Alpine Spring Clone

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barhoc11

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I tried the new Sam Adams Seasonal 'Alpine Spring' and I want to try to make something similar. The beer tastes sweet and light with some floral/grassy notes. I also plan to zest half of a small lemon at flame out for a little citrus taste but I may not depending on how the wort tastes.

I am using the german pilsner malt as my base and then thinking that the wheat malt will give it some body while the honey malt will give it some sweetness. Doing a 3 gallon batch because I want to see how this turns out without having a bunch of bad beer if it goes bad.

The hops on the Sam adams site are listed as Tettnang but added some Hallertau to give it a bit more flowery aroma.

This is my first shot at creating a recipe so any comments are welcome, I need all the help I can get. Thanks!


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 3.25 gal
Boil Size: 4.64 gal
Bottling Volume: 2.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 5.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4.3 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2 4.3 %
3.3 oz Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.3 %
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 14.5 IBUs
0.25 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 5.6 IBUs
0.25 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 3.6 IBUs
1.1 pkg Kolsch Yeast (Wyeast Labs #2565) [124.21 Yeast 8 -
5 lbs 11.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 90.8 %
1.6 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 1.6 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 6 lbs 4.2 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 8.80 qt of water at 162.4 F 152.0 F 60 min
 
Flavor: Crisp and slightly sweet with bright citrus and spicy hop notes
Color: Hazy Golden / 9 SRM
Original Gravity: 14.2 Plato
Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 5.5%ABV – 4.3%ABW
Calories/12 oz.: 186
IBUs: 19
Malt Varieties: Two-row Harrington, Metcalfe, and Copeland pale malts, Honey malt Hop Variety: Tettnang Tettnanger Noble hops Special Ingredients: Tettnang Tettnanger hops from original hop gardens in the foothills of the Alps Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast
Availability: Seasonal (January – March) in six-packs, 12-packs and on draft. It is also available in the Samuel Adams Brewer’s Choice Variety 12-Pack
First Brewed: 2012


Just wanted to throw this out there. I think this might be some point of sale info not available on their site.
 
Flavor: Crisp and slightly sweet with bright citrus and spicy hop notes
Color: Hazy Golden / 9 SRM
Original Gravity: 14.2 Plato
Alcohol by Vol/Wt: 5.5%ABV – 4.3%ABW
Calories/12 oz.: 186
IBUs: 19
Malt Varieties: Two-row Harrington, Metcalfe, and Copeland pale malts, Honey malt Hop Variety: Tettnang Tettnanger Noble hops Special Ingredients: Tettnang Tettnanger hops from original hop gardens in the foothills of the Alps Yeast Strain: Samuel Adams lager yeast
Availability: Seasonal (January – March) in six-packs, 12-packs and on draft. It is also available in the Samuel Adams Brewer’s Choice Variety 12-Pack
First Brewed: 2012


Just wanted to throw this out there. I think this might be some point of sale info not available on their site.

Thanks for that info, I brewed this this weekend and got the basics down using 2 row, honey malt and some munich. I am using Tettnang as I knew this was the hops they used.

Since I didn't want to lager this I am using some washed Kolsch 2565 yeast to hopefully give it some of the fruitiness I tasted and make it cloudy.

I will give an update once I have tried my final result in a few weeks.
 
I've been thinking of making an alpine spring clone. But the mouthfeel on every one I've had as been thicker. I'd debating a few things to achieve that
-Higher mash temps
-I really like the way Wyeast Budvar lager 2000 reads, seems ideal (I think the lager characteristics of this beer are very unique)

Every time I've had alpine spring its also been pretty cloudy, now I'm debating lagering for a shorter time to have more yeast in suspension or perhaps adding a portion of wheat to give it that murkiness

I as also considering increasing the 30min and 15min addition hops since the beer seems to have relatively intense lemon notes.
 
I will let you know how mine turns out, I was trying for that crisp lager taste with my kolsch but I wasnt sure how to get that lemon taste with Tettnang. The IBU's on this are relatively low so I am curious as to how this will turn out. I added some lemon zest for good measure, I am sure I wont be exact on this but it could give a good 'heads up' on where to go from here.
 
I will let you know how mine turns out, I was trying for that crisp lager taste with my kolsch but I wasnt sure how to get that lemon taste with Tettnang. The IBU's on this are relatively low so I am curious as to how this will turn out. I added some lemon zest for good measure, I am sure I wont be exact on this but it could give a good 'heads up' on where to go from here.

Any update on this? I'm interested to know how it turned out with an Ale yeast. I've had my eye on this beer for some time but figured I'd lager it and do some dry-hopping.
 
Yeah, I'm interested in an update on this as well. Alpine Spring is one of my favorites. I'd like to try this for a end of summer brew.
 
I had a recipe that included Munich instead of any honey malt, although it was with lager yeast and such. Perhaps a SF Steam Beer lager yeast would produce a smooth flavor similar to a traditional lagering process?
 
Sorry for the delay on the update...

I have been waiting for it to carb up properly and condition a bit before updating this recipe.

Color:
As you can see below, the color is almost spot on, the Alpine Spring on the right is actually pretty clear for what they claim to be a Schwarzbier. Using Kolsch Yeast I think I was able to achieve the slight cloudiness of what the Alpine Spring is usually like on tap, I may have let my AS bottles sit a bit too long and the yeast settled out. Without using lager yeast, I think Kolsch 2565 is the closest thing you can get to a true lager

scaled.php


Smell:
I can say that the AS smells hoppier, I do not really believe that it is only 19 IBU's like it says on the website, I am thinking they may have dry hopped the AS to get this characteristic or they actually are using more hops.

Taste:
My AS clone is sweet from the honey malt and since it was fermented with Kolsch yeast at a little higher than normal temperature, you get some fruitiness without it being too noticeable. I do not taste the lemon zest I put in it but this could be due to me putting it in at the start of the boil rather than at flame out. Overall this is a good beer, it went where I wanted it to go for being a good spring beer, not super light but not super heavy. It has just enough taste to let you know its not your average light beer, I think the Kolsch yeast plays a big part of that.

As mentioned above the AS smells hoppier and taste's hoppier as well, not much but it is noticeable. I am thinking that if I were to brew this again to try and match the original, I would most likely scale back the honey malt and/or up the amount of hops a bit to get a little more bitterness.

Final Word:
For being less than 5 weeks old (1.5 weeks in the keg), this beer seems to be getting better and better each day. I would make this again to try to achieve a little more bitterness but not much, I actually prefer my beer to the AS clone now that I have them side by side. I recommend giving this recipe a try, I think its a solid brew that you could always tweak to fit your taste. If the beer changes as time goes by I will update but I do not think this will last long on tap at my house.
 
Can you give more comparisons on the taste differences between the two besides yours not being as hoppy? Color is good, head looks good, but does it taste anything like the Alpine Spring? What's similar, what's different?

I'm wondering if brewing it with a steam beer yeast (SF Lager) would produce closer taste since AS is a lager.
 
Can you give more comparisons on the taste differences between the two besides yours not being as hoppy? Color is good, head looks good, but does it taste anything like the Alpine Spring? What's similar, what's different?

I'm wondering if brewing it with a steam beer yeast (SF Lager) would produce closer taste since AS is a lager.

Sure, I will try to describer mine versus AS a little better....

I think the main difference is that AS uses a true lager yeast which gives fruity characteristics of a german style lager such as a Octoberfest/Marzen. I have never had a true kellerbier but I would imagine that this would be what I am describing. Correct me if I am wrong but, couldn't you harvest the yeast out of the bottle of AS? It seems like you should be able to based on the sludge in the bottom of the bottle so this would probably get you what you want. I am not sure a steam beer is what you would want since I have never had one so I recommend using a german lager yeast on this one at first.

I accomplish the fruitiness in my version via the minor amount of lemon zest and the Kolsch yeast which I think will only get more 'lager like' as it ages. I used the 2565 yeast as a way to quickly get a result to see if I was in the ballpark of an AS clone.

If you were to drink these side by side like I did last night, you would notice that my version is actually smoother but with less of the Tettnang smell and citrus flavor. They are similar but obviously not exactly alike, noting the differences I described above. I will update this once I have let mine age more since the Kolsch yeast seems to get better with age.
 
So perhaps some more late hop additions and you'd have achieved some of the citrusy flavor/aroma from the Tettnang. I mentioned SF Lager yeast because it can be fermented at higher temps than tradtional lager yeasts but is still a lager yeast. So similar to how you used a Kolsch (ale) yeast in order to get a quicker, perhaps easier version of the beer, I'm guessing the SF Lager yeast would also accomplish this.

I had more IBU's in the recipe I scratched down. 2oz at 60 and dry hop with 1.5. I might move some of those into the 30 minute range for flavor.
 
So perhaps some more late hop additions and you'd have achieved some of the citrusy flavor/aroma from the Tettnang. I mentioned SF Lager yeast because it can be fermented at higher temps than tradtional lager yeasts but is still a lager yeast. So similar to how you used a Kolsch (ale) yeast in order to get a quicker, perhaps easier version of the beer, I'm guessing the SF Lager yeast would also accomplish this.

I had more IBU's in the recipe I scratched down. 2oz at 60 and dry hop with 1.5. I might move some of those into the 30 minute range for flavor.

Yes, later additions should get you more taste but 2 oz for a 5 gallon batch will put you way over the 19 IBU they list on the SA website. I did read up on the SF Lager yeast and that looks good to me as long as it gets you that Marzen/Helles fruitiness. Please post back if you end up trying this out
 
I would likely move to 1.25oz. at 60 and half ounce each at 30, 0, then dry-hop with 1oz. From what I've gathered there is hop aroma but not much hop flavor, just a hint of citrus. I am skeptical of the low IBU's SA claims. I think in the 20's is more appropriate.

Been wanting to make this for some time. My grain bill is 70/30 Pilsner/Munich though. Mashing higher for some mouthfeel, 154, and Color in the 7 range SRM. If you think yours came out at a true 9, I may up the munich some.
 
Color on my recipe in BeerSmith was 5.3 and I would say that I am a tad lighter than AS so you could up the munich(honey?) a bit.

I am curious why you are using those malts, have you seen the description on the SA site where they say its 2 row and honey malt? That is the reason I went the way I did, I actually bought pilsner malt before I read that it was 2 row so I switched it up.

Also, I mashed at 152 and mouthfeel is comparable to AS
 
I will look at their website again. At the time I was cobbling things together from everywhere.
 
Using Kolsch yeast I fermented at 65 but I would even go higher a few degrees to get a little fruitier depending on taste. In BeerSmith, I had it set to an american wheat but any lighter beer style will work as long as you are in the ranges for this style.
 
Thanks! I am going to brew a batch tonight. I'm contemplating just letting it ferment at room temperature in my basement, ambient is probably pretty close to 65. if not cooler in some spots.

I'm thinking to just do that, then rack to serving, keg, crash cool it for a few days and serve away.
 
Thanks! I am going to brew a batch tonight. I'm contemplating just letting it ferment at room temperature in my basement, ambient is probably pretty close to 65. if not cooler in some spots.

I'm thinking to just do that, then rack to serving, keg, crash cool it for a few days and serve away.

Sounds good, please let us know how it turns out
 
Any update on this? I'm about to head to local supplier to gather up materials for the next few brews and was looking to give this one a try.

:mug:
 
Thanks for the recipe, barhoc11. I actually used it as a starting point for a blueberry ale, but I bottled a few before racking on top of blueberries. Gonna give them some time to carb and bottle condition for 3 weeks or so before cracking one and hopefully compare side-by-side to the real AS. Tasted the hydrometer sample and it is very nice! I may need to brew this again on its own. Only change I made was upping the Honey and Munich malts slightly.

Blueberry batch should be ready to keg in a week or so. :mug:
 
Resurrecting this thread!

Alpine Spring has become my favorite beer of all time.
I dont know why, it just is... I could drink it all day...

Anyway, I'd love to do this as a 10gal AG now that I am able to brew AG.

I found this off their website:

"This hazy golden brew is brewed with only pale malts for a crisp maltiness and honey malt for a slight sweetness. The beer is brewed with 100% Tettnang Tettnanger Noble hops, a half pound per barrel, to produce a unique, bright orange-citrusy aroma and taste of orange blossom honey. Several of our longtime hop suppliers in the Tettnang region grow these special hops in hop yards that have been under steady cultivation for over 100 years. We arranged for these very unique hops to be flown to the US as bales of fresh-picked whole flowers, collected specifically for dry hopping Alpine Spring. The resulting brew is medium-bodied, slightly sweet and warming with bright citrusy hop notes. It’s our idea of the perfect beer for spring."

Can you guys help scale out the recipe for 10gal brews? I'm not very good at it yet.
Also how should I dry hop this?

Thanks!!!
 
007cable: Below is the original recipe I made scaled to 10 gallons for you. If you do want to make it more towards the real thing, I would suggest adding more Tettnang toward the end of the batch and then also dry hop with some. I found that my first attempt at this was a tad too sweet so upping the perceived IBU's via some later additions will help in this a lot. I think my main issue was going for the 19 IBU's listed on the SA site, they DID NOT say they dry hopped this beer last year when I made it. Either way the original recipe was not bad at all, just not an exact clone. I would stick with the Kolsch yeast and maybe add some wheat malt if want some added cloudiness.

Please let us know how it turns out, I am probably going to make this up again soon.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.00 gal
Boil Size: 11.66 gal
Bottling Volume: 9.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 5.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13.3 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2 4.3 %
10.1 oz Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.3 %
1.55 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 14.5 IBUs
0.77 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 5.6 IBUs
0.77 oz Tettnang [4.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 3.6 IBUs
3.3 pkg Kolsch Yeast (Wyeast Labs #2565) [124.21 Yeast 8 -
17 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 90.8 %
4.9 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 1.6 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 19 lbs 4.4 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 25.01 qt of water at 163.2 F 152.0 F 60 min
 
Also, if you think your modification I recommended tastes more similar to the real thing, I will update the recipe. I hate having to read through an entire thread to get the updated recipe. Thanks!
 
You rock! Thanks for scaling this up for me!

Do you have any idea how much Tettnang to use when dry hoping?

Thanks again!
 
You rock! Thanks for scaling this up for me!

Do you have any idea how much Tettnang to use when dry hoping?

Thanks again!

If I were to do it, I would try half an ounce per 5 gallon carboy/bucket for the last week of secondary before you bottle/keg. Try it before bottling and if it needs more time/hops adjust accordingly. Good Luck!
 
As spring approaches, I think I am going to try to brew this up again but I am curious if anyone had tried my recipe with modifications?
 
barhoc11 said:
As spring approaches, I think I am going to try to brew this up again but I am curious if anyone had tried my recipe with modifications?

I haven't tried it at all, but thank you for the reminder. I loved this beer.
 
Barhoc11- I made your recipe but upped the Honey Malt to 5.6 oz and Munich Malt to 4.8 oz. Everything else was the same. Came out very nice and pretty close to the original AS.

Thanks for the recipe!
 
thanks for the quick responses, I am curious if anyone has tried upping the hops and/or dry hopping it? I want to make this up again but it would be nice to get a bottle of AS to refresh my memory!
 
Will try attempt to brew this beer in about a months time, however I've got a load of Hallertau Tradition that needs to be used and am planning on using them instead of Tettnang.

Could this be an alternative? Should I perhaps add other hops to achieve more of the spicyness that the Tettnang possesses? Perhaps some saaz?

Also I'm not able to get a hold of honeymalt. Kan I substitute this with anything else? My LHBS has basically everything but honey malt...
 
Will try attempt to brew this beer in about a months time, however I've got a load of Hallertau Tradition that needs to be used and am planning on using them instead of Tettnang.

Could this be an alternative? Should I perhaps add other hops to achieve more of the spicyness that the Tettnang possesses? Perhaps some saaz?

Also I'm not able to get a hold of honeymalt. Kan I substitute this with anything else? My LHBS has basically everything but honey malt...

In my opinion, I would wait until you can get the honey malt, that is the key ingredient in this but maybe someone else can chime in on this.

Regarding the hops, I think you might be OK but I would definitely take some of the suggestions talked about in this post as far as upping the hops and dry hoping.
 
Well we're not able to get a hold of honey malt here in Sweden, perhaps not even in Europe... So melanoiden perhaps? Or caravienne?
 
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