Writer: Scott Russell
Lindeman’s Lambic clone
Lindemans was founded in 1822 and has a solid reputation as a blender and brewer of traditional, authentic lambics. The brewery produces four fruit lambics: kriek (cherry), cassis (black current), peche (peach) and framboise (raspberry). This same basic recipe also can be used to emulate other fruit lambics, from fraise (strawberry) to druiven (muscat grape).
— Brouwerij Lindemans, Vlezenbeek
Corsendonk Monk’s Brown Ale clone
Corsendonk is an Abbey beer, not a Trappist beer. This designation means the beer is brewed not at an abbey, but under license from — or at least in the style of — a Trappist monastery. In the case of Corsendonk, the name is taken from an Augustine priory that produced beer from the 1600s until the 1780s. Whether the Augustine brothers brewed anything remotely resembling modern Corsendonk is debatable, but they have licensed their name to the beer since 1982.
– Brouwerij Bios, Ertvelde
Spruce Bock
Here’s a hearty holiday beer with an unusual spice — evergreen needles. Spruce tips, the new-growth of spruce trees, give a unique, characteristic flavor to beer. This flavor is not “piney,” as many people suppose. Spruce tips can be found through an internet search. For best results, age your beer several months before sampling it.
Habanero Stout
Perfect for celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day in Tijuana, this dry, black stout will drive the snakes out of any place you want. Roasted barley goes well with hot peppers, if only you let it.
Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chile Beer clone
This recipe is an attempt to clone Cave Creek Chili Beer, which was originally brewed by Crazy Ed’s Black Mountain Brewing in Cave Creek, Arizona with a chili pepper placed in each bottle. This golden lager looks harmless enough (unless there’s a chili lurking in the bottle!) but if you’re not careful, that hot stuff will reach right out of the glass and tear your throat open!
Classic Rauchbier
This is a Bamberg-style reddish lager, sweet and substantial like a Marzen, with the distinctive smokiness of a beechwood fire.
Peat Smoked Wee Heavy
This is a big, rich, malty and strong brew – the smoke, although present, seems restrained compared to all the other flavors.
Vermont Pub and Brewery’s Smoked Porter clone
Vermont Pub & Brewery smokes their own malts over apple, maple, and hickory woodchips to recreate this 17th century style robust ale. You can smoke your own malts, or buy rauchmalt as an alternative.
Sudwerks’ Hubsch Marzen clone
According to Sudwerk’s website, “Choice hops and five different specialty malts are combined to produce this rich, amber and copper-toned lager. Sweeter in flavor than Sudwerk’s other core offerings, the Märzen has a full robust character with a smooth, zen-like finish.”
Bitburger Premium clone
Ahh, Bitburger. It’s a long-time favorite of U.S. servicemen stationed in Germany. This beer is made in the town of Bitburg in the Eifel Lake region of Germany’s Rhineland. Bright gold in color, with a flashy carbonation and lasting pearly-white head, “Bit” is a classic northern German and Scandinavian style pilsner. All-malt Bitburger uses a proprietary yeast strain that gives the beer a super-clean finish.
Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Red Tail Ale clone
One of the classic and original American Amber Ales.
Alaskan Brewing Co’s Alaskan Amber clone
This beer was first brewed commercially by Douglas City Brewing in the late 1800s and later by Geoff Larson, who in 1986 founded his Alaskan Brewing Company. His amber has won a slew of awards since then, including several Great American Beer Festival medals and a first-place finish at the 1996 World Beer Championships.
Alaskan Amber is an altbier, more in the Münster tradition than the Düsseldorfer (in other words, it’s sweeter, richer, less bitter and less dry).
