Article

Celebrating Sierra Nevada: Brewing Tips & Clone Recipes

About twelve years ago, I first met Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Founder Ken Grossman at the Northern California Homebrew Festival in Napa, California. Ken was the keynote speaker. His talk began with sharing the mistakes he had made over the years at Sierra Nevada. One of the many stories that surprised me related to when Sierra Nevada had grown to need a bigger bottling line. After purchasing a bottling line through an ad, sight unseen, Ken found that it was not in working order upon arrival. Without the funds to be able to buy a new bottle line, Ken had to figure out a way to make it work. To make matters worse, the company that created the bottling line, was no longer in business and the parts didn’t exist to make it operable. So he took classes on refrigeration at a local trade college, and spent quite a bit of time in every welding class offered, to hone his skills.

“We all had to learn the hard way,” said Ken, “as the other breweries back then that didn’t embrace that notion as well as they should have, and either ran out of money or did such a poor job of crafting their breweries that they had lots of quality problems.”

To understand the impact of Ken’s participation in the craft brewing industry, I talked to other craft brewers in the industry. Matthew Brynildson, Brew Master at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. commented, “I believe the craft brewing world would have a much different landscape if it were not for Ken Grossman and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. They have set and continue to set the standards by which the rest of us work toward.”

I took some time to talk to Ken about the history and growth of Sierra Nevada. We discussed the early days of Sierra Nevada and what was available to the small brewer. “Back in the late seventies, when I started the plant, there were no places to buy homebrew equipment and homebrewing really was at a pretty primitive state as far as the technology and information that was available. Going from a serious homebrewer to an aspiring craft brewer or small brewer, you had to do it yourself.”

Ken still has the original brewing notes for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale batches one through ten. As they honed that recipe for their first commercial experiments, they changed the water salts, hop varieties and crystal malts. The Pale Ale they currently produce is almost identical to the one they brought to market back in the beginning, except for the hop varieties, but Cascade has always been the dominant hop. The barley varieties have changed, starting with Klages back in those days, then changing to Harrington, then AC Metcalfe, then to some of the newer varieties.

In 1983, Sierra Nevada began to gain a great deal of notoriety. An article highlighting Sierra Nevada’s beers was written in the San Francisco Examiner about the same time they made a connection with someone who was a buyer for a big grocery store chain. The grocery chain started to promote the beer and from then on, they couldn’t make enough beer to keep up with the demand.

Ken went to Germany in late 1983 to buy a brewhouse, the one that currently sits next to the pub at their Chico, California brewery right now. Yet when they bought the brewhouse, no one would lend them the money to install it. So once again, Ken had to figure out how to make his brewery come alive. He stored it in a warehouse for almost four years until he could borrow enough money to install it. So Sierra Nevada expanded from brewing three thousand barrels to almost twelve thousand barrels when they finally had enough cash to build a twentieth century brewery in 1988. The original brewery that Ken built was sold to Mad River Brewery and continues to be their brewhouse to this day.

Being a privately held company has allowed Sierra Nevada to be the kind of business they want to be. With no shareholders to answer to, Ken has been able to make choices that many breweries might not be willing or able to make. Good friends with Ken for over 10 years, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales said, “Ken has been a great mentor for me, on how he kept Sierra Nevada a privately held company.”

This independence has allowed Ken and Sierra Nevada to be one of the greenest breweries on the planet. With more solar panels than Google, 85% of the energy used at the brewery is generated on-site. All the methane gas that is a by-product of the waste water treatment plant, is captured and re-purposed to fire the brew kettles. Ken’s philosophy of business is captured in the following comment, “I acknowledge that Sierra Nevada uses a lot of natural resources; we use water, we use energy and transportation. All of those things that it takes to make a bottle of beer and ship it to a variety of locations throughout the country. So it is important to be as responsible as we can and to try to be as efficient and use as little resources as possible and hopefully others will do the same.”

Sierra Nevada currently has 450 employees, 4 of which are in charge of making the brewery more efficient, to look at new technology and improve the green infra-structure. In another effort to highlight freshness, while also continuing to have a full circle mentality, almost 9 acres of hops are grown on the Chico campus. Cascade, Citra® and Chinook varieties can be seen from the nearby road as one drives over the freeway. There is an additional 5 acres of land used to grow 2-row barley. Both the hop and barley fields are certified organic. All the compost that fertilizes the fields comes from a compost machine that turns all the food scraps from the on-site restaurant and the spent grain into organic nutrients. The barley crop yield dictates the amount of Estate Ale that is brewed each year. The remaining house grown hops are added into the Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. Sierra Nevada now has six year-round beers (Pale Ale, Torpedo, Kellerweis, Porter, Stout and Ovila Dubbel) and four seasonal brews (Ruthless Rye IPA, Summerfest, Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and Celebration), plus the Limited Release Series (including Bigfoot Barleywine, and Brux) and a variety of other beers.

Ken collaborated with many of his peers to celebrate Sierra Nevada turning 30. To commemorate the anniversary of the brewery, creative brews were developed with Fritz Maytag (Anchor Brewing Co.), Jack McAuliffe (New Albion Brewery), Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhardt. Each beer is another example of Ken’s willingness to promote the craft of beer and highlight his relationships, giving back to those who have shared so much with him. Vinnie Cilurzo, who worked with Ken and his son Brian Grossman on the Brux Collaboration project, said, “In my mind, Ken is the most influential person in the entire craft beer industry because of his attention to quality. Ken doesn’t do anything the easy way, but he always does it the right way. No matter what it takes, quality always comes first!”

The Chico campus also has an impressive and fully equipped ten barrel brewhouse, complete with several conicals and water filters flowing all the way to a kegging line. This microbrewery is used for brewing test batches that can be easily scaled up to the 200 barrel brewhouse. This is where several test batches of Ruthless Rye IPA were brewed; one dry hopped, another batch put through a torpedo and another to tweak the recipe. Yet, this isn’t the only purpose of this brewery in a brewery. Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp was created for customers, bar owners, and industry people who want to learn more about what it takes to make beer. “Beer Camp has been a real fun project for us,” said Ken. “We have done over 80 different beers now. We have learned a bit and stretched our brewing horizons with the input of a bunch of people.”
“That part of the business, in reality, probably doesn’t make any money, but it’s fun to do, it keeps some interest and builds excitement, shows what we are up to and lets us spread our wings a little bit and learn from some of our respected peers,” said Ken.

“The advantage of Beer Camp is that it allows us to brew beers we wouldn’t normally brew,” Brian Grossman said.

Earlier this year, the Churchkey in Washington, DC had a “Tap Takeover” with all 55 taps switching over to Sierra Nevada brews, the largest number of taps in one location featuring one brewery in craft beer history. Only 8 kegs of those 55 brews were older than 10 months; Bigfoot and a few barrel aged beers filled those tap lines while the other 47 brews were all fresh brews highlighting different styles and brewery collaborations.

Asheville Expansion
The Chico campus has a million barrel capacity per year. Current demand has Sierra Nevada brewing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and now pushing close to 900,000 barrels of beer in production. Expansion was imminent and another campus had to be developed. With the carbon footprint of shipping beer as another reason to build on the other side of the Mississippi, locations on the East Coast were looked at and analyzed. Water played a big part in selecting the new brewery site just outside Asheville, North Carolina. Ken said, “We dug several wells before we bought the property. The first one was fairly deep, a 600-foot well that had great water, but not much volume, then we drilled a second one that had the same water and more volume, so we have our own well on-site, that has incredible water, low in minerals, no silica and none of the issues we had to deal with in Chico. Water made a big impact on our decision. The site we looked at just on the other side of the Smokys had slightly more challenging water from the river it flowed. The temperature flux, additional algal issues during the summer were just some of the reasons why we did not select that site.”

Once fully built, the North Carolina brewery will have a 750,000 barrel per year capacity. The new brewery will feature the same 200 barrel brewhouse as Chico, but instead of two kettles, there will be a wort receiver, to increase productivity. New technology is going into their hop strainers, since their beers are very hop forward; small investments will pay big rewards down the line.

“The new brewhouse will be more efficient, with new technologies like a bigger lauter tun. When the 1997 brewhouse was installed in Chico, the thought process of having big year around beers like Torpedo (Extra IPA) wasn’t in our thinking. This bigger lauter tun will get us better runoffs with bigger gravity beers like Torpedo,” says Brian. As part of the expansion, Brian and his new bride Gina have moved to North Carolina to oversee the brewery installation and continue to immerse the Sierra Nevada culture to that location. “To see Brian start from a ten-year-old kid to the young man he is today, and take the reins and help build the new North Carolina brewery is very exciting and rewarding,” said Terence Sullivan, Assistant Brew Master and Field Educator at Sierra Nevada.

“We harvested all the timber that we took off the land, yielding over 100,000 board foot of finished lumber that we had all kiln-dried and are going to utilize all in the construction. We try to be as environmentally conscious as we can and how cool will it be when people ask, ‘Well what happened to all the trees that were here?’ and I can literally point to the seats and tables they are sitting in, the bar they are standing next to, everything taken from the land will be utilized,” Brian said of their commitment to being green and the underlying philosophy of what his father started.

Sierra Nevada will continue to follow their dedication to composting. However they will not do it themselves, but will work with farmers to compost the restaurant food waste and brewery by-products. They are also installing a rail spur to receive grain, not just for the new brewery, but to also have an extra silo dedicated for use with other breweries. This will allow them to be able to save on malt cost and buy in bulk, passing on those savings to the surrounding breweries and reducing the carbon footprint for that particular 2-row barley resource. This is a fundamental shift, helping the local competition in sharing their resources, purchasing power and leading the charge on “green” technology and preserving the Earth. Additionally, Sierra Nevada will open their lab services, sharing this resource with other local brewers allowing them technical information that they cannot get or afford, creating better beer in the surrounding area. A second beer camp will be built on the property as well to support local innovation. A packaging line will be installed with a canning line designed into the plans for North Carolina, but will not start with canned beer. “It will probably be a few years before other beers are canned,” Brian said. So we will have to wait to see Bigfoot Barleywine in a can until the brewery is in full operation. According to Ken they are shooting to do some test batches in early July or August 2013 and have beer in the bottle by the end of the 2013.

Homebrewing Help
What can homebrewers learn from Sierra Nevada? When asked what homebrewers should do to brew the best beer possible, Sierra Nevada Brewmaster Steve Dresler starts with the basics: “Sanitation is job one,” said Dresler. “Your first goal as a brewer is to ensure your beer comes out microbiologically clean. It’s also important to find the best place to source your ingredients. Back in the ‘80s, finding quality ingredients was challenging. Today, between homebrew shops and mail order, it is easier to find fresh ingredients.”

Hoppy beers are, of course, a key part of Sierra Nevada’s success. When brewing hoppy beers, Dresler recommends using whole hops, as Sierra Nevada does. “The use of whole-cone hops has largely fallen out of favor, but I truly believe that for us, it made all the difference. Hop cones add depth and complexity that I have never found from pelletized versions or from hop oil extract. There are thousands of volatile aroma compounds in every varietal of hops that easily fade through mishandling or through the pelletizing process.”

Your water chemistry matters when brewing hoppy beers. Dresler recommends adding some calcium sulfate to your hoppy beers to enhance their hop character. Every beer is different, though, so a blanket recommendation on how much to add can’t be given.

“Play around with the salts (gypsum, calcium chloride, etc.) and take good notes,” said Dresler. “Taste the beer and make adjustments, if needed.”

When selecting hops, Dresler recommends reading the descriptions of hops provided on hop merchant’s websites, and try to build a beer recipe based on that, something he calls “Drinking beer in your head.”
When formulating hoppy recipes, remember that more isn’t always better. Try to build a pleasing aroma profile and consider new hop varieties as they arise. “The first year we brewed Celebration, it was all Cascade. When we added Centennial to the mix, it didn’t have a name, it was just a number,” he said. Many Sierra Nevada brews are dry hopped, and Dresler gives some advice for dry hopping without oxidizing your beer. “Add the dry hops when you still have 1 to 1.5 °Plato (SG 1.004–1.006) left in your fermentation. That way the oxygen introduced along with the hops will be scavenged by the yeast.”

Although homebrewers pay a lot of attention to the alpha acid rating of their hops, they should also be aware of the oil content, especially for late kettle additions and dry hopping. “Oil trends with alpha,” said Dresler, “There isn’t an exact correlation, but higher alpha hops tend to have more oil. Sierra Nevada uses quite a bit of US Magnum these days, for example in our Torpedo, and this is a high oil hop. We also use Crystal, which has nice oils, and Citra®, whose oil is off the charts.”

Aside from paying attention to the nitty gritty details of brewing, a brewer’s outlook also matters. “Brewers should take a no holds barred attitude,” said Dresler, “Beer is an expression of their creativity.”

Sierra Nevada Clone Recipes

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 38 SRM = 10 ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
10 lb. 2 oz. (4.6 kg) 2-row pale malt
11 oz. (0.30 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
4.4 AAU Perle hops (90 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 8.8% alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade hops (45 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 6% alpha acids)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make the yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.

On brew day, mash in at 155 °F (68 °C) in 14 qts. (13 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010.) Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 38 SRM = 10 ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
3 lb. 5 oz. (1.5 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.25 lbs (0.57 kg) light dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) light liquid malt extract
11 oz. (0.30 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
4.4 AAU Perle hops (90 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 8.8% alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade hops (45 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 6% alpha acids)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash grains at 155 °F (68 °C) in 5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 45 minutes. Collect 2.25 gallons (8.5 L) of wort. Add water to make at least 3 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.052 FG = 1.011
IBU = 38 SRM = 10 ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
1 lb. 5 oz. (0.60 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.75 lbs (0.80 kg) light dried malt extract
4.0 lbs. (0.79 kg) light liquid malt extract
11 oz. (1.8 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
4.4 AAU Perle hops (90 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 8.8% alpha acids)
6 AAU Cascade hops (45 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 6% alpha acids)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1 qt./1 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Place crushed grains in a steeping bag. Steep grains at 155 °F (68 °C) in 3.0 qts. (2.9 L) of water. Remove bag and place in a colander over the brewpot. Rinse grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add water to brewpot to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let boil volume dip below 3 gallons (11 L). Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Tips for Success:
For all of the five clone beer recipes, be sure to pitch an adequate amount of yeast. The yeast starter sizes on these pages should allow you to yield the correct amount of yeast cells for a healthy fermentation. Aerate the starter well, preferably with oxygen, before pitching your yeast to the starter wort. If you aerate by shaking the starter, multiply the size of each starter by 1.33.

For the dry hopped recipes, use whole hops if you can find them for dry hopping, and perhaps for the late kettle additions. Use only the freshest hops.

For the hoppy recipes, a little sulfate in your water will accentuate the hop character of the beer. You can add sulfate ions by adding calcium sulfate (gypsum) to your brewing water. All-grain brewers starting with RO or distilled water should add 2–4 tsp. per 10 gallons (38 L) of brewing water. Extract brewers can add 1 tsp. of gypsum to the boil.

Ruthless Rye IPA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.061 FG = 1.012
IBU = 55 SRM = 16 ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
11.25 lbs. (5.1 kg) 2-row pale malt
13 oz. (0.36 kg) rye malt
11 oz. (0.32 kg) caramel malt (40 °L)
1.5 oz. (43 kg) chocolate malt
8 AAU Bravo hops (90 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 16% alpha acids)
9 AAU US Magnum hops (15 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
3 AAU US Magnum hops (5 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 12% alpha acids)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) US Magnum hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.33 qt./1.33 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make the yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. On brew day, mash in at 153.5 °F (67.5 °C) in 16 qts. (15 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 7.0 gallons (26 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010.) Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Ferment at 68 °F(20 °C). Dry hop in secondary for 5 days.

Ruthless Rye IPA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.061 FG = 1.012
IBU = 55 SRM = 16 ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
2 lb. 6 oz. (1.1 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs (0.68 kg) light dried malt extract
4.5 lbs. (2.0 kg) light liquid malt extract
13 oz. (0.36 kg) rye malt
11 oz. (0.32 kg) caramel malt (40 °L)
1.5 oz. (43 kg) chocolate malt
8 AAU Bravo hops (90 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 16% alpha acids)
9 AAU US Magnum hops (15 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
3 AAU US Magnum hops (5 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 12% alpha acids)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) US Magnum hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.33 qt./1.33 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash grains at 153.5 °F (67.5 °C) in 5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 45 minutes. Collect 2.25 gallons (8.5 L) of wort. Add water to make at least 3 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter for 5 days.

Ruthless Rye IPA clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.061 FG = 1.012
IBU = 55 SRM = 16 ABV = 6.6%

Ingredients
6 oz. (0.18 kg) 2-row pale malt
2.0 lbs (0.91 kg) light dried malt extract
5.25 lbs. (2.4 kg) light liquid malt extract
13 oz. (0.36 kg) rye malt
11 oz. (0.32 kg) caramel malt (40 °L)
1.5 oz. (43 kg) chocolate malt
8 AAU Bravo hops (90 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 16% alpha acids)
9 AAU US Magnum hops (15 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (5 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
3 AAU US Magnum hops (5 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 12% alpha acids)
1.0 oz. (28 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) US Magnum hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.33 qt./1.33 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Steep grains at 153.5 °F (67.5 °C) in 3.0 qts. (2.9 L) of water. Rinse grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add water to brewpot to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5.0 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter for 5 days.

Ovila Quad clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.090 FG = 1.015
IBU = 18 SRM = 27 ABV = 10.4%

Ingredients
12 lb. 2 oz. (5.5 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.69 kg) European Pilsner malt
11 oz. (0.32 kg) aromatic malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
5.6 oz. (0.16 kg) Special B malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) chocolate malt (60 °L)
2 lb. 5 oz. (1.1 kg) D2 candi syrup (20 min.)
2.5 AAU Styrian Golding hops (120 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (40 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (20 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) or White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale) yeast (3 qt./3 L yeast starter)
1 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make the yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.

On brew day, mash in at 140 °F (60 °C) in 19 qts. (18 L) of water. Ramp temperature to 150 °F (66 °C). Hold at 150 °F (66 °C) for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 7.5 gallons (28 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010 or above a pH of 5.8.) Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Add candi syrup during final 20 minutes of the boil. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C).

Ovila Quad clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.090 FG = 1.015
IBU = 18 SRM = 27 ABV = 10.4%

Ingredients
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.5 lbs. (0.69 kg) European Pilsner malt
1.55 lbs (0.79 kg) light dried malt extract
5.75 lbs. (2.6 kg) light liquid malt extract
11 oz. (0.32 kg) aromatic malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
5.6 oz. (0.16 kg) Special B malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) chocolate malt (60 °L)
2 lb. 5 oz. (1.1 kg) D2 candi syrup (20 min.)
2.5 AAU Styrian Golding hops (120 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (40 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (20 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) or White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale) yeast (3 qt./3 L yeast starter)
1 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash grains at 148 °F (64 °C) in 5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Collect 2.25 gallons
(8.5 L) of wort from partial mash. Add water to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Add liquid malt extract and candi syrup in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Stir thoroughly to avoid scorching. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5.0 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C).

Ovila Quad clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.090 FG = 1.015
IBU = 18 SRM = 27 ABV = 10.4%

Ingredients
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) European Pilsner malt
2.0 lbs (0.91 kg) light dried malt extract
7.0 lbs. (3.2 kg) light liquid malt extract
11 oz. (0.32 kg) aromatic malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
5.6 oz. (0.16 kg) Special B malt
3.7 oz. (0.11 kg) chocolate malt (60 °L)
2 lb. 5 oz. (1.1 kg) D2 candi syrup (20 min.)
2.5 AAU Styrian Golding hops (120 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (40 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
1.3 AAU Styrian Golding hops (20 min.) (0.25 oz./7.1 g of 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Abbey) or White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale) yeast (3 qt./3 L yeast starter)
1 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Place crushed grains in a steeping bag. Steep grains at 148 °F (64 °C) in 3.0 qts. (2.9 L) of water. (Do this in a separate pot and heat 2 gallons/7.6 L of water in your brewpot during this steep.) Remove bag and place in a colander over the brewpot. Rinse grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add water to brewpot to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let boil volume dip below 3.0 gallons (11 L). Add liquid malt extract and candi syrup in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Stir thoroughly to avoid scorching. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Bigfoot Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.096 FG = 1.026
IBU = 100 SRM = 16 ABV = 9.8%

Ingredients
18.5 lbs. (8.4 kg) 2-row pale malt
1 lb. 7 oz. (0.64 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (150 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (105 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
3.75 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Centennial hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 10% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
1.25 oz. (35 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (3.5 qt./3.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make the yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.

On brew day, mash in at 154 °F (68 °C) in 24 qts. (23 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 9.5 gallons (36 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010.) Boil wort for 150 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary for 5 days.

Bigfoot Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.096 FG = 1.026
IBU = 100 SRM = 16 ABV = 9.8%

Ingredients
2 lb. 9 oz. (1.2 kg) 2-row pale malt
3.0 lbs (1.4 kg) light dried malt extract
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) light liquid malt extract
1 lb. 7 oz. (0.64 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (150 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (105 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
3.75 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Centennial hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 10% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
1.25 oz. (35 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (3.5 qt./3.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash grains at 154 °F (68 °C) in 5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 45 minutes. Collect 2.25 gallons (8.5 L) of wort. Add water to make at least 3.5 gallons (13 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 150 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let the boil volume dip below 3.5 gallons (13 L). Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter for 5 days.

Bigfoot Ale clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.096 FG = 1.026
IBU = 100 SRM = 16 ABV = 9.8%

Ingredients
9 oz. (0.27 kg) 2-row pale malt
3.75 lbs (1.7 kg) light dried malt extract
8.0 lbs. (3.6 kg) light liquid malt extract
1 lb. 7 oz. (0.64 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (150 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
9 AAU Chinook hops (105 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
3.75 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 5% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Centennial hops (10 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 10% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7.1 g) Chinook hops (dry hop)
1.25 oz. (35 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (3.5 qt./3.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Steep grains at 154 °F (68 °C) in 3.0 qts. (2.9 L) of water. Rinse grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add water to brewpot to make at least 3.5 gallons (13 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 150 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let the boil volume dip below 3.5 gallons (13 L). Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5.0 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter for 5 days.

Sierra Nevada Celebration clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.016
IBU = 65 SRM = 12 ABV = 6.8%

Ingredients
12.5 lbs. (5.7 kg) 2-row pale malt
15 oz. (0.43 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (100 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
5 AAU Centennial hops (100 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 10% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make the yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.

On brew day, mash in at 157.5 °F (69.7 °C) in 17 qts. (16 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate until the wort clears. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 6.75 gallons (25.5 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010 or the pH climbs above 5.8.) Boil wort for 100 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary for 5 days.

Sierra Nevada Celebration clone

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.016
IBU = 65 SRM = 12 ABV = 6.8%

Ingredients
3 lb. 1 oz. (1.4 kg) 2-row pale malt
2.0 lbs (0.91 kg) light dried malt extract
4.25 lbs. (1.9 kg) light liquid malt extract
15 oz. (0.43 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (100 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
5 AAU Centennial hops (100 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 10% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash grains at 157.5 °F (69.7 °C) in
5.5 qts. (5.2 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 45 minutes. Collect 2.25 gallons (8.5 L) of wort. Add water to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 100 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let the boil volume dip below 3.0 gallons (11 L). Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Stir thoroughly to avoid scorching. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter for 5 days.

Sierra Nevada Celebration clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.016
IBU = 65 SRM = 12 ABV = 6.8%

Ingredients
1 lb. 1 oz. (0.48 kg) 2-row pale malt
2.5 lbs (1.13 kg) light dried malt extract
5.0 lbs. (2.27 kg) light liquid malt extract
15 oz. (0.43 kg) caramel malt (60 °L)
9 AAU Chinook hops (100 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 12% alpha acids)
5 AAU Centennial hops (100 min.) (0.50 oz./14 g of 10% alpha acids)
7.5 AAU Cascade hops (10 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g of 5% alpha acids)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
1.33 oz. (38 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
0.66 oz. (19 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Fermentis US-05 yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Steep grains at 157.5 °F (69.7 °C) in 3.0 qts. (2.9 L) of water. Rinse grains with 2 qts. (2 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water. Add water to brewpot to make at least 3.0 gallons (11 L) of wort. Stir in dried malt extract and boil wort for 100 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let the boil volume dip below 3.0 gallons (11 L). Add liquid malt extract in the final 15 minutes of the boil. Stir thoroughly to avoid scorching. Chill wort and transfer to fermenter. Top fermenter up to 5.0 gallons (19 L). Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop in secondary fermenter.

 

 

 

Torpedo Hopping
The hop torpedo came into existence after many years of tweaking what is essentially dry hopping. Each torpedo is designed to hold whole hops and push almost finished (carbonated) beer over the leafy flowers, extracting the hop oils and creating more flavor than standard dry hopping allows. The brewer packs each torpedo tube with a 20-lb. (9.1 kg) bucket of hops, using a recipe’s special percentage blend, then uses a special almost football shaped tamper to compact the hop cones into all the corners of the bottom disk. They repeat this process with another 3 loads of hops, filling each torpedo with 80 lbs. (36 kg) of hops total. A hop torpedo is then connected to the 200 barrel tank via hoses and a pump. The pump is set to push 10–15 gallons (38–57 L) of beer at about 25-30 PSI, to re-circulate the whole tank twice through all the hops, over a 4-day period. Before filtration, the yeast has contact time over a few days to take out any of the grassy flavors that the torpedo might impart.

Torpedo Extra IPA is 100% Torpedo hopped with Magnum, Crystal and Citra® whole leaf cones, post-fermentation. Terence tells me, “It gets all its unique character by extracting out certain hop oils from the hops, that traditional dry hopping cannot achieve.” Celebration Ale also gets some time with the Torpedo, with 50% of the beer getting torpedo hopped and 50% traditionally dry hopped, creating that amazing hop character in
every glass.

Building a Homebrewed Torpedo
To make your own homebrew-scale torpedo, start with a water filter housing and create your own filter out of PVC pipe. Measure the pipe to the same length of the water filter that can fit into the housing. Using a 3⁄8-inch drill bit, create a pattern of holes, evenly spaced on the bottom half of the length of the pipe. This will force the beer deeper through the hops packed around it. Connect tubing to the inlet and outlet and perhaps hook up a pump to the inlet, moving the beer from either a conical or a Corny keg. Pack the hops carefully and purge the torpedo with CO2, to avoid any oxygen pickup.

The beer should flow from the original keg (pushed by CO2 or pump), through the filter, and into another keg (purged with CO2). You will have to vent the receiving keg periodically to get the beer to flow. Adjust the speed of the pump and experiment with time and speed to get the best hop character from your torpedo.

Web extra:
Check out a recipe for Pumpkin Bacon and Sierra Nevada Tumbler Pasta Sauce: www.byo.com/component/resource/article/2615

Sean Z. Paxton, The Homebrew Chef, is a homebrewer from Sonoma, California and a frequent contributor to Brew Your Own.

Issue: December 2012