Writer: Dave Green
Brewing with Wheat
When it comes to brewing, barley is king. But barley isn’t the only grain in a brewer’s arsenal; there are plenty of other cereals that are integral to many classic styles, including wheat.
Brewing with Pumpkins: Tips from the Pros
Brewer: Will Meyers, Cambridge Brewing Company in Cambridge, MA In the past, when pumpkin beers took over craft beer shelves each fall, it was an array of various approaches to the same
The Alchemist: Heady Topper clone
The Alchemist specializes in fresh, unfiltered IPAs, and Heady Topper is the brewery’s crown jewel. Featuring a proprietary blend of six hops, this beer boasts a complex and unique bouquet of hop flavor without any astringent bitterness.
Rock Art Brewery: Limited Access clone
Rock Art uses a cleaner American/California Ale strain in this beer compared to some of the other New England IPAs, the unfiltered product still has a glowing haze thanks to the huge late bursting of hops and a high dry hopping rate.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids: Double Sunshine clone
Double Sunshine is a sought-after Vermont Double IPA. It’s packed with juicy tropical fruit flavors and bright herbal aromas thanks to the abundance of US-grown Citra hops.
Hill Farmstead Brewery: Abner clone
Part of Hill Farmstead’s “Ancesteral Series,” Abner was named for Brewmaster Shaun Hill’s great-grandfather, who once owned the land where the brewery now stands. Described as “aromatic and flowery, bursting with notes of citrus and pine,” Abner is just one of the reasons why so many beer lovers make the pilgrimage to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to visit the brewery each year.
Foundation Brewing Company: Epiphany clone
Foundation Head Brewer and Co-Owner Joel Mahaffey says, “The characteristics that I feel are the hallmarks of a Maine IPA are a soft body, modest but solid malt backbone, low bitterness (but sufficient to avoid cloying sweetness), and a dominating hop flavor and aroma profile. Characteristics should lean towards fruit, be it citrus or tropical, but notes of pine and resin are also perfectly acceptable.”
Trillium Brewing Company: Sleeper Street clone
Trillium brewers describe this beer on their website as, “Opaque orange-yellow in color with floral aromas of lime zest, grapefruit peel, pine sap, and candied orange.”
Tree House Brewing Company: Julius clone
This “New England style” IPA is bursting with American hops filled with mango, passionfruit, and citrus.
The Alchemist: Focal Banger clone
While the recipe for Focal Banger has been known to change over the years, the hop combo has been one thing that hasn’t changed.
Weyerbacher Brewing Company: Imperial Pumpkin Ale clone
This hearty, full-bodied, spicy pumpkin ale is rich with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove.
Smuttynose Brewing Company: Pumpkin Ale clone
“This beer was designed to have some nice sweetness created by a mix of caramel malts and we wanted a decent hop presence as well. Over the years we’ve reduced the amount of cloves we’ve added as that one spice always seems to be the one to throw things out of balance. If I was brewing this at home I’d go easy on the clove and add more in later batches if needed.” ~ David Yarrington, Brewmaster
