Date: October 2011
Choc clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis beer has had many different variants. This clone recipe is close to the current version, which is a cloudy, unfiltered wheat/barley beer with some funky ale flavors, 4.0% alcohol, lots of fruitiness from a warm fermented Hefeweizen yeast. Choc is bottle conditioned, and not filtered prior to bottling, so it can have large amounts of sedimentation at the bottom of the bottle. There is also a bit of lemony flavor to Choc, typical of a wheat beer.
Dixie Brewing Co.’s Dixie clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDixie is an American Pilsner style beer, with adjunct levels a bit lower than most of “Grandpa’s beers.” This extra maltiness gives a bit more robust flavor to it, and a slightly darker color. Its yeast flavor leans more toward the Pilsner style, but uses American hops so that their characteristic citrus flavor comes through.
Olympia Premium Lager Beer clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyOlympia has a very clean flavor, a little malt flavor, a little corn flavor and a little rice flavor, with just a bit of citrus from American hops. There is debate whether the “new” version brewed in California is as good as the original version brewed in Olympia, WA. Afterall, supposedly: “It’s the water.”
Regional Retro Beers
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAfter Prohibition, U.S. beer was almost completely homogenized down to a style that we now call American lager or American Pilsner. But if you ask Grandpa about his favorite beer, the talk about hardship fades away and his eyes grow soft misty.
Theodore Hamm’s Brewing Company’s Hamm’s clone
FREEHamm’s is crisp, refreshing and very light in color and body. It typically has very high carbonation levels that cover any sweetness that might be present. This beer is brewed with a double mash and is diluted upon packaging as all American-style Pilsners are.
Latrobe Brewing Company: Rolling Rock Extra Pale clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyRolling Rock Extra Pale is the United States leader in a beer using an “off-flavor” to differentiate itself from all of the other American pale lagers. Rolling Rock has made a name for itself by brewing a pale lager with a significant amount of DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) in its flavor profile.
Tröegs Independent Brewing: Nugget Nectar Ale clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyReleased each fall after the hop harvest, Nugget Nectar is an imperial amber ale featuring an explosion of pine, resin, and mango hop flavors and aromas.
Storing yeast starters
FREEReusing yeast is certainly one of those things that makes sense from a cost-savings perspective. Indeed, brewers have been harvesting yeast crops at the end of fermentation, temporarily storing the yeast and
Brew U: Getting A Serious Brewing Education
FREEIf you’re looking to turn pro, getting a brewing education will give you a leg up on the competition. Learn your options for getting some serious brew schooling. Plus: “Why Go Pro?,” an essay by Jamil Zainasheff.
Choosing A Brew School: Tips from the Pros
FREETips on choosing the right brewing education from three brewing educators.
Making Specialty Grains
FREEThe Wiz lavishly answers questions from two frugal homebrewers on saving your brewers yeast and making your own specialty grains.
Build A Hardwood Beer Box: Projects
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBuild a hardwood homebrew box with a nautical theme.