Special Issue: 250 Classic Clone Recipes
Recipe
BrewDog Punk IPA clone
Punk IPA clone BrewDog, Scotland (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.056 FG = 1.015 IBU = 35 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.6% Ingredients 11.6 lbs. (5.3 kg) Maris Otter extra
Recipe
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company: Blue Dot Double IPA clone
Named for plant Earth and brewed in honor of Earth Day, this double IPA is brewed at the brewery with organic malts and a combo of intese hops. It features lots of herbal, floral, citrus, grapefruit, raw honey, and fresh mint hop aromas.
Recipe
Samuel Smith Brewery: India Ale clone
Samuel Smith Brewery: India Ale (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.050 FG = 1.012 IBU = 50 SRM = 9 ABV = 5% This classic beer is brewed with well water
Recipe
Harpoon Brewery: Harpoon IPA
This Harpoon classic started out as a summer seasonal in 1993 and ended up becoming one of the brewery’s biggest sellers. It is a crisp, clean, fairly traditional English IPA that will always be in style.
Recipe
Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale clone
Bell’s flagship IPA is brewed with 100% Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest and named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Recipe
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Celebration clone
First brewed in 1981, Sierra Nevada explains that Celebration Ale is one of the earliest examples of an American-style IPA, and it’s still one of the few hop-forward holiday beers. The intense, hop-heavy beer features Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops.
Recipe
Saint Arnold Brewing Co.’s Elissa IPA
“A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of an India Pale Ale (IPA) style.”
Recipe
North Coast Brewing Co.’s Acme IPA clone
North Coast Brewing Co.’s Acme IPA clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.062 FG = 1.011 IBU = 56 SRM = 7 ABV = 6.6% Ingredients 11.33 lbs. (5.1 kg) Great Western
Recipe
Lagunitas Brewing Company: Lagunitas IPA clone
The flagship IPA that Lagunitas built their brewing name on is a well-rounded West Coast IPA with lots of hop complexity and a solid malty balance.
Recipe
Rogue Ales: Imperial Pale Ale (I2PA) clone
Part of Rogue Ale’s XS series of beers, their I2PA features an intense hopping regiment and is aged for 9 months before leaving the brewery.
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Elder clone
Originally brewed to be part of a first-ever “Double IPA festival” back in 2000, Pliny has become the standard by which many modern double IPAs are measured. As with any hop-heavy beer, Pliny is best enjoyed fresh, while the massive hop aroma is at its peak.
Recipe
Bear Republic Brewing Company: Racer 5 IPA clone
This full-bodied West Coast IPA is one of America’s most medal-winning IPAs.
Recipe
Bear Republic Brewing Company: Hop Rod Rye clone
This high-gravity IPA is brewed with 18% rye malt and has a floral hop aroma and caramel notes.
Recipe
Three Floyds Brewing Company: Dreadnaught clone
This unforgettable imperial IPA features an intense citrus hop aroma and a huge malt body.
Recipe
Alesmith Brewing Company: Alesmith IPA clone
This well-balanced West Coast IPA is a San Diego classic that is filled with aromas of grapfruit and tangerine, fresh pine, and tropical fruit.
Recipe
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: 90-Minute IPA clone
90 Minute IPA was the first beer that Dogfish Head brewed using their continuous hopping technique of adding hops throughout the boil. Esquire magazine has called it “perhaps the best IPA in America.”
Recipe
Merriman Old Fart clone
Sadly, Merriman’s Brewery in Leeds is apparently no longer brewing. The information that I have for this beer is: OG: 1.050. Malt bill: Halcyon pale malt, crystal malt, wheat malt, pale chocolate malt, roast barley. Hops: Liberty, Progress. IBU: 32. When one has no information about malt bill proportions, the only option is to guess. However, we are aware of the usual style guideline ranges for using specialty grains, so we can use these as a starting point.
Recipe
Oakhill Brewery’s Yeoman Strong Ale clone
The Oakhill Brewery in Somerset closed down when the owner retired. This beer has obviously been renamed during its history and the information that I have for it is: OG: 1.049–1.050. Malt bill: 91.5% Triumph or Halcyon pale malt, 8.5% crystal malt. Hops: Bramling Cross, Challenger, Fuggles, Goldings. In this case, we have malt bill proportions, but no IBU, so again we have to guess. However, style guidelines are a good guide to expected ballpark IBU.
Recipe
Harpoon Brewery: English Style Old Ale clone
Inspired by the sustaining winter offerings of many English breweries, this complex and malty brew is marked by significant alcohol warmth, balanced bitterness, biscuit/roasted undertones, and sublime mouthfeel.
Recipe
George Gale & Co.’s Gale Prize Old Ale clone
This opens with a deep caramel apple character with notes of plums and sultanas. The tart fruity finish has hints of raisins and a spiciness lent by the rustic hops. One of the best examples of an old ale on the market.
Recipe
Great Divide Brewing Company: Old Ruffian clone
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward barleywine with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness.
Recipe
Paper City Brewery’s Winter Palace Wee Heavy clone
One of the original microbreweries in Massachusetts, Paper City Brewery closed its doors in 2016 but you can still brew this classic Wee Heavy using this recipe.
“We use pale and roasted malt to give our ale a rich, full maltiness and a deep, dark amber color. The nature of a WEE HEAVY makes for a higher alcohol percentage but this softens and counterbalances the sweet maltiness of the ales.”
Recipe
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery: Hope and King Scotch Ale clone
This exceptionally smooth beer showcases the beauty of malted barley, as notes of caramel, toffee, and toasted chocolate rise from its mahogany depths. Hope & King has won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
Recipe
Olde Burnside Brewing Co.’s Ten Penny Ale clone
According to Olde Burnside’s website, “Our flagship Scottish Ale. Malty with a hint of caramel and a little background smokiness. Just enough hops to balance the malts. Very sessionable.”
Recipe
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.’s Summer Solstice Seasonal Ale clone
Anderson Valley describes this summer sipper as a slightly sweet, malty session beer with a creamy mouthfeel and clean finish.
Recipe
Ice Harbor Brewing: Runaway Red Ale clone
Full-bodied amber ale with crystal, carastan and carapils providing subtle dark fruit malt character and Willamette, Cascade and Tettnang hops giving a subtle fruit hop character.
Recipe
Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse: Whistling Pig Red Ale clone
Jasper Murdock’s is a small brewpub located in the The Norwich Inn located in Norwich, Vermont. Their Whistling Pig Red Ale is a classic Irish red ale with subtle hop nose provided by EKG hops.
Recipe
Mt. Shasta Brewing Co.’s Abner Weed Amber Ale clone
Leaning more towards the malty side of the spectrum, Abner Weed Amber Ale balances itself out with a touch of American hops and clean yeast profile.
Recipe
Cashmere Brewing Co.’s Bulldog Amber clone
Cashmere Brewing Co. closed it’s doors in 2009 but fans of the brewery can still brew up their Bulldog Amber ale with this recipe.
Recipe
Rogue Ales’ St. Rogue Red Ale clone
For a beers like Saint Rogue Red, a style in which the hops are more predominant, John Maier says that “Increased percentages of specialty malts also allow for increased amounts of hops. This helps create balance in the beer.”
Recipe
Cambridge Brewing Company Amber clone
“Well balanced, medium-bodied, with a deep amber-red color, this beer’s complex palate covers all the bases. A malty caramel sweetness is followed by notes of chocolate and a dry, slightly roasty finish, complemented by a touch of fruity, spicy hops.”
Recipe
Full Sail Brewing Company Amber Ale clone
Full Sail’s flagship amber ale has earned the brewery multiple awards, including more than 20 gold medals. It is a sweet, malty, medium-bodied ale with a spicy, floral hop finish.
Recipe
Triple Rock Brewery’s Dragon’s Milk Brown Ale clone
An English brown ale with enough hop bite to balance the malt backbone.
Recipe
Long Trail Brewing Co.’s Double Bag Alt clone
A German Style Alt. Long Trail Brewing Co. describes this beer on it’s website, “This double altbier features a distinct malt presence balanced by a subtle hop backbone that delivers a smooth, complex drinking experience. At 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, this is one brew worth milking.”
Recipe
Iron Horse: Brown Ale clone
This recipe has since been retired, but recipe provides a classic American-style brown ale.
Recipe
Elk Grove Brewery and Restaurant: Otis Alt clone
This beer should be bitter and have a nice “Spalty” nose to it. But to keep the hops from overwhelming the palate the malt has to come through as well. The roasty undertones of the Munich and Vienna malts complement the aggressiveness of the hops very well.
— Bill Wood, Brewmaster
Recipe
Bell’s Brewery Best Brown Ale clone
A smooth, toasty brown ale. Aromas of caramel and cocoa.
Recipe
Carolina Brewing Co.’s Nut Brown Ale clone
According to Carolina Brewing Co., “A medium bodied, dark brown ale with a complex chocolatey, toasted malt taste. It has a dry finish that makes it distinct from some of the sweeter brown ales. We use five different types of malted barley to give the beer its color and variety of malt flavors.”
Recipe
Capital Brewery: Brown Ale clone
This brown ale (now retired) out of Middleton, Wisconsin is clear and dark amber color with a solid, malty backbone.
Recipe
Tommyknocker Brewery: Imperial Nut Brown Ale
This rich ale gets its complexity from pure maple syrup as well as chocolate and crystal malts.
