Recipe

Magic Hat Brewing Co.’s Feast of Fools clone

Feast of Fools clone
(Magic Hat Brewing Co., Vermont)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.020
IBU = 29 SRM = 56 ABV = 5.2%

“This beer is more along the style of a sweet stout. There’s no milk sugar, but we use one pound of fresh raspberries per gallon!” — Magic Hat head brewer Matt Cohen

Ingredients
9.25 lbs. (4.2 kg) Crisp 2-row pale malt
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) CaraPils malt (15 °L)
1.66 lbs. (0.75 kg) crystal malt (70 °L)
0.26 lbs. (0.12 kg) chocolate malt
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) roasted barley
1.0 fl. oz. (3.5 mL) blackstrap molasses
5.0 lbs. (2.3 kg) fresh raspberries (secondary)
8 AAU Warrior hops (60 mins) (0.5 oz./14 g of 16% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) yeast
0.75 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash at 156 °F (69 °C). Boil wort for 90 minutes adding all hops after 30 minutes. Add molasses with 15 minutes left in boil. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C) for 7 days. Add raspberries in secondary.

Feast of Fools clone
(Magic Hat Brewing Co., Vermont)

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.020
IBU = 29 SRM = 56 ABV = 5.2%

Ingredients
1 lb. 14 oz. (0.85 kg) light dried malt extract
4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) light liquid malt extract
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.5 lbs. (0.23 kg) CaraPils malt (15 °L)
1.66 lbs. (0.75 kg) crystal malt (70 °L)
0.26 lbs. (0.12 kg) chocolate malt
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) roasted barley
1.0 fl. oz. (3.5 mL) blackstrap molasses
5 lbs. (2.3 kg) fresh raspberries (secondary)
8 AAU Warrior hops (60 mins) (0.5 oz./14 g of 16% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) yeast
0.75 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Place crushed specialty grains in large grain bag and steep at 156 °F (69 °C) in 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water in your brewpot. Steep for 30–45 minutes. After steep, remove grain bag and let drip dry. Add dried malt extract and 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water to brewpot and bring to a boil. (To save time, you can heat the additional water during the steep in a separate pot.) Add hops at beginning of boil. Stir in molasses and liquid malt extract with 15 minutes left in the boil. (Stir well to avoid scorching.) After boil, cool wort and siphon to fermenter. Add water to make 5 gallons (19 L), aerate and pitch yeast. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C) then rack to secondary fermenter (use a bucket) and add raspberries.

Thanks to Matt Cohen for providing all the details necessary to formulate this Feast of Fools clone.

“This beer is more along the style of a sweet stout. There’s no milk sugar, but we use one pound of fresh raspberries per gallon!” — Magic Hat head brewer Matt Cohen (now owner of Fiddlehead Brewing Co. in Shelburne, Vermont)