Don’t miss our New England Beer & Baseball adventure in 2026! Click here to register!

recipe

Dirty Hands Brewing Co.’s Liberty Ship Stout clone

This beer has a nice bittersweet chocolate and coffee profile, with just enough hop presence to offset any cloying sweetness. Unfortunately Dirty Hands Brewing closed their doors in 2016, but their legacy can live on.

Dirty Hands Brewing Co.’s Liberty Ship Stout clone, All-Grain

(5 gallons/19 L, all- grain)
OG = 1.057  FG = 1.012
IBU= 23  SRM = 33  ABV = 6%

Ingredients

8.7 lbs. (4 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)
1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
15 oz. (0.42 kg) chocolate malt
2 oz. (57 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
3.9 AAU Galena hop pellets (60 min.) (0.3 oz./8.5 g at 13% alpha acids)
3.2 AAU Centennial hop pellets (30 min.) (0.3 oz./8.5 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
13.2 AAU Simcoe® hop pellets (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This recipe is a single step infusion mash. Mix all of the crushed grains with 4 gallons (15 L) of 166 °F (74 °C) water to stabilize at 153 °F (67 °C). This is a medium mash using 1.4 quarts of strike water per pound of grain (2.9 L/kg). This ratio will help to reduce fermentability. A less fermentable wort is also created by the medium-high mash temperature. Slowly sparge with 175 °F (79 °C) water.
 
Collect approximately 6 gallons (23 L) of wort runoff. Boil for 60 minutes. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment.
 
Once the boil is complete, cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C) and transfer to your fermenter. Pitch the yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 °F (20 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. This may take 6–8 days.
 
Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week. Prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 volumes CO2. Allow the beer to age for at least two more weeks to fully develop the flavors and enjoy your Liberty Ship Stout clone.
 

Dirty Hands Brewing Co.’s Liberty Ship Stout clone, Partial Mash

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.057  FG = 1.012
IBU= 23  SRM = 33  ABV = 6%

Ingredients

3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Briess light liquid malt extract
2 lbs. (0.9 kg) light dried malt extract
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)
1.1 lbs. (0.5 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
15 oz. (0.42 kg) chocolate malt
2 oz. (57 g) Briess Midnight Wheat malt
5.2 AAU Galena hop pellets (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 13% alpha acids)
4.2 AAU Centennial hop pellets (30 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
13.2 AAU Simcoe® hop pellets (0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 13.2% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step 

Steep the milled grain in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 153 °F (67 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (1.8 L) of hot water. Top up with 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) water, add the liquid malt extract and boil for 60 minutes. While performing the boil, add the hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrient as per the schedule.
 
During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment. When the boil is complete add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of cold water in the sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (19 L).
 
Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 °F (20 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. This may take 6–8 days. Transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week. Prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 volumes CO2. Allow the beer to age for at least two more weeks to fully develop the flavors and enjoy your Liberty Ship Stout clone.

You might also like…

recipe

Odell Brewing Co.’s Double Pilsner clone

Like a double IPA, this is a amped up version of a Pilsner from Odell Brewing.

Shaker pint of american pale ale with a large foam head recipe

El Dorado IPA

recipe

Green Leaf Brewing Co.’s Green Leaf Stout clone

With a dense tan head, Green Leaf Brewing’s Stout has a nose that exhibits notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. It’s heavy-bodied w

recipe

Evil Genius Beer Co.’s Purple Monkey Dishwasher Clone