Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

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So far the only info I have found regarding the recipe comes from slashfood.com

"...and with its hops-crammed Daisy Cutter (five varieties, counting Warrior, Columbus, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo)"
 
the attempt i made ended up not very close. it was good beer, but not daisy cutter. we need some inside information from the brewery.
 
Reviving an old thread. Just moved from Chicago to Nor Cal. This was one of my regulars. Listened to the HA Sunday Session show and pickup a few recipe tips. Can anyone report back on any of the clones recipes out there?
 
Here is what I have come up with so far.

6gal batch
10lbs 12oz Two Row
8oz Victory
4oz Aromatic
4oz Special Roast
.5oz Warrior First Wort
.25oz Columbus 30min
.75oz Simcoe 10min
.75oz Amarillo 10min
.50oz 7Cs Whirlpool
1oz Amarillo Dry Hop
1oz Simcoe Dry Hop
1056
Est 5.4%abv
50 IBU
 
I emailed Half Acre but have not heard back. Wouldn't be the first time a brewery has not returned an email. They are busy making suds.

Gabriel laid out all the ingredients used in DC on the Sunday Session. Anyone have an opinion on the recipe above?
 
I have a ton of Mosaic leaf that I'll probably sub for the Simcoe. Don't think that it will make a much of a difference since the two are so close. Flying into Chicago next week. Hopefully I can make it to the nort side to pickup a few cans.
 
my only suggestion would be more whirlpool and dry hops. gotta get that dank flavor and aroma but low bitterness.
 
skawars1 said:
Wow-But Archer can't get it. How does that make sense?

It all depends on how far the store wants to go to get it. The store by bourbon gets it specially distributed by a company in the Northwest Burbs. It's a pain in the ass for him, but he's selling a lot of it. Enough for him to start stocking it in the cooler. It's a damn good beer!
 
I ended up getting some DC at the Southloop Whole Foods. They even had it on sale for me. Back in Nor Cal drinking my last one. Totally forgot how dank this beer is. I've upped all of my late additions and added more to the whirlpool. I have a bunch of Mosaic leaf on hand so that will be my sub for Simcoe. Brewing this on Wednesday.

Updated Hop Schedule

FWH
.25oz Warrior

15min
.25oz Columbus

10min.
1oz Mosaic
.75oz Amarillo
.75oz Falconers Flight

Whirlpool
.50oz Mosaic
.50oz Amarillo
.50oz Falconers Flight

Dry Hop
1oz Mosaic
1oz Amarillo

43.7 IBU
 
Follow up-

The beer came out great! Really really good. The Mosaic is a little fruitier than what Simcoe would be. So not quite as dank as Daisy Cutter. I have a feeling if I swapped in Simcoe it would be damn close.

I wish I had some more DC to do a side by side.
 
So, I did get a response, I am just not active on this forum. Sorry for the delay.

----
hey Aaron, glad you dug the daisy cutter, here goes:

5.2 ABV, OG 11.5 Plato
Malt
2-row
Briess Victory (~3%)
Briess Special Roast (~3%)
Castle Ambre (aromatic) (~3%) (this appears to be chateau abbey (aromatic) unless someone knows better)

hops, ~ 60 IBU
Bitter with warrior
centennial @ 30
Centennial + amarillo @ 15
Amarillo + Columbus + Simcoe @ end of boil
Dry hop with Amarillo, Simcoe, Centennial, and Columbus

hope this helps,

matt

--

So, there's what I got from the brewer back in 11. If anyone has any yeast tips, and knows what base malt they use, that would be a good start.
I'll likely brew this for the first time in a few months.
 
@m750 - have you brewed this????

I love this beer, but just saw this recipe. I would think they would use a Great Western 2 row for base malt since they are in Chicago. I would also guess standard american ale or maybe american ale II.
 
Thought i would resurrect this from the dead because i would really like to have a DC clone on tap this spring. Has anyone tried their hat at brewing m750's version of this?
 
Looking for a cutter recipe. Seen a lot online looking for the right one

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Home Brew mobile app
 
@m750 - have you brewed this????

I love this beer, but just saw this recipe. I would think they would use a Great Western 2 row for base malt since they are in Chicago. I would also guess standard american ale or maybe american ale II.

I still have not. It's on the big long to brew list. I had a hard time trackind down the Castle Ambre (aromatic), I found the maltster, but the grain is unfamilar to me, I think it might be their amber, but, I got lost in the details.
AO
 
Forgive me if I missed this in the thread somewhere but has anyone de-gassed a sample of this beer to check for FG? I'm wondering because a few posts back someone posted notes from one of the brewers saying the OG is at 1.046 (11.5 plato). To get to 5.2% ABV the beer would need to dry out to 1.007. Seems really dry to me, but it's been a while since I've had this delicious nectar. Folks who drink this a lot - does this seem like the correct ballpark for the FG?

Maybe one of the Chicago HBTers could take one for the team and buy a 4-pack and get a de-gassed FG reading for us? He or she would have to drink the rest of the 4-pack, which I know is a tough proposition.
 
Forgive me if I missed this in the thread somewhere but has anyone de-gassed a sample of this beer to check for FG? I'm wondering because a few posts back someone posted notes from one of the brewers saying the OG is at 1.046 (11.5 plato). To get to 5.2% ABV the beer would need to dry out to 1.007. Seems really dry to me, but it's been a while since I've had this delicious nectar. Folks who drink this a lot - does this seem like the correct ballpark for the FG?

Maybe one of the Chicago HBTers could take one for the team and buy a 4-pack and get a de-gassed FG reading for us? He or she would have to drink the rest of the 4-pack, which I know is a tough proposition.

Yeah, those numbers definitely seem off to me. I love Daisy Cutter and Half Acre, so hope no one gets me wrong here, but I do think its a bit funny (and telling in today's craft beer market) that they label it an APA. The quote from the OP is, "Daisy Cutter Pale Ale is a West Coast Strong Pale Ale, focusing on the aromatic qualities of the hops. A master blend of five different hops creates a powerful nose and a dynamic flavor."

I think we have a category for this beer already - its an American IPA. Of course, anything under 6.5 abv and 65 ibu these days can't call itself an IPA, so craft brewers feel they have to create new categories like "Session IPA" and "Strong Hoppy pale ale."
 
So I thought I'd follow up on this. After I posted last week about testing the FG of some Daisy Cutter I ended up talking to a buddy of mine who lives in Chicago. We set up a trade and I received a couple 4-packs yesterday. I de-gassed a sample and tested the FG after work today and it ended up right around 1.007. So I'd say an OG of 1.047 or so is about right to get to 5.2% abv on this beer.

I'm going to brew a first attempt at a clone this weekend, so I'll post the recipe I end up using then.

Love this beer - so refreshing. Cheers.
 
So I thought I'd follow up on this. After I posted last week about testing the FG of some Daisy Cutter I ended up talking to a buddy of mine who lives in Chicago. We set up a trade and I received a couple 4-packs yesterday. I de-gassed a sample and tested the FG after work today and it ended up right around 1.007. So I'd say an OG of 1.047 or so is about right to get to 5.2% abv on this beer.

I'm going to brew a first attempt at a clone this weekend, so I'll post the recipe I end up using then.

Love this beer - so refreshing. Cheers.

Did you have any luck with the Daisy Cutter clone at all? I'm tempted to do one soon, Im from the UK and had the beer when I was in Chicago last winter and fell in love with the dank hops! Would love to re-create this!
 
Did you have any luck with the Daisy Cutter clone at all? I'm tempted to do one soon, Im from the UK and had the beer when I was in Chicago last winter and fell in love with the dank hops! Would love to re-create this!

Hey Malty -

Planning to brew my first attempt at a clone on Sunday. I'll post up the recipe and whatnot after I brew. I'll also follow up after I tap the keg a few weeks later. Planning to save several cans of the real thing to sample against my clone. They obviously won't be as fresh as the clone, but at least I'll have something for comparison. Promise I'll continue with updates - drives me nuts when threads like these go dormant. Anyway, look for a post sometime Sunday.

Cheers.
 
Okay good morning folks. Finished brewing my first attempt at a Daisy Cutter clone a little while ago. Here's what I did -

OG: 1.047
Target FG: 1.007ish (as measured from the real thing)
60min Boil
Target ABV: 5.2% (as listed on the real thing)
5-gallon Batch

Grain
9.75lbs 2-row ~ 91%
5oz Victory! ~ 3%
5oz Special Roast ~ 3%
5oz Aromatic ~ 3%

Mash @ 149

Hops / Boil
.25oz Warrior @ 60min
.25oz Centennial @ 30min
.5oz Centennial, .5oz Amarillo @ 15min
1oz Simcoe, .5oz Amarillo, .5oz Columbus @ Whirlpool (15min whirlpool)

Yeast
US-05, 1pkg re-hydrated

Gave it 60sec of pure O2 (I know some say this is unnecessary with dry yeast - I do it anyway) and plan to ferment at 66*F for three days, then slowly raise it to 68*F to finish out. After that I'll rack to a keg with dry hops.

Plan to dry hop with:
.5oz Simcoe, .5oz Amarillo, .5oz Columbus, .5oz Centennial

Took some different info/ideas from this thread and this is what I came up with. I'll post updates as I go - probably another one with an FG reading when I rack it. Not sure how close this will be, but I figure it will be in the ballpark. If anything, I wonder if I've undershot the hops. Anyway, smelled great in the kettle so we'll see how it goes.

Cheers.
 
I finally brewed my version of this too.
Here's my recipe;
http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/404166/sb-daisy-cutter-clone-all-grain

It's a 3g batch.

1.28 kg Pale Ale Malt 2-Row (Briess)
1.28 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter
113.4 g Acidulated (Weyermann)
78.6 g Aromatic Malt (Dingemans)
78.6 g Special Roast (Briess)
78.6 g Victory Malt (49.2 EBC)
13.0 g Nugget [13.0%] - Boil 60 min
0.50 Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5 min)
2 TBS yeast nutriend (Boil 5 min)
20.0 g Amarillo [9.2%] - Steep 15 min
20.0 g Centennial [10.0%] - Steep 15 min
8.0 g Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - Steep 15
8.0 g Simcoe [13.0%] - Steep 15 min
20.0 g Amarillo [9.2%] - Dry Hop 4 days
9.0 g Centennial [10.0%] - Dry Hop 4 days
9.0 g Simcoe [13.0%] - Dry Hop 4 days
6.0 g Columbus (Tomahawk) [15.8%] - Dry Hop 4 days
1L starter : London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968)

Mash 60 @ 154
60m Boil.
Ferment 64-> 68

I've been on a late hops kick, so I pushed all the 15's out to late.
It's currently reporting via the beer bug it's at .998, which is hard to believe,
 
Looks like I found this thread just on time, but a little too soon. I'm looking to make a batch this weekend - NathPowe your recipe looks good to me; wish I could hear your feedback before I make mine though. I may just give it a shot.

Side note: Can you believe I lived in Chicago (within 2 miles of Half Acre) for 3.5 years before I tried it?! I was a fool.
 
NathPowe, How did you come up with your hop weights? Did you estimate reaching 60 IBUs given what you used? I'm just wondering if I'm missing something. I just put it into BeerSmith as you have it listed, but the result was about 34 IBUs.

To get to 60 IBUs in the program I had to edit as follows:
-.44 oz Warrior (60)
-.44 oz Centennial (30)
-.88 oz Centennial (15)
-.88 oz Amarillo (15).
 
NathPowe, How did you come up with your hop weights? Did you estimate reaching 60 IBUs given what you used? I'm just wondering if I'm missing something. I just put it into BeerSmith as you have it listed, but the result was about 34 IBUs.

To get to 60 IBUs in the program I had to edit as follows:
-.44 oz Warrior (60)
-.44 oz Centennial (30)
-.88 oz Centennial (15)
-.88 oz Amarillo (15).

Hey man. I guess my process for choosing hop weights is pretty arbitrary. With IBU's, it seems like there's no wrong way to account for it in Beersmith - you just need to be consistent/pay attention/take good records so you know what values in Beersmith translate to the flavors you enjoy. For my system, I'm pretty familiar with what the types of additions I chose produce in the finished beer. I think my Beersmith IBU's (set to Tinseth) came out at 52, but I account for additional IBU's from the whirlpool. I know that 60 IBU's has been thrown around as the target but, while they're certainly a useful tool, I don't put a ton of stock in calculated IBU's beyond knowing how they affect the taste of the final product on my system.

So for the way things work on my system, I knew I wanted my OG:IBU to be a bit over 1, because I think that will give me a similar bitterness to what I taste in Daisy Cutter. Or at least I thought it was a good place to start. Could be very different on your setup. I also knew I wanted a decent 15min addition and the largest addition to be in the whirlpool. Not sure if all this makes sense, and I know it's probably not the most helpful answer, but it's what I got.

Really looking forward to this beer. Seems to be fermenting along nicely. Cheers.
 
Morning folks.

A quick update on my clone after racking it to a keg with the dry hops (and drinking a can of the real deal while doing so). First off - I hit an FG of 1.007, so that's good. My ABV is the same as what's listed on the can.

However, right out of the gate I can say that the color of the recipe I posted above is too light in comparison to the real deal. I hesitate to throw out potential corrections based on tasting a 4oz gravity sample, but I think bumping each of the three specialty malts up to between 3.5 and 4% might give more color without affecting the flavor profile much. But take that with a grain of salt - I haven't even tasted the finished product yet.

Flavor-wise I definitely think I'm on the right track but, again, it's tough to say much of anything based on a gravity sample. I'm going to dry hop for a few days and then get this thing into the kegerator to chill/carb. I'll probably be tapping it in about 10 days, at which time I'll drop another update.

I'm hoping the cans of the real Cutter survive long enough for some proper comparison. The one I had last night makes me think they're fading fast. There were the faintest hints of oxidization, which is a bit of a bummer. Time will tell I guess.

Anyway, that's what I've got now. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the update NathPowe - looking forward to hearing how yours turned out.

I actually brewed mine a week ago, and was happy with everything so far - hit the OG, and have had great yeast activity to date. I ended up using the hop additions I mentioned back on 4/8/14 to get to around the "right" IBU's (according to BeerSmith), so we'll see how it compares. I will share the results in about 3 weeks once it's ready.
 
Morning folks.

A quick update on my clone after racking it to a keg with the dry hops (and drinking a can of the real deal while doing so). First off - I hit an FG of 1.007, so that's good. My ABV is the same as what's listed on the can.

However, right out of the gate I can say that the color of the recipe I posted above is too light in comparison to the real deal. I hesitate to throw out potential corrections based on tasting a 4oz gravity sample, but I think bumping each of the three specialty malts up to between 3.5 and 4% might give more color without affecting the flavor profile much. But take that with a grain of salt - I haven't even tasted the finished product yet.

Flavor-wise I definitely think I'm on the right track but, again, it's tough to say much of anything based on a gravity sample. I'm going to dry hop for a few days and then get this thing into the kegerator to chill/carb. I'll probably be tapping it in about 10 days, at which time I'll drop another update.

I'm hoping the cans of the real Cutter survive long enough for some proper comparison. The one I had last night makes me think they're fading fast. There were the faintest hints of oxidization, which is a bit of a bummer. Time will tell I guess.

Anyway, that's what I've got now. Cheers.

I belive, but have no way of confirming that they use marris otter as their base malt. My first attempt at this had an FG of 1.013, but in no way feels heavy. I split my base between marris otter and us 2 row. I can't compare, but looking at some untappd photos and my sample, seems close. I mashed at 152, and used 1968, so I bet I can take it down further by either lowering the mash, or using something more attenuative. 71% is the upper end of 1968, 05 will likely get me down near 1.009 at 81%.
My attempt's biggest flaw is I pushed too much of the hops to whirlpool. You can see the recipe I used above. My rebrew, which will be soon I'll do the same base malt, and same mash temp, use us-05 and push 1/2 of the whirlpool Amarillo and centennial, to a 15m addition. To see if I can get close to the FG, and get more hop flavor that's missing from it this time.
AO
 
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