All-Grain - Caffrey's Irish Ale clone

Captain_Bigelow · 10-16-2010, 05:12 AM

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast London Ale 1028
Yeast Starter: Yes
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.047
Final Gravity: 1.011
IBU: 27.1
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 2 weeks @ 65-72
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 4-6 weeks @ 65-72
Tasting Notes: Smooth creamy caramel flavor.

This is my first recipe which I have posted on this forum. Caffrey's was one of my favorite beers in the UK before I moved to the USA. Unfortunately Coors bought the brewery which makes Caffrey's and canceled export to the USA a few years back.

This beer is kind of a hybrid. On CO2 it is a basic English bitter. But add your Nitrogen (beer gas) and you have your creamy tasting Irish ale.

If you have a stout faucet and looking for something lighter than a regular stout I recommend this. I have not had a real Caffrey's for several years, so can not comment on the taste compared to the original, but believe it is pretty similar.

It is very smooth and has a creamy caramel flavor. There is also some fruitiness from the 1028 yeast used.

Ingredients
9lb 8oz Maris Otter
7oz Crystal 60L
3oz Torrified Wheat
2oz Chocolate Malt

0.75oz Northern Brewer 9.7% - 60 mins
0.25oz East Kent Goldings 6.5% - 60 mins

1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast 1028)

Mash for 60 mins at 153

Boil for 60 mins

Teaman · 10-17-2010, 07:00 PM

Sweet. Thanks for the post. I will try this one. I used to get Caffreys at the bars here but then.... poof. As you said. I'll give it a go!

Roudy · 10-20-2010, 06:03 PM

I used to love Caffrey's - fell in love with it in some pubs in Wales and Ireland. Bitterly disappointed in Coors about discontinuing it here in order to support their Killian's swill. I've written them twice about making it available in the U.S. I'm going to try this soon. I make almost exclusively IPA's and IIPA's, but I love the "quaff-ability" of a true Irish Ale.

brrman · 10-20-2010, 06:17 PM

VERY glad you posted this! I have been searching for a proven Caffrey's clone for a long time.

Captain_Bigelow · 10-20-2010, 11:33 PM

I am interested to hear your guys feedback. The color is darker than the real thing, but I like the taste. I found that this beer really gets better with age. I would recommend that you leave it at least 6 weeks before kegging.

Also like I said in my original post, the key to this recipe is the nitrogen set-up. Without it, you won't have anything similar to the original.

boxerbrew · 03-01-2011, 01:52 AM

just finishing the last one. I used WLP 004 and a little more chocolate malt. Was good though. Definitely on the repeat list. This ones an easy drinker.......very close to a mild.

**maltoftheearth** · 03-23-2011, 01:59 PM

Wow, I am so happy to have found this. Makes me think that a nitrogen setup is something to try.

I first tasted McCaffrey's about a month before it disappeared from a local pub in Charlottesville, VA. It was a fantastic beer, I enjoyed two long nights of session drinking with it and went back for a third and it was gone forever. Definitely next on my list of what to brew.

Captain_Bigelow · 03-23-2011, 08:59 PM

I have to brew me another batch of this soon, it's been almost 6 months.

**maltoftheearth** · 05-02-2011, 01:53 PM

Bumpity bump -- brewed this yesterday and it was smelling fantastic. That 1028 has a heck of an initial fermentation, am counting down the days to enjoying this great beer once again!

dogunter · 07-08-2011, 11:16 PM

We just returned from a trip to the UK and I brought 8 nitrogen-pack cans of Caffreys back with me. We also found it on tap while there and I fell in love with it all over again. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe on my next brew day and seeing how it compares. Thanks for posting this!