Recipe

Big Rock Brewery: Warthog Ale clone

Big Rock Brewery: Warthog Ale

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.045 FG = 1.011
IBU = 15 SRM = 6 ABV = 4.3%

Warthog Ale is a crossbreed of a British mild ale and an American cream ale. It’s a lighter-bodied beer, with some crystal malt for a bit of a malty flavor and relatively low hop bitterness. The description on the Big Rock Website also states that this beer has some resemblance to British brown ales, with a nutty finish.

Ingredients
8 lbs. 14 oz. (4 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
3.5 AAU Willamette hops (60 min.) (0.70 oz./20 g at 5% alpha acids)
4 AAU Centennial hops (3 min.) (0.44 oz./12 g at 9% alpha acids)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) or Wyeast 1275 (Thames Valley Ale) yeast (1.25 qt./1.25 L yeast starter)
3/4 cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
Mash your grains at 151 °F (66 °C) for 45 minutes using 12 qts. (11 L) of mash water. Collect 5 gallons (19 L) of wort and add 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops and Irish moss at times indicated in ingredient list. After the boil, chill the wort rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C). Aerate the wort well and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). When the beer has reached final gravity, bottle or keg as normal. Age for two weeks before serving.

Partial Mash Option: Scale the 2-row pale malt down to 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg). Add 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Coopers Light dried malt extract and 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Coopers Light liquid malt extract (late addition). Place the crushed malts in a nylon steeping bag and steep in 3 qts. (2.8 L) of water at 150 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Rinse the grains with 1.5 qts. (~1.5 L) of water at 170 °F (77 °C). Add water to make 3 gallons (11 L), stir in the dried malt extract, and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list. Add the liquid malt extract and Irish moss with 15 minutes left in the boil. When done boiling, cool the wort, transfer to a fermenter, and top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with cool water. Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.

Issue: November 2001

Warthog Ale is a crossbreed of a British pale mild ale and an American cream ale. It’s a lighter-bodied beer, with some crystal malt for a bit of a malty flavor and relatively low hop bitterness. The description on the Big Rock Website also states that this beer has some resemblance to British brown ales, with a nutty finish.