Writer: Chris Colby
Plzensky Prazdroj’s Pilsner Urquell clone
Brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic, Pilsner Urquell is the original Pilsner beer. Brew this clone with soft water.
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen clone
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen is a well-balanced example of a hefe-weizen. Follow the mash details and watch your fermentation temperatures to get the much sought after “breadiness” and banana/clove aroma of a German hefe-weizen. Prost!
Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat’s Duvel clone
Duvel is the classic Belgian golden ale. Although it is very strong (8.5% ABV), the beer is extremely light in color and dry in taste. The dense, white head that sits above the beer lasts until the beer is done. In the US, bottles of Duvel often show some oxidation in the aroma. Brewing it fresh at home gives you a glimpse of what it tastes like in Belgium. The yeast will not have an easy job here; they are dealing with a high-gravity, high-adjunct wort. Help them (and yourself) out by making a big yeast starter for a high cell count at pitching.
Brasserie D’Orval’s Orval Trappist Ale clone
Orval pours orange-brown with a big, rocky head. The very spritzy levels of carbonation and lightly sour with a distinctive Brett character make the beer feel prickly on the tongue. Orval beer is distinctly dry and has little hop bitterness or flavor, although it is the only Trappist ale to be dry hopped. You’ll really taste the pale malt base, so don’t use US, German or English malts for this.
Venkman’s Vit
You can think of this beer as a cross between a wit beer and and a schwarzbier, although it is not quite that dark. Venkman’s Vit is finished with Sterling hops (whose character is seen by some as a cross between Saaz and Mt. Hood hops) and spiced with the zest from an Oro Blanco Grapefruit (which is a cross between a grapefruit and a pummelo) and should appeal to anyone who thinks that “crossing the streams” might be a great idea.
Bronze Ale
In the March-April 2007 issue of BYO, I used a beer I called my copper ale as an example in an article on balancing beer recipes. This is a slightly reworked version of that beer that features Vanguard hops.
Glutinous Butt (Wheat Porter)
This beer is essentially a porter formulated with a wheat beer base. (The name comes from the fact that wheat has a high gluten content compared to barley and some porters used to be referred to as entire or entire butt.) The Glacier hops give an “earthy” hop flavor to the beer that works well with the roasted grains. Brew this and, at your next homebrew club meeting, everyone will be glad to see your Glutinous Butt.
Red Queen Ale
In Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass,” Alice encounters the Red Queen, who needs to keep running as fast as she can just to stay in place. Like the Red Queen, brewers will be doing some scrambling just to hold their ground in 2008. due to the hop shortage In my Red Queen Ale, I tried to come up with a recipe that made the most of some ingredients that should be plentiful, and of high quality, this year. I chose Santiam and Sterling hops because I liked their spicy character. This year, the US crop of 6-row barley was excellent, whereas 2-row barley crops around the world were variable. This beer is dry and the Nottingham yeast leaves a refreshing crispness.
Converting to Partial Mash
The odds are pretty good that you could brew a partial-mash beer today with your equipment and recipes.
Copper Ale
Copper ales generally tend to lean toward balancing maltiness with hoppiness.
Delicious Dry Stout
Looking for a flavorful beer that won’t floor you? Dry stout is a sumptuous session ale. Learn the keys to brewing this style. Just looking for a recipe? Find tons of great Dry Stout Recipes in our stout recipe index.
Bonneville Flats Bitter
“I brewed this beer on a Sunday and served it to my homebrew club the next Saturday. I thought it would still be green at that point, but it actually tasted finished Friday evening. I designed the recipe and procedures to not only yield a beer that would ferment and conditionquickly, but one that would be quick to put together on brew day.”
— recipe author Chris Colby
