool guy) opened his Dexter, Michigan-based brewery Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in 2004. He opted to focus on producing barrel-aged ales fermented with naturally occurring microbiological cultures such as Brettanomyces from day one — not a common strategy back in 2004, but one that has proven successful seeing as how Jolly Pumpkin won their first Great American Beer Festival gold medal during that inaugural year of business. Since then they have grown substantially, currently operating four pubs and recently adding a 50-barrel brewhouse that helps them crank out the stable full of solid offerings they produce.

Jolly Pumpkin’s Biere de Mars clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.059 FG = 1.006
IBU = 30 SRM = 19 ABV = 7%

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Pilsner malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) wheat malt
14 oz. (0.4 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
14 oz. (0.4 kg) flaked corn
8 oz. (0.23 kg) caramel malt (40 °L)
1.3 oz. (37 g) black patent malt
1.3 oz. (37 g) acidulated malt
14 oz. (0.4 kg) dextrose sugar (15 min.)
1.9 AAU Styrian Goldings pellet hops (60 min.) (0.36 oz./10 g at 5.4% alpha acids)
2 AAU Saaz pellet hops (60 min.) (0.52 oz./15 g at 3.75% alpha acids)
5.2 AAU UK Fuggle pellet hops (30 min.) (1.15 oz./33 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) medium toasted oak cubes
White Labs WLP550 (Belgian Ale), Wyeast 3722 (Belgian Ardennes), or White Labs WLP515 (Antwerp Ale) yeast
A wild yeast/souring bacteria mixed culture of your choosing (see “Tips for Success”)
4 oz. (113 g) corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains (flaked corn doesn’t need to be milled) and mix with 4.25 gallons (16 L) of 160 °F (71 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 150 °F (65.5 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 3.25 gallons (12.3 L) of 169 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of 1.041 SG wort is collected in the boil kettle. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops and dextrose according to the ingredients list. Recommended pitch rate is 204 billion yeast cells which can be obtained by using either 1 vial after making a 1-L stir plate starter, a 2 L non-stir plate starter, or simply by pitching 2 fresh vials without making a starter.

After the boil, turn off the heat and whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring for 2 minutes and then let it rest for an additional 8 minutes. Next, chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C) and transfer the wort into a fermenter. Pitch the yeast, let the temperature free rise up to 67 °F (19.5 °C), and hold it there for 14 days. Rack to a secondary fermenter and pitch the wild yeast and souring bacteria mixed culture as per the ingredients list. Allow the beer to condition for 4-14 months, depending on how much wild and/or sour character you desire. Regardless of the conditioning time you opt for, the oak cubes should be added 4 months prior to bottling. After secondary conditioning, crash cool the fermenter at the rate of 5° F (2.7 °C) per day for 7 days until you reach 32 °F (0 °C) and then bottle or keg the beer. Carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO2 and enjoy!

Jolly Pumpkin’s Biere de Mars clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.059 FG = 1.006
IBU = 30 SRM = 19 ABV = 7%

Ingredients

1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) Pilsen liquid malt extract
2.5 lbs. (1.14 kg) wheat liquid malt extract
3 lbs. (1.36 kg) amber liquid malt extract
8 oz. (0.23 kg) caramel malt (40 °L)
1.3 oz. (37 g) black patent malt
14 oz. (0.4 kg) dextrose sugar (15 min.)
1.9 AAU Styrian Goldings pellet hops (60 min.) (0.36 oz./10 g at 5.4% alpha acids)
2 AAU Saaz pellet hops (60 min.) (0.52 oz./15 g at 3.75% alpha acids)
5.2 AAU UK Fuggle pellet hops (30 min.) (1.15 oz./33 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) medium toasted oak cubes
White Labs WLP515 (Antwerp Ale) or Wyeast 3725 (Biere de Garde) yeast
A wild yeast/souring bacteria mixed culture of your choosing (see “Tips for Success”)
4 oz. (113 g) corn sugar (if bottle priming)

Step by Step
Place the grains in a grain bag and then add the grain bag to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of 150 °F (66 °C) water. Allow the grain bag to steep for 20–30 minutes while you continue to heat the water up to no hotter than 170 °F (77 ° C) in order to avoid extracting tannins. Remove the grain bag, top the kettle up with enough pre-heated water to reach a total pre-boil volume of 6.5 gallons (24.6 L), and turn the heat back on. Once you reach a boil, add the malt extract and hops according to the ingredients list. Now follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
Jolly Pumpkin makes two batches for this beer; one fermented in a steel fermenter for a week with ale yeast, the other lager yeast. The batches are then transferred into the same oak foeder, innoculated with a cocktail of house yeast and bacteria, and conditioned for one month. The beer is then racked into standard sized oak barrels for three months of additional aging before being re-blended just prior to packaging. On a homebrew scale, if you have two separate temperature controlled fermentation environments and want to brew twice, then by all means use two different strains of yeast. If you don’t, then the lager-like characteristics of the White Labs WLP515 (Antwerp Ale) offers a good compromise. If you have access to a Biere de Mars, then you can try to utilize the bottle dregs (building them up with a multi-stage stir plate starter is recommended) to gain some of JP’s house wild profile. If not, pitch a mixed culture blend into your secondary fermenter such as White Labs WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix, Wyeast 3278 Lambic Blend, Wyeast 3763 Roeselare Blend, East Coast Yeast’s ECY03-B Farmhouse Blend Isolate, or East Coast Yeast’s ECY01 Bug Farm Blend.

Using oak cubes, a small homebrewer barrel, oak spirals, or oak chips are your best options wood wise. Just remember that you must pay mind to how much surface area each form of oak offers and adjust your contact time accordingly. Adding 2 oz. of oak cubes to your secondary fermenter for two to four months should give you a nice oak profile. If you opt to use a small 5 gallon oak barrel or two six inch oak spirals, the increased surface area will produce a similar amount of oak flavor in as little as six weeks. Furthermore, 2 oz. of oak chips will offer the most surface area and get the job done in as little as 3 weeks. Of those options, I recommend using the oak cubes for this clone recipe for a few reasons. First off, the longer contact time will also afford your wild yeast and bacteria more time to develop their own flavor profile. Secondly, the oak cubes are affordable compared to a barrel and allow you to avoid inoculating your expensive barrel with wild yeast and/or bacteria in case you also wanted to reuse it for “clean beer” in the future. Speaking of wild yeast and/or bacteria…..

If you are feeling adventurous and have access to Jolly Pumpkin Biere de Mars, then you can attempt to utilize the actual bottle dregs (building them up with a multi-stage stir plate starter first is recommended) to gain some of JP’s house wild profile. If not, pitch a mixed culture blend into your secondary fermenter such as White Labs WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix, Wyeast 3278 Lambic Blend, Wyeast 3763 Roeselare Blend, East Coast Yeast’s ECY03-B Farmhouse Blend Isolate, or East Coast Yeast’s ECY01 Bug Farm Blend.

Whenever you use wild yeast or souring bacteria in a beer, you must be mindful that they have the ability to attenuate wort more completely than a standard strain of ale or lager yeast. It is also common for wild yeast and/or souring bacteria to continue to ferment beer in the package. For example, Jolly Pumpkin bottles Biere de Mars at 1.008 SG (6.7% ABV) and report that the wild yeast and bacteria continue to attenuate the beer down to 1.006 FG (7.0% ABV) during the bottle conditioning phase. As a safety precaution, it is advisable to use thicker Belgian bottles that can handle any additional pressure built up during such a bottle re-fermentation. If you do not have access to thicker style Belgian bottles, it is advisable that you make sure you do not bottle until fermentation is complete in an effort avoid potential “bottle bombs” that could lead to personal injury and/or a mess!

Founded: 2005
Surly Brewing Co.

Surly Brewing Company brewed its first batch in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota in December 2005, but it wasn’t fermented until January 2006, leaving somewhat up in the air the question of when exactly Surly became a brewery! One thing is for certain, though: Founder Omar Ansari, Brewery Operations Director Todd Haug, and the rest of the Surly crew found success early and often. Four years after being named Top American Brewery in 2007 by Beer Advocate magazine, Surly successfully lobbied to change a Prohibition-era Minnesota law prohibiting the sale of pints at production breweries. A new brewery, taproom, and restaurant followed, and Surly has been making more Minnesotans smile ever since.

Surly Brewing Co.’s Bender clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.057 FG = 1.013
IBU = 43 SRM = 27 ABV = 6%

Bender is a category-bending American brown ale brewed with oat crystal malt that is available year-round at Surly in both cans and kegs. It is described by the brewery as, “Crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, bitter-coffee, caramel, and hints of vanilla and cream.” Bender is also the base beer for Surly’s popular Coffee Bender (also available year-round), which is brewed with locally-roasted, cold-pressed Guatemalan coffee.

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) 2-row British pale malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Belgian aromatic malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) British medium crystal malt (55 °L)
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Belgian Special B® malt (135 °L)
0.63 lb. (0.28 kg) Simpsons Golden Naked Oats™ (10 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) British chocolate malt (425 °L)
1.25 AAU Willamette hops (first wort hop) (0.25 oz./7 g at 5% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Willamette hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1335 (British Ale II) or White Labs WLP022 (Essex Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) of strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and add the Willamette first wort hops to the kettle. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15 L) of water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the Columbus hops at the beginning of the boil, and then the second Willamette addition at the end.

After the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort rapidly to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Increase temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) for an additional three days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 volumes.

Surly Brewing Co.’s Bender clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.057 FG = 1.013
IBU = 43 SRM = 27 ABV = 6%

Ingredients
4.5 lbs. (2 kg) golden light liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) 2-row British pale malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Belgian aromatic malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) British medium crystal malt (55 °L)
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Belgian Special B® malt (135 °L)
0.63 lb. (0.29 kg) Simpsons Golden Naked Oats™ (10 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) British chocolate malt (425 °L)
1.25 AAU Willamette hops (first wort hop)
(0.25 oz./7 g at 5% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Willamette hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1335 (British Ale II) or White Labs WLP022 (Essex Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to approximately 165 °F (74 °C) to stabilize the mash at 152 °F (67 °C). Add the milled grains in grain bags to the brewpot to mash for 60 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and wash the grains with 1 gallon (4 L) of hot water. Top off to 5.6 gallons (21.2 L) with water. Remove the brewpot from the heat and add the liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Add the Willamette first wort hops addition, put your pot back on the heat and bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the Columbus hops at the beginning of the boil, and then at the second Willamette addition at the end.

After the boil is complete, turn off the heat and chill the wort rapidly to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort well with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Increase temperature to 72 °F (22 °C) for an additional three days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 volumes.

Tips for Success:
There are times when substituting one grain for another based on availability, national origin, or even SRM, is a perfectly acceptable practice. This beer isn’t one of those times. Bender relies to a significant degree on the use of British (note the British medium crystal) and Belgian (note the aromatic and Special B®) malts to develop its unique malt characteristics and set off the floral and earthy notes of the king of aroma hops (note that large and late Willamette addition). This recipe is a significant determinant of success for this beer — don’t stray too far on this one.

Golden Naked Oats™ is a huskless oat crystal malt from Simpsons Malt that is added for a subtle, nutty flavor that adds a smooth oat-y mouthfeel and a creamy head to your beer. Because they are a “crystal” malt, they have been gently cooked during the malting process, which initiates enzymatic conversion of the starch into fermentable sugars. Thus they do not need to be mashed (extract brewers can steep them).

— Josh Weikert

Founded: 2006
NINKASI BREWING COMPANY

Ninkasi Brewing Company was opened by Nikos Ridge and Jamie Floyd in 2006 in an old German Restaurant in Springfield, Oregon. Both founders knew they wanted to do things differently — within the beer industry and in the local community. In a time when the industry landscape was home to male-centric brands, Nikos and Jamie strived for a company that represented what beer meant to them — a source of community and the root of human existence. And so, Ninkasi — the Sumerian goddess of fermentation — was selected as the name. Believe in the Goddess!

Ninkasi Brewing Co.’s Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.072 FG = 1.019
IBU = 50 SRM = 39 ABV = 7%

Ninkasi describes Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout as, “Characterized by a roasted front flavor, smooth rich oats, a touch of chocolate flavor, and a rich vanilla complexity imparted by whole vanilla beans. To achieve this higher level of decadence, we added in whole vanilla beans to the final stage of conditioning — the same process we use to dry hop a beer. It is bigger than a traditional stout with more alcohol, body and a touch more bitterness to keep it balanced.”

Ingredients
13 lbs. (5.9 kg) 2-row pale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (135-165 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked oats
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Vienna malt
6 oz. (170 g) roasted black barley
4 oz. (113 g) rice hulls
2 vanilla beans (added during fermentation)
9.8 AAU Nugget leaf hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Nugget leaf hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water at 163 °F (73 °C), stabilizing at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes until conversion is complete. Raise the temperature of mash to 168 °F (76 °C) with approximately 3.1 gallons (11.7 L) of 200 °F (93 °C) water, and then collect 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort to begin your 60 minute boil.

When wort comes to a boil add 0.75 oz. (21 g) of Nugget hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 30 minutes left in your boil add 1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss and 0.75 oz. (21 g) more of Nugget hops. At the end of the boil there should be 5.5 gallons (21 L) wort left in your kettle.

Chill the wort rapidly, and pitch the yeast when the temperature of the wort is less than 75 °F (24 °C), and allow to cool to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting. Add the 2 vanilla beans to the fermenter after slicing one side of the bean open to expose the inside of the vanilla bean (called butterflying the bean).

When the primary fermentation is complete, wait about three more days for a diacetyl rest, and then bottle or keg your beer. transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 to 2.5 volumes.

Ninkasi Brewing Co.’s Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.072 FG = 1.019
IBU = 50 SRM = 39 ABV = 7%

Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) extra light dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (135–165 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked oats
12 oz. (0.34 kg) Vienna malt
6 oz. (170 g) roasted black barley
2 vanilla beans (added during fermentation)
13 AAU Nugget leaf hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Nugget leaf hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Steep the crushed malted grain in 3 gallons (11.4 L) of 150–160 °F (66–71 °C) water for 30 minutes, stirring the grain just prior to removing. Remove the grain from the hot water with a strainer (don’t squeeze the bag), then bring wort to a boil. When boiling starts, remove pot from the burner and slowly add all of the dried malt extract, stirring to dissolve. Return to a boil, then add 1 oz. (28 g) of Nugget hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 30 minutes left in your boil add 1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss and 0.75 oz. (21 g) more of Nugget hops.At the end of the boil turn off the heat, add all of the liquid malt extract, and stir until all of the malt is dissolved. Strain the hot wort into a fermenter filled with approximately 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of cold water and top off to the 5.5 gallon (21 L) mark. Pitch your yeast when the temperature of the beer is less than 78 °F (26 °C), and allow it to cool to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting. Add the 2 vanilla beans to your fermenter after slicing one side of the bean open to expose the inside of the vanilla bean (called butterflying the bean).

When the primary fermentation is complete, wait about three more days for a diacetyl rest, and then bottle or keg your beer. transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 to 2.5 volumes.

Tips for Success:
Oats contain a lot of large beta-glucan gums from undegraded cell walls and contain a lot of undegraded proteins. This is great for adding mouthfeel, but not so great in the mash — hence the addition of rice hulls in the all-grain recipe to prevent clumping and sticking. Don’t be shy about adding the rice hulls as they are flavorless and will not affect your finished beer.

— Steve Bader

Founded: 2007
RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY

“Keep Beer Curious.” These three words close Right Brain Brewery Founder and Brewmaster Russell Springsteen’s emails. For a brewery that creates such unexpected delights as Asparagus Spear Beer, Cucumber Basil Saison, and Apple Pie Whole Amber Ale (made with whole pies—crust and all), it’s a fitting slogan. “If you can cook it, we can brew it,” the quirky Springsteen says. Springsteen started his Traverse City, Michigan brewery in 2007 “after 15 years of planning and saving.” His commercial brewing start began earlier with the now-defunct Traverse Brewing Company, though it was short-lived. Springsteen eventually opened Right Brain in the heart of downtown. Citing “overwhelming growth,” Right Brain has moved on from that location and has since relocated to a bigger space at the edge of town.

Right Brain Brewery’s Black “Eye” PA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.013
IBU = 55 SRM = 31 ABV = 6.2%

Right Brain’s Black “Eye” PA is a traditional American IPA darkened with toasted malts that add chocolate notes to a classic hoppy brew. Right Brain’s offering was an early pioneer of this now-popular take on IPA. “We might have been ahead of our time with this style,” Springsteen surmises, noting that sales outside the brewery were meager. Those days have passed! Right Brain regularly rotates their on-tap offerings, so be sure to check their website before visiting if you’re hoping for a pint of Black “Eye” PA.

Ingredients
10.75 lbs. (5.4 kg) 2-row pale malt
13.7 oz. (388 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
11.4 oz. (323 g) crystal malt (45 °L)
4.6 oz. (130 g) flaked oats
14 AAU Summit™ hops (60 min.) (0.78 oz./22 g at 14.2% alpha acids)
8.5 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 min.) (0.68 oz./19 g at 12.3% alpha acids)
14 AAU Summit™ hops (15 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14.2% alpha acids)
0.78 oz. (22 g) Simcoe® hops (0 min.)
1.28 oz. (36 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 4 gallons (15.1 L) of water at 162 °F (72 °C), stabilizing at 151 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (76 °C) and begin to lauter. Collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 L) of wort to begin your 60-minute boil.

Add the first charge of Summit™ hops at the start of the boil, the first Simcoe® hops at 30 minutes remaining, the second Summit™ addition with 15 minutes remaining in the boil. Add the final hop addition just after turning off the heat.

After the boil is complete, rapidly chill your wort to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting, aerate the wort well, then pitch the yeast. Right Brain recommends making a yeast starter (see “Tips for Success,” below) but you can also just pitch direct if using fresh yeast. Dry hop with Simcoe® pellets after primary fermentation is complete. Wait 3–5 days then transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 volumes.

Right Brain Brewery’s Black “Eye” PA

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.013
IBU = 55 SRM = 31 ABV = 6.2%

Ingredients
5.75 lbs. (2.6 kg) extra light dried malt extract
13.7 oz. (388 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
11.4 oz. (323 g) crystal malt (45 °L)
11.1 AAU Summit™ hops (60 min.) (0.78 oz./22 g at 14.2% alpha acids)
8.4 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 min.) (0.68 oz./19 g at 12.3% alpha acids)
3.6 AAU Summit™ hops (15 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14.2% alpha acids)
0.78 oz. (22 g) Simcoe® hops (0 min.)
1.28 oz. (36 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Steep crushed malted grain in 3 gallons (11.3 L) of 150–160 °F (66–71 °C) water for 20 minutes, stirring the grain just prior to removing. Remove the grain from the hot water with a strainer, then wash the grains with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Bring wort to a boil. When boiling starts, remove pot from burner and slowly add all of the dried malt extract malt extract, stirring to dissolve.

Return to a boil, then begin adding the hops. Add the first charge of Summit™ hops at the start of the boil, the first Simcoe® hops at 30 minutes remaining, the second Summit™ addition with 15 minutes remaining in the boil. Add the final hop addition just after turning off the heat.

After the boil is complete, rapidly chill your wort to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting, aerate the wort well, then pitch the yeast. Right Brain recommends making a yeast starter (see “Tips for Success,” below) but you can also just pitch direct if using fresh yeast. Dry hop with Simcoe® pellets after primary fermentation is complete. Wait 3–5 days then transfer the beer to a bottling bucket for priming and bottling, or transfer to a keg. Carbonate to approximately 2 volumes.

Tips for Success:
Pitching your yeast with a yeast starter, if you don’t already know how to do it, is easy. Basically you’re going to make a small batch of wort a day ahead of brew day and add your yeast to it to increase the cell count. Wyeast, on their website (https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_makingastarter.cfm), has a very simple recipe and process to follow:
Ingredients:
0.5 cup dried malt extract (100 g, 3.5 oz.)
½ tsp. Wyeast Nutrient
1 qt. (1 L) H2O
Mix DME, nutrient, and water.
Boil 20 minutes to sterilize.
Step by step:
Pour into a sanitized flask or jar with loose lid or foil. Allow to cool to 70 °F
(27 °C). Shake well and add yeast culture.”
Keep your yeast starter in a place where you can maintain a consistent temperature, and agitate the container frequently. Many homebrewers use a stir plate to do this, which utilizes a magnet to constantly stir your starter.

— Glenn BurnSilver

Founded: 2008
THE BRUERY

Founded in 2008 in Placentia, California by Patrick Rue, The Bruery (which takes its unique moniker from founder Patrick Rue’s family surname) started out with a mission to mix innovation with Belgian tradition in their beers. Director of Marketing Benjamin Weiss recollects, “In the beginning, we were basically all just homebrewers with a giant system to work with. The majority of Patrick’s brewing knowledge came from his 10-gallon (38-L) homebrew system. and while our direct fire boil kettle and 100% manual mash tun were similar to the tools we all play with in our backyards, there was definitely some tweaking to do on our recipes that would work on the small scale, but cause some severe issues on the larger scale.”

The Bruery’s Terreux Saison Rue clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.065 FG = 1.001
IBU = 28 SRM = 8 ABV = 8.5%

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Great Western 2-row pale malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) Weyermann rye malt
4.8 oz. (136 g) Bairds brown malt
1.9 lbs. (0.86 kg) dextrose sugar (0 min.)
9.8 AAU German Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.64 oz./18 g at 15.2% alpha acids)
3.9 AAU Sterling hops (0 min.) (0.55 oz./16 g at 7.1% alpha acids)
0.2 oz. (6 g) dried spearmint leaves (20 min.)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet (10 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (10 min.)
White Labs WLP570 (Belgian Golden Ale) or Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale) or The Bruery’s house yeast strain (see“Tips for Success” below)
Your favorite strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Mill the grains and dough-in, targeting a mash of around 1.3 quarts of water to 1 pound of grain and a temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold the mash at 150 °F (66 °C) until enzymatic conversion is complete. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting wort until the pre-boil kettle volume is 6 gallons (23 L). Add first wort hops towards the beginning of the lauter.

Boil time is 60 minutes, adding the mint with 20 minutes left in the boil. Add Whirlfloc® and yeast nutrient with 10 minutes left in the boil. At flameout, start a whirlpool and add the whirlpool hops and dextrose. Chill the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and aerate thoroughly. Pitch rate is 750,000 cells per mL per degree Plato. Approximately 2 packages of liquid yeast. Allow the fermentation to raise the overall fermentation temperature to 85 °F (29 °C). When time to package, pitch 2,000,000 cells per mL of Brett Brux to the bottling bucket and prime to bottle condition. Aim to carbonate the beer to around 2.8 volumes of CO2 (the conditioning with Brett will likely take it higher over time, use sturdy bottles meant to withstand high volumes of CO2).

The Bruery’s Terreux Saison Rue clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.065 FG = 1.001
IBU = 28 SRM = 8 ABV = 8.5%

Ingredients
3 lbs. (1.36 kg) extra light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) rye liquid malt extract
1.9 lbs. (0.86 kg) dextrose sugar (0 min.)
9.8 AAU German Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.64 oz./18 g at 15.2% alpha acids)
3.9 AAU Sterling hops (0 min.) (0.55 oz./16 g at 7.1% alpha acids)
0.2 oz. (6 g) dried spearmint leaves (20 min.)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet (10 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrients (10 min.)
White Labs WLP570 (Belgian Golden Ale) or Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale) or Bruery’s house yeast strain (see “Tips for Success” below)
Your favorite strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Add 6 gallons (23 L) of water to your kettle and start to bring to a boil. When the temperature reaches about 180 °F (82 °C), add the first wort hops. When the water comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add the dried and liquid malt extracts, and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. The remaining boil and fermentation schedule is the same as the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
The Bruery’s Experimental Brewer Andrew Bell states, “Saison Rue is one of the first beers we ever produced. It was batch 4 for us (3/17/2008), and it has changed some over the years. It has always had mint and Brett. The malt has always been a blend of 2-row, rye and a small percentage of some sort of highly toasted malt (we used Special Roast in 2008, but April 2009 onwards we have been using brown malt, usually between 1–2%). Explore different malt bills in similar percentages! Rye is sticky! Saison Rue is usually not a problem beer for us, but depending on your system, rice hulls would probably be a good idea. We tend to mash on the more acidic side of things. Initially the sugar addition in the whirl-pool was a house-made inverted sugar. Since July 2009 we have used dextrose.

“Knockout and fermentation temperatures have changed over time. We used to start with a very cold KO (50–55 °F/10–13 °C) and let it free rise up to 85 °F (29 °C). The ramping up of temperature during ferment (starting cold) lets our proprietary house yeast produce a more interesting phenol and ester saison profile than if we were to maintain one temperature during fermentation (would just taste more Belgian-y). Currently we KO at 65 °F (18 °C) and allow to free rise to 85 °F (29 °C).

“Our house yeast that we use for primary fermentation is proprietary, but could be harvested from some of our other bottles (fresh Trade Winds or Jardinier or Mischief would be good places to start). White Labs WLP570 is probably the closest commercial example, but will probably behave differently. You can experiment with adding Lactobacillus (we are experimenting with this with our new Terreux Sour/Farmhouse Brand). Personal preference on yeast supplier of Brett Brux used at packaging. Experiment with other/multiple varieties of Brett. Target CO2 at release is 2.8 volumes, but as it ages it keeps picking up carbonation (well above 3 volumes). Use appropriately thick glass if bottling!

“The mint addition is inspired by several different mildly spiced traditional Belgian saisons. We also use the mint as a self check mechanism to ensure that we do not release Saison Rue too early. Patrick likes to say that if you can still taste mint over the Brett, then it is not ready to release. We usually bottle condition for 6 months prior to release. If using fresh herbs, you would need a higher dosage rate.”

— Dave Green

Founded: 2009
MAINE BEER COMPANY

Maine Beer Co. was founded in 2009 in Portland, Maine by two homebrewing brothers, David and Daniel Kleban. Their production and offerings have both expanded over the years (with the brewery moving up the road to Freeport), and they now distribute several beers throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Dinner was first brewed by Dan as a 5-gallon (19-L) batch for Portland Beer Week in 2012. Lunch and Dinner are the most widely sought after of their beers, and the most recent production run of 700 cases of Dinner sold out in less than 24 hours. The Kleban brothers are also believers in sharing the wealth: Their brewery’s “Do What’s Right” motto is translated into real action, as at least 1% of their gross sales is always donated to environmental non-profits.

Maine Beer Company’s Dinner clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.070 FG = 1.007
IBU = 92 SRM = 8 ABV = 8.2%

Dinner is the Kleban brothers first double IPA, which they describe on their website as dry, refreshing and a hoppy happening. “Our intention for this brew was to really amp up the hop flavor and aroma. So we dry hopped Dinner twice, with over six pounds (2.7 kg) of hops per barrel. This deep dive into hops means freshness is critical, so when you get yours, only get what you’re planning to drink. No more, no less, no tucking in the back of the fridge.”

Ingredients
14 lbs. (6.35 kg) 2-row pale malt
6 oz. (0.17 kg) dextrine malt
3 oz. (85 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
13 oz. (0.37 kg) dextrose sugar (15 min.)
8.3 AAU Falconer’s Flight® hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 11% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Citra® hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./26 g at 11% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Falconer’s Flight® hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 11% alpha acids)
9 AAU Mosaic™ hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 12% alpha acids)
22 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 11% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) Mosaic™ hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57 g) Falconer’s Flight® hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.8 gallons (18.2 L) of 160 °F (71 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 148 °F (64 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes or until starch conversion is complete. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 3.6 gallons (11.7 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off heat and begin a whirlpool of the hot wort. Let stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). There should be 5.5 gallons (21 L) of wort in your kettle. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Add the dry hops and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for three more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve the clarity.

Maine Beer Company’s Dinner clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.070 FG = 1.007
IBU = 92 SRM = 8 ABV = 8.2%

Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) extra light liquid malt extract
3 oz. (85 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dextrose sugar (15 min.)
8.3 AAU Falconer’s Flight® hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 11% alpha acids)
9.8 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 13% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Citra® hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./26 g at 11% alpha acids)
8.3 AAU Falconer’s Flight® hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 11% alpha acids)
9 AAU Mosaic™ hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 12% alpha acids)
22 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 11% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) Mosaic™ pellet hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57 g) Falconer’s Flight® pellet hops (dry hop)
2 oz. (57 g) Simcoe® pellet hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 5.4 gallons (20 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there, and steep milled specialty grains in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let drain fully. Add liquid extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off heat and begin a whirlpool of the hot wort. Let stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Top off your fermenter to 5.5 gallons (21 L). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Add the dry hops and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for three more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packagingto 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve the clarity.

Tips for Success:
Maine Beer Company keeps a tight hold on the “official” recipe for Dinner, which is only brewed in small batches and at not-quite-regular intervals. Their website states that they use 6 lbs. (2.7 kgs) of dry hops per barrel of Dinner. That translates to roughly 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of dry hops per 5 gallon (19 L) batch of beer. On a homebrew scale this could be detrimental to your beer. Oxidation and vegetal qualities from the hops being the main causes for concern. Consensus among the BYO staff was that 6 oz. (170 g) would be better on a homebrew scale, but feel free to experiment by adding more. Needless to say, late and dry hopping is essential to Dinner’s success. Maine Beer Co. utilizes a hop-burst type technique for Dinner, so feel free to substitute your favorite hop-burst schedule here. Also be sure to account for any additional whirlpooling time in your process that may alter the IBUs. Dry hop only after fermentation has completed. Three days with a free addition of pellets seems sufficient to mirror the hop nose on Dinner, utilize seven days if you are using whole leaf hops.

— Josh Weikert

Founded: 2010
HERETIC BREWING COMPANY

Heretic Brewing Company was founded in late 2010 in Fairfield, California, bringing one of homebrewing’s most celebrated personalities into the commercial brewing world. Jamil Zainasheff is a name that almost every homebrewer recognizes, whether from his podcast, books, appearances, or column in Brew Your Own, and many felt it was only a matter of time before he took the commercial beer plunge. Ironically, though, the man who wrote the book (literally) on classic styles opened a brewery that eschewed traditional beer styles and instead focuses on creating exotic and unique recipes. That “get it here” homebrew mentality continues as well: Only about half of the brewery’s beers are distributed. For the rest, you have to make the pilgrimage to their tap room, known as “The Confessional.”

Heretic Brewing Co.’s Evil Twin clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.014
IBU = 45 SRM = 17 ABV = 6.6%

Heretic describes Evil Twin as follows: “This blood-red ale may not be what you might expect from a malty and hoppy craft beer. Evil Twin has a rich malt character, without being overly sweet. It has a huge hop character, without being overly bitter. It is a great example of a bold, rich, balanced craft beer, without being heavy and hard to drink in quantity. Our Evil Twin is only bad because it is too good to resist.”

Ingredients
10.5 lbs. (4.8 kg) 2-row British pale ale malt
1.6 lbs. (0.74 kg) crystal malt (75 °L)
14 oz. (0.4 kg) Munich malt
1 oz. (28 g) roasted barley
1 oz. (28 g) huskless black malt
4.3 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.31 oz./9 g at 14% alpha acids)
12.6 AAU Columbus hops (0 min.) (0.9 oz./25 g at 14% alpha acids)
9.9 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (0.9 oz./25 g at 11% alpha acids)
0.8 oz. (23g) Citra® hops (dry hop, 7 days)
0.8 oz. (23g) Columbus hops (dry hop, 7 days)
0.9 oz. (25g) Citra® hops (dry hop, 4 days)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.1 gallons (15.5 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 153 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 2.8 gallons (10.6 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 90 minutes. Add the first Columbus hop charge with 60 minutes left in the boil. Add the second Columbus hop addition, and the first Citra® addition at the end of the boil. After the boil, turn off heat and begin a vigorous whirlpool in your kettle. Let the hot wort stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 7 days. Add the dry hops and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for three more days. Add the second round of dry hops for an additional four days (seven total days of dry hopping). Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve the clarity.

Heretic Brewing Co.’s Evil Twin clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.014
IBU = 45 SRM = 17 ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) extra light liquid malt extract
1.6 lbs. (0.74 kg) crystal malt (75 °L)
1 oz. (28 g) roasted barley
1 oz. (28 g) huskless black malt
4.3 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.31 oz./9 g at 14% alpha acids)
12.6 AAU Columbus hops (0 min.) (0.9 oz./25 g at 14% alpha acids)
9.9 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (0.9 oz./25 g at 11% alpha acids)
0.8 oz. (23g) Citra® hops (dry hop, 7 days)
0.8 oz. (23g) Columbus hops (dry hop, 7 days)
0.9 oz. (25g) Citra® hops (dry hop, 4 days)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 5.6 gallons (21 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and hold there, and steep milled specialty grains in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags, and let the bag drain fully. Add the liquid malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 90 minutes. Add the first Columbus hop charge with 60 minutes left in the boil. Add the second Columbus hop addition, and the first Citra® addition at the end of the boil.

After the boil, turn off the heat and begin a vigorous whirlpool in your kettle. Let the hot wort stand for 20 minutes, then chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for seven days. Add the dry hops and raise to 72 °F (22 °C) for seven more days. Once the beer reaches terminal gravity, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve the clarity.

Tips for Success:
This beer’s recipe has undergone several evolutions, from its origins as a homebrew recipe through its development as a commercial success for Heretic. This version came directly from the desk of Chief Heretic Jamil Zainasheff. The beer relies on extensive flame out and dry hopping to achieve its signature hop nose, with only a small bittering addition 30 minutes into its 90-minute boil. It even makes use of a second dry hopping round, receiving one last blast of Citra®.

Before Jamil went pro, he wrote for Brew Your Own in his “Style Profile” column about brewing American amber (red) ale (including some early iterations of what may have become Evil Twin).

— Josh Weikert

Founded: 2011
ANCHORAGE BREWING CO.

Anchorage Brewer and Founder Gabe Fletcher has helped elevate the world of beer, bringing several techniques utilized in the winemaking world over to the beer world. Founded in 2011 in Anchorage, Alaska, all of Anchorage Brewing Co.’s beers are primary fermented in large oak foudres, made popular in France’s Rhône Valley, and each are equipped with specialized temperature control. Gabe and crew have at this point acquired a dozen foudres, ranging up to 110 barrels in size! After primary fermentation is complete, the beer is then transferred to smaller oak barrels where specialty strains of Brett can be pitched.

Anchorage Brewing Co.’s Love Buzz clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.057 FG = 0.997
IBU = 40 SRM = 8 ABV = 8%

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Pilsner malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) wheat malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
1.3 AAU Simcoe® hops (first wort hop) (0.1 oz./3 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
13.2 AAU Simcoe® hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
11.7 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 11.7% alpha acids)
3 oz. (85 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) fresh rose hips (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) fresh orange peel (0 min.)
0.1 oz. (3 g) freshly ground peppercorn (0 min.)
2 oz. (57 g) medium toast oak staves or oak cubes (French oak preferred)
White Labs WLP568 (Belgian Style SaisonAle Yeast Blend) or The Yeast Bay Saison Blend yeast
Your favorite strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast
Neutral wine yeast or Lallemand CBC-1 yeast (if priming)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Mill the grains and dough-in, targeting a mash of around 1.3 quarts of water to 1 pound of grain (2.7 L/kg) and a temperature of 150 °F (66 °C). Hold the mash at 150 °F (66 °C) until enzymatic conversion is complete. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting wort until the pre-boil kettle volume is 6 gallons (23 L). Add the first wort hops early in the sparge phase. Boil time is 60 minutes. Add flameout hops and spicing then start a whirlpool.

Whirlpool for at least at minute then let settle. After 30 minutes, chill the wort to 70 °F (18 °C) and aerate thoroughly. After 3 days, allow the fermentation temperature to raise up to 83 °F (29 °C). After primary fermentation is complete, transfer to a long term aging vessel and pitch your Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast.

Anchorage Brewing Co. ages Love Buzz for eight months in French oak barrels that previously contained Pinot Noir wine. There are several alternatives. First, you can try to soak oak staves or cubes for several weeks in a sealed bottle of Pinot Noir (warning: the resulting wine will probably taste more like plywood than wine). Or you can boil the oak then add that along with several ounces of Pinot Noir directly to the beer. Age until the oak presence is detectable, but you don’t want it to overwhelm the beer. Try to taste once a week until this nuance is achieved. At that point, rack the beer off the oak and add your dry hops. Dry hop for 1–3 weeks, then either bottle or keg. Aim to carbonate the beer to around 2.8 volumes of CO2. If your Love Buzz clone was aging for more than 3 months and you plan on bottle conditioning, we recommend pitching either a neutral wine yeast or brewer’s yeast such as Lallemand’s CBC-1.

Anchorage Brewing Co.’s Love Buzz clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.057 FG = 0.997
IBU = 40 SRM = 8 ABV = 8%

Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) wheat dried malt extract
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
8 oz. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
1.3 AAU Simcoe® hops (first wort hop) (0.1 oz./3 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
13.2 AAU Simcoe® hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
11.7 AAU Citra® hops (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 11.7% alpha acids)
3 oz. (85 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) fresh rose hips (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) fresh orange peel (0 min.)
0.1 oz. (3 g) freshly ground peppercorn (0 min.)
2 oz. (57 g) medium toast oak staves or oak cubes (French oak preferred)
White Labs WLP568 (Belgian Style Saison Ale Yeast Blend) or The Yeast Bay Saison Blend yeast
Your favorite strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast
Neutral wine yeast or Lallemand CBC-1 yeast (if priming)
7⁄8 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place your crushed grains in a grain bag and place in 6 gallons (23 L) water in your kettle. Heat until temperature reaches 170 °F (77 °C), then remove the grain bag and add the first wort hops. When the water comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the dried malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You want to make sure all the extract is dissolved. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil time is 60 minutes.

Add flameout hops and spicing then start a whirlpool. Whirlpool for at least 1 minute then let settle. After 30 minutes, chill the wort to 70 °F (18 °C) and aerate thoroughly. The fermentation and aging instructions can be found in the all-grain recipe.

Tips for Success:
Unless you invest in oak barrels and don’t mind transferring the beer back and forth, the nuances of Love Buzz are going to be difficult to achieve at home. You could try to add the oak when you pitch the saison yeast instead of at the time of pitching the Brett B, since this may better simulate the oak-barrel fermentation that Love Buzz undergoes. But this may be a challenge if you need to transfer the beer into another vessel for secondary fermentation. A conical fermenter allowing for a yeast dump would be helpful in this situation. Otherwise, save the oak for secondary fermentation. Also if you are having trouble acquiring the suggested saison blends, you can try making your own blend based on the strains more widely available. There are several strains now commercially available of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Finding the strain that is most appealing to you would be ideal. You could utilize dregs of a favorite beer, but Gabe states that Anchorage Brewing Co. pitches a neutral wine yeast strain at the time of bottling, so using the dregs from a bottle of their beer most likely will not get you the results you are after.

This recipe calls for fresh rose hips. We would recommend that you first smash the fruit, then freeze the rose hips in order to help open the fruit up. If fresh rose hip is not available, dried rose hips can be substituted. Cut the quantity by 1⁄4 if you plan to use dried rose hips.

– Dave Green

Founded: 2012
TRILLIUM BREWING CO.

Founder/Brewer Jean-Claude Tetreault and his wife Esther started Trillium Brewing Co. in Boston, Massachusetts in 2012 and now only three years later are already in the works to get a second brewery up and running, much to the joy of their loyal Boston-based fans. If you’ve never had their hop-forward beers, just imagine sticking your nose in a large bag of fresh Citra® or Galaxy or Mosaic™ or El Dorado® or . . . well you get the picture. The hop aromas are pretty staggering. If you are in the Boston area, Trillium is a must-stop. In the meantime, we hope this recipe will hold you over.

Trillium Brewing Co.’s Fort Point Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.013
IBU = 45 SRM = 5 ABV = 6.6%

Trillium’s website describes this beer as, “Layers of hops-derived aromas and flavors of citrus zest and tropical fruit rest on a pleasing malt backbone. Dangerously drinkable with a dry finish and soft mouthfeel from wheat. Our year round hoppy pale ale culminates in a restrained bitterness and dry finish.”

Ingredients
10 lbs. (4.3 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) wheat malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) dextrine malt
4 oz. (113 g) British pale crystal malt (22 °L)
3.5 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Columbus hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 14% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) Columbus hops (hop stand)
4 oz. (113 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1⁄2 Whirlfloc® tablet (10 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or Gigayeast GY054 (Vermont IPA) yeast
3⁄4 cups corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Crush the malt and add to 4 gallons (15 L) strike water to achieve a stable mash temperature at 150 °F (65.5 °C) until enzymatic conversion is complete. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting wort until the pre-boil kettle volume is 6 gallons (23 L).

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition after the wort comes to a boil and a second hop addition with 10 minutes left in the boil.

After the boil is finished, cool the wort down to 180 °F (82 °C) and then add the hop stand addition. Stir the wort, then let settle for 30 minutes before chilling the wort down to yeast pitching temperature. Now transfer to the fermenter and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). As the kräusen begins to fall, typically day four or five, add the dry hops to the fermenter and let the beer sit on the hops for five days.

Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 volumes CO2.

Trillium Brewing Co.’s Fort Point Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.013
IBU = 45 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) golden liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) dextrine malt
4 oz. (113 g) British pale crystal malt (22 °L)
3.5 AAU Columbus hops (60 min.) (0.25 oz./7 g at 14% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Columbus hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 14% alpha acids)
2 oz. (57 g) Columbus hops (hop stand)
4 oz. (113 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1 tsp. Irish moss (10 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or Gigayeast GY054 (Vermont IPA) yeast
3⁄4 cups corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Place the crushed malt in a muslin bag. Steep the grains in 1 gallon (4 L) water at 160 °F (71 °C) for 20 minutes. Remove the grain bag and wash with 2 qts. (2 L) of hot water. Top off the kettle to 5 gallons (19 L) and heat up to boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the brew pot from the heat and stir in the dried and liquid malt extracts. Stir until all the extract is dissolved then return the wort to a boil.

Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition after the wort comes to a boil and a second hop addition with 10 minutes left in the boil.

After the boil is finished, cool the wort down to 180 °F (82 °C) and then add the hop stand addition. Stir the wort, then let settle for 30 minutes before chilling the wort down to yeast pitching temperature. Now transfer to the fermenter and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). As the kräusen begins to fall, typically day four or five, add the dry hops to the fermenter and let the beer sit on the hops for five days. Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 volumes CO2.

Tips for Success:
Trillium Head Brewer JC Tetreault suggests building a water profile for this beer starting with soft water. “Supplement the mash with gypsum and calcium chloride to about a 2:1 ratio. This ensures sufficiently assertive hop character but still provides a softer finish.” I think maybe a 100:50 ppm ratio would be a good starting point and you can adjust from there.

Handling the post fermentation beer with the utmost care to avoid introducing oxygen in any form is key in retaining those precious hop oils that Trillium Brewing Co. has become known for. JC adds his dry hops while primary fermentation is nearing completion, “in order to ensure good aromatic pre-cursor bioconversion. Ideally, dry hop in a keg under a little head pressure to avoid blowing off aromatics with the escaping carbonation. We strongly recommend force carbonating hop forward beers. Purge the keg with CO2 and add the dry hops in a fine mesh bag along with some sanitized stainless weights or glass marbles. Tie the fine mesh bag to the lid with some teflon floss (ie. Glide) to suspend the hops off the bottom of the keg.” Beware of “beer volcanoes” when adding hops to the primary fermenter before terminal gravity, as the hops can create a nucleation point to release dissolved CO2, creating a volcano effect on the beer, which can lead to a significant amount of beer loss and a giant mess.

JC is also well known for having hop variations on base beer recipes. Don’t be afraid to substitute out Citra® in the dry hop for Mosaic™, Galaxy, or El Dorado®. He will also at times double dry hop his beers, so splitting the dry hops may help add a new dimension.

– Dave Green

Founded: 2013
BLUEJACKET

Bluejacket was founded in 2013, and Beer Director Greg Engert and Head Brewer Josh Chapman have always had a flavor-first attitude towards beer. Their method is touse traditional techniques in seasonally-inspired, ingredient-driven beers that allow for experimentation and innovation. Visitors to The Arsenal, their home restaurant and brewery in Washington, DC, can sample from a wide range of twenty Bluejacket beers and five casks, all in an historic building that was once part of the Washington Navy Yard’s ship and munitions manufacturing complex.

Bluejacket’s Mexican Radio clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.023
IBU = 32 SRM = 46 ABV = 7.4%

Named for the 1982 Wall of Voodoo song of the same name, Bluejacket’s mole-inspired sweet stout is a, “creamy confluence of milk chocolate and vanilla dusted in cinnamon spice and finished with a sweet and mildly smoky hint of ancho chili pepper. Brewed with lactose milk sugar, vanilla beans, cacao nibs, ancho chilies and cinnamon.”

Ingredients
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) North American 2-row pale malt
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked barley
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (80 °L )
12 oz. (0.34 kg) roasted barley
12 oz. (0.34 kg) flaked wheat
4 oz. (113 g) black patent malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) lactose sugar (15 min.)
7 AAU Millenium hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.25 AAU Fuggle hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.25 AAU Fuggle hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.15 oz. (4.3 g) cinnamon sticks (10 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) cocoa nibs (secondary)
1.25 oz. (35 g) dried Ancho chili peppers (secondary)
1 oz. (28 g) vanilla beans (secondary)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.5 gallons (17 L) of 164 °F (73 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 3.5 gallons (13.2 L) of water and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, lactose sugar and cinnamon sticks according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) for 7 days, then drop the temperature to 60 °F (16 °C) for 24 hours. Add the cocoa nibs, ancho peppers, and vanilla beans, and age for 5–7 days. Crash the beer to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours. After aging the spice addition, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes.

Bluejacket’s Mexican Radio clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.023
IBU = 32 SRM = 46 ABV = 7.4%

Ingredients

5 lbs. (2.3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract
2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg) 2-row pale malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) flaked barley
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (80 °L )
12 oz. (0.34 kg) roasted barley
12 oz. (0.34 kg) flaked wheat
4 oz. (113 g) black patent malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) lactose sugar (15 min.)
7 AAU Millenium hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.25 AAU Fuggle hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.25 AAU Fuggle hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.15 oz. (4.3 g) cinnamon sticks (10 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) cocoa nibs (secondary)
1.25 oz. (35 g) dried Ancho chili peppers (secondary)
1 oz. (28 g) vanilla beans (secondary)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 2.2 gallons (8.3 L) of water to approximately 164 °F (73 °C). Place the milled grains in grain bags and submerge them in the water for 60 minutes. The temperature of the mash should stabilize at about 152 °F (67 °C). After 60 minutes, remove the grain bags and let them drain fully. Wash the grains with about 1 gallon (4 L) hot water, then top off to 6 gallons (23 L) in your brew kettle. Add the liquid malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, lactose sugar and cinnamon sticks according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) for 7 days, then drop the temperature to 60 °F (16 °C) for 24 hours. Add the cocoa nibs, ancho peppers, and vanilla beans, and age for 5–7 days. Crash the beer to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours. After aging the spice addition, bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes.

Tips for Success:
Mexican Radio adds some complexities to the average sweet stout, in the form of a number of spice additions at two points in the production process. Add the cinnamon in the boil just as you would a hop addition, but add the cocoa nibs, vanilla, and ancho peppers in secondary to limit the amount of oil extraction; to account for the head-killing oils that do get into the beer, the recipe includes a significant addition of flaked wheat and barley to aid in head retention. To prepare the vanilla (go with cheap beans, since the subtleties and nuance of more expensive vanilla will be lost in this beer — but don’t use extract!) and peppers, slice lengthwise before adding to the secondary to increase surface area and impact on flavor. You might also consider a vodka tincture, and just add the entire product to the beer. Finally, keep an eye on the water. With so much roasted and crystal grains, astringency and acidity are a real concern. Consider the addition of a buffer if your water profile is lacking it naturally. 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp. of baking soda in the mash (especially for the partial mash recipe) may be a good idea if you are using soft water.

– Josh Weikert

Founded: 2014
DEFIANCE BREWING CO.

When somebody mentions Kansas, a few things tend to come to mind: Dust in the wind, beef, Dorothy, and wheat fields. What you might not yet realize is that Dylan Sultzer and Matt Bender are working around the clock to add craft beer to that list. The two opened Defiance Brewing (Hays, Kansas) in 2014 with hopes of bringing the types of beer that they like to drink into the local market. Fuzzy Knuckles for example, their 10% imperial stout with cacao nibs and Sumatran coffee, has been a big hit for the brewery thus far. On the production side, a 20-barrel brewhouse from JB Northwest coupled with a canning line from Wild Goose has helped them to secure statewide distribution in less than six months. Defiance beers are even beginning to hit retail shelves in neighboring states like Missouri and Nebraska.

Defiance Brewing Co.’s Fuzzy Knuckles clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.100 FG = 1.028
IBU = 55 SRM = 43 ABV = 10%

Ingredients
16 lbs. (7.3 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.82 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
1.3 lbs. (0.6 kg) flaked oats
15 oz. (0.43 kg) chocolate malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) roasted barley
3 oz. (85 g) caramel malt (120 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) Carafa® III Special malt
12.7 AAU Columbus pellet hops (90 min.) (0.82 oz./23 g at 15.5% alpha acids)
8 AAU Willamette pellet hops (20 min.) (0.82 oz./23 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
8 AAU Willamette pellet hops (0 min.) (1.33 oz./37 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
1.1 oz. (31 g) ground Sumatra coffee (0 min.)
1.2 oz. (34 g) cacao nibs (0 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale Yeast) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if bottling)

Step by Step
Mill the grains (flaked oats don’t need to be milled) and mix with 6 gallons (22.7 L) of 169 °F (76 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 154 °F (68 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Now sparge the grains with 3.5 gallons (13.25 L) of 169 °F (76 °C) water until 7 gallons (26.5 L) of 1.068 SG wort is collected in your boil kettle. Boil for 90 minutes adding hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings, according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0 min. hop additions, coffee, and cacao nibs. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle for 2 minutes and then let rest for an addition 28 minutes to achieve a 30 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch yeast.

Allow fermentation to free rise up to 68 °F (20 °C) and hold it at that temperature until the beer reaches 60% apparent attenuation (1.035 SG) then ramp fermentation temperature up to 72 °F (22° C) and hold at this temperature for an additional 14 days. Begin to slowly crash cool the fermenter down at therate of 5 °F (2.8 °C) per day for 8 days until the beer reaches 32 °F (0 °C) and then bottle or keg the beer. Carbonate tobetween 2.2 and 2.3 volumes of CO2.

Defiance Brewing Co.’s Fuzzy Knuckles clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.100 FG = 1.028
IBU = 55 SRM = 43 ABV = 10%

Ingredients
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1.4 lbs. (0.64 kg) Carafoam® malt
15 oz. (0.43 kg) chocolate malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) roasted barley
3 oz. (85 g) caramel malt (120 °L)
3 oz. (85 g) Carafa® III Special malt
12.7 AAU Columbus pellet hops (90 min.) (0.82 oz./23 g at 15.5% alpha acids)
8 AAU Willamette pellet hops (20 min.) (0.82 oz./23 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
8 AAU Willamette pellet hops (0 min.) (1.33 oz./37 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
1⁄2 Whirfloc® tablet (15 min.)
1.1 oz. (31 g) ground Sumatra coffee (0 min.)
1.2 oz. (34 g) cacao nibs (0 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or Lallemand Nottingham yeast
3.5 oz. (99 g) corn sugar (if bottling)

Step by Step
Place the grains in a grain bag, then add the grain bag to 2 gallons (7.57 L) of 150 °F (66 °C) water. Allow grain bag (which will float) to steep for 20–30 minutes while you continue to heat the water up to no hotter than 170 °F (77 ° C) in order to avoid extracting tannins. Next remove the grain bag, top your kettle up with enough pre-heated water to reach a total pre-boil volume of 7 gallons (26.5L), and turn your heat source back on. Once you reach a boil, add your malt extract, hops, yeast nutrient, and kettle finings, according to the ingredients list.

After the boil, turn off the heat and add the 0 min. hop additions, coffee, and cacao nibs. Whirlpool the kettle by gently stirring with a mash paddle or large spoon for 2 minutes and then let rest for an additional 28 minutes to achieve a 30 minute flame out steep. Next, chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C) and transfer into a clean and sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds and pitch yeast.

Allow fermentation to free rise up to 68 °F (20 °C) and hold it at that temperature until the beer reaches 60% apparent attenuation (1.035 SG) then ramp fermentation temperature up to 72 °F (22° C) and hold at this temperature for an additional 14 days. Begin to slowly crash cool the fermenter down at the rate of 5 °F (2.8 °C) per day for 8 days until the beer reaches 32 °F (0 °C) and then bottle or keg the beer.

Carbonate to between 2.2 and 2.3 volumes of CO2.

Tips for Success:
This is a high gravity beer which will require lots (about 334 billion total cells) of yeast for a healthy fermentation. If you have 1 White Labs vial or 1 Wyeast Activator pack you will need to either make a 1.75-L stir plate starter or a 5-L non-stir plate starter in advance. If you are unable to make a starter, be prepared to pitch at least 3.5 vials/packs of fresh yeast. Oxygenating your wort with pure oxygen for 90 seconds prior to pitching your yeast and (optionally) for an additional 30 seconds 12–18 hours after you initially pitch your yeast is recommended to ensure optimal yeast growth. A temperature controlled fermentation chamber will allow you to perform the fermentation schedule as outlined above. Due to the high gravity and use of ground coffee in this beer, the extended fermentation and cold conditioning period outlined above is beneficial. It will allow the yeast ample time to ferment the beer completely, reabsorb diacetyl properly, and allow the ground coffee to completely settle before packaging which helps to avoid creating nucleation points that could lead to “gushers” if bottling.

— Dennis Maciupa

Founded: 2015
FORTSIDE BREWING CO.

2015 Michael DiFabio and Mark Doleski opened Fortside Brewing Company, a 900-square-foot brewery and taproom, in Vancouver, Washington, in May of 2015, on the “Fort” side of the Columbia River. The “Fort” (Fort Vancouver) is a monumental landmark in the Pacific Northwest that persists as a strong, powerful and resilient symbol of this area’s heritage. Fortside Brewing Company is all about brewing beer worth being passionate about. Michael and Mark are both longtime homebrewers, who decided that the time was right, with all the interest in craft beer, to go pro. If you’re in Vancouver, swing by and give your fellow homebrewers some support at making a dream come true!

Fortside Brewing Co.’s Black RyePA

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.020
IBU = 71 SRM = 35 ABV = 7.6%

This beer is a Cascadian Dark Ale (or Black IPA) that is enhanced with some rye malt. It pours a very dark brownish-black color with a nice billowing light tan head. Big tropical fruit and citrus rind aromas mix with sweet brown sugar and subtle rye notes. Lots of silky body creates great mouthfeel that showcases the rye and roasted malts.  The silky body of this beer also delivers loads of tropical hop flavor with slight pine resin to the middle of your tongue.  It finishes very balanced with a soft bitterness that goes well with the dark malt framework.

Ingredients
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) 2-row pale malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) rye malt
1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg) flaked rye
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) black malt
14 AAU Columbus leaf hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
8.5 AAU Amarillo® leaf hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
14 AAU Columbus leaf hops (5 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
4.25 AAU Amarillo® leaf hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) or Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix the crushed grains with 5.8 gallons (22 L) of water at 161 °F (72 °C), stabilizing at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Raise the temperature of the mash to 168 °F (76 °C) with approximately 3.7 gallons (14 L) of 200 °F (93 °C) water, and then collect 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort to begin your 60-minute boil.

When the wort comes to a boil add 1 oz. (28 g) of Columbus hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 30 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. (28 g) of Amarillo® hops. With 5 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. (28 g) additional Columbus hops, and at the end of the boil add another 0.5 oz. (14 g) of Amarillo® hops. You should have about 5.5 gallons (21 L) wort in your kettle. Chill your wort, and pitch your yeast when the temperature of the wort is less than 75 °F (24 °C), and allow it to cool to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting. Since this is a high gravity beer, make a yeast starter or use multiple packages of beer yeast.

Dry hop with 1 oz. (28 g) of Centennial pellets after about 4 days of fermentation. When fermentation is complete, wait about 3 more days for a diacetyl rest, and then bottle or keg your beer.

Fortside Brewing Co.’s Black RyePA

(5 gallons/19 L partial mash)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.020
IBU = 71 SRM = 35 ABV = 7.6%

Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) pale liquid malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) light dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) 2-row pale malt
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) rye malt
1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg) flaked rye
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) black malt
14 AAU Columbus leaf hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
8.5 AAU Amarillo® leaf hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
14 AAU Columbus leaf hops (5 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 14% alpha acids)
4.25 AAU Amarillo® leaf hops (0 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial pellet hops (dry hop)
White Labs WLP051 (California Ale V) or Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Mash the crushed grains in 3 gallons (11.3 L) of 150–160 °F (66–71 °C) water for 30 minutes, stirring the grain just prior to removing. Remove the grain from the hot water with a strainer, then wash the grains with 1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Bring wort to a boil. When the boil starts, remove the brewpot from the burner and slowly add all of the dried malt extract, stirring to dissolve. Return to a boil, then add 1 oz. (28 g) of Columbus hops and boil for 60 minutes. With 30 minutes left in your boil add 1 oz. (28 g) Amarillo® hops. With 5 minutes left in the boil add 1 oz. (28 g) additional Columbus, and at the end of the boil add another 0.5 oz. (14 g) of Amarillo® hops.

At the end of the boil turn off the heat, add all of the liquid malt extract, and stir until all malt is dissolved. Strain the hot wort into a fermenter filled with approximately 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of cold water top off to the 5.5 gallon (21 L) mark. Pitch your yeast when the temperature of the beer is less than 78 °F (26 °C), and allow to cool to 68 °F (20 °C) for fermenting. Since this is a high gravity beer, make a yeast starter or use multiple packages of beer yeast.

Dry hop with 1 oz. (28 g) of Centennial pellets after about 4 days of fermentation. When fermentation is complete, wait about 3 more days for a diacetyl rest, and then bottle or keg your beer.

Tips for Success:
Rye malt is a bit smaller than barley malt and can be a bit harder to crush. To be sure you get a good crush, mill your rye separately from the 2-row, setting the mill to a tighter gap.

There’s a chance that rye can hang up the mash if you use more than 10% of it in a recipe. This recipe shouldn’t give you trouble, but if for some reason you find that rye gives you lautering problems, it would be okay to add some rice hulls to keep the grain bed fluffy and keep things moving.

— Steve Bader

Issue: September 2015