Can You Pick Out the Clone?

Okay, in the same vein as EdWorts Choose the Stone IPA Clone thread, I’ll let you choose?

Which one is the real deal and which is my clone?









A not-so-subtle hint can be found in a recent thread around here about “Clone Brews”.

Yep, one on the right is the real deal - no head will give it away every time.

If it weren't for what you said in the other thread, I'd have guessed that the one on the right was the clone. But you gave it away, so...that's no fun.

where did you find this clone recipe? NC is my favorite beer of all time.. was it a pretty close comparison?

aekdbbop said:

where did you find this clone recipe? NC is my favorite beer of all time.. was it a pretty close comparison?

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I got the base clone recipe from BYO. Problem was that their clone recipe called for brewing two separate beers and then blending them in the same tradition as NewCastle is actually brewed. To make things more complicated, it called for a 3 gallons of one of the beers and two gallons of the other, so simply mixing the ingredient lists and dividing in half wasn’t an option.

So I modeled both beers in BeerSmith and scaled them to the right levels of 60/40 and then blended the two recipes to create a single batch recipe…keeping the IBU, gravity and SRM at target. Kind of a pain, but much less of a pain than brewing two separate beers.

As far as comparison, pretty damn close. Color (as you can see) is spot on. Clarity is identical (using gelatin in the secondary). Aroma is right on and the taste is close…but the original has a real plum-like taste/aroma that hasn’t come though in mine yet. I used the Whitbread yeast and that put a nice fruity aroma in the air, so I think with time that mellow fruitiness will come through. Mine has just a bit more roast flavor to it because of a touch of Roasted Barley, but that will mellow.

As I said, there were a few things I didn’t like about the bottled version so I made a few tweaks to try and improve on something that is already a pretty good beer.

All in all, a pretty darn good brown ale and at 4.7%, just right for a few pints without remorse.

I’ll get the recipe posted soon.

wow .. i didnt know that much work could be put into making a clone! great job btw.. color looks great!

Dude Muncher, you prove your commitment to the obsession on a daily basis.

BierMuncher said:

All in all, a pretty darn good brown ale and at 4.7%, just right for a few pints without remorse.

I’ll get the recipe posted soon.

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Sounds like you obsessed over this clone like I did with Mephistopheles. Fun, ain't it? I just hope Meph comes out as close to the real deal as your Newcastle did.

Funny story about NewCastle. My housemate in college had a huge allowance from his grandparents...so while we were drinking 40's, he was pounding Newcastle like it was his goddamned job. After awhile, just to do it, he started saving the empties. He filled up our entire huge dining table with bottles. He called it the Newcastle Army. It was seriously scary how much of that stuff he drank. Then, one time, to return the favor on a prank he pulled on us, the other guys in the house and I put all the bottles in his bed while he was away. After a night of drinking, he came home and tried to lay down. Yeah, was he ever pissed...

Oh, and um, BM, dude...if you ever have "remorse" after drinking homebrew, then something is wrong. Remorse is different than a hangover...

Evan! said:

...Oh, and um, BM, dude...if you ever have "remorse" after drinking homebrew, then something is wrong. Remorse is different than a hangover...

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True. My only remorse is when the alcohol kicks my @ss before I've had enough to quench my thirst. No headache hangovers for me yet. Though I could swear that every now and again I wake up with a buzz…is that so wrong?

Great story bout your roomy.

TheJadedDog said:

Dude Muncher, you prove your commitment to the obsession on a daily basis.

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Indeed!

Great job.

The clone of your beer is in the bottle.

Damn fine job there. I see another beer swap in the near future.....

Recipe is Posted.

Bastard....

I need to go buy some NCBA NOW!!!!
and I'll have to brew again soon.

Job well done BM......

How close is the taste.

orfy said:

Bastard....

I need to go buy some NCBA NOW!!!!
and I'll have to brew again soon.

Job well done BM......

How close is the taste.

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Pretty close. Mines a bitmore "raosty" as it's only a few weeks old. The commercial has a nice "plum" flavor that isn't quite present yet. The WHitbred yeast definitely gave it some fruit tones, but I think everything needs to meld for a while.

As a stand alone brown...it's awesome and totally drinkable/enjoyable. To get a side-by-side clone, I think it needs more time. The untrained palate probably wouldn't know the difference.

The untrained palate probably wouldn't know the difference.

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Wat ya tryna say

Are you serving it chilled? 40°F ?

orfy said:

Wat ya tryna say

Are you serving it chilled? 40°F ?

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I'm saying you and the present company would DEFINITELY know the difference.

My side by side was chilled to the same as the bottled version, prolly around 38-40 degrees.

What would the normal serving temp for this beer be over in the UK?

<41&#176;F

It's not a real ale but It's my port in a storm. Most places sell it even if there is nothing decent on offer and I like it. It's quite strong so If I'm on a night out 4 iss good for a buzz, more and I'm over the edge.

They have a star on them that turns blue under 41&#176;f so you know they are cool. (debatable accuracy)

I went and bought one and drank it in honour of your clone.

orfy said:

<41°F

It's not a real ale but It's my port in a storm. Most places sell it even if there is nothing decent on offer and I like it. It's quite strong so If I'm on a night out 4 iss good for a buzz, more and I'm over the edge.

They have a star on them that turns blue under 41°f so you know they are cool. (debatable accuracy)

I went and bought one and drank it in honour of your clone.

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I'm honored.

Mine came in a bit over 4.x% so I'd have to hoist a few more...but that was my intent.