Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Clone Attempt

I don't think I would intentionally oxidize mostly fermented beer. Rousing the yeast is ok, but not trying to introduce oxygen.

ilikeguns said:

Aging? I ain't got time for that. Two weeks in the bucket, rack to keg and force carb. I didn't want to lose any hop aroma.

Click to expand...

Ha, hey I'm with you, the sooner the better... and if the flavor is the same then heck yeah, I'm force carbing... What was your method of force carb? Would 30 PSI for 24 hours work?

Looking at the two bottles I picked up yesterday. Bottled 1/10/13.

Will be tasting against my clone bottled 2/9/13.

norsk said:

Let me know how your Double Jack comes out, it's my wife's favorite beer and our house IPA which we brew on a regular basis. Brewing the Wookey next week...

Click to expand...

First batch came out horribly.. cloudy, hops got into the keg, a strange wooden/nutty taste.. worst batch to date.

This is my second but I missed my OG by 8 points.. so i might wind up more with the Union Jack. Still trying to get a feel for my AG setup.

@samandbekah Mine usually needs 36 hours @ 30psi and then i dial it back. I typically don't shake my kegs although i did on this one. Patience isn't my strong suit especially when I'm out of homebrew.

samandbekah said:

For all you successful brewers of Wookey clone...

How long are you aging it for? I am going to be brewing this tomorrow and I want to know what to expect for a time range... More specifically, I am going to keg it and want to know how long I should let it sit.

Click to expand...

You should be able to drink it the day you keg it.... You may see it get better over the next couple weeks but it will hit a point where the hop aroma and flavor will fall off so the quicker you can get to drinking the better with the hoppy beers like this. If you have a clean ferment you will be primed to drink immediately. Like Skeezer said adequate cell count and O2 with a controlled temp and you should see success. Good luck and I suggest brewing his Stone 15th Anniversary clone recipe too, that is the best beer I have ever made.

samandbekah said:

For all you successful brewers of Wookey clone...

How long are you aging it for? I am going to be brewing this tomorrow and I want to know what to expect for a time range... More specifically, I am going to keg it and want to know how long I should let it sit.

Click to expand...

this should have been my proper reply but I was at work...

I was drinking mine within 3 weeks. Its mighty tasty!

I thought it got better at around week 3 or 4

subscribed

I'm looking for a little insight on what everyone's doing for the dry hop. My plan is to add the 1st addition and then the second after 3 days. Then keg after 7 more days. 10 days total dry hop time.

I don't have much experience with double dry hop additions and am looking for any advice.

I was gonna do 5 days of each. Plus I'm increasing the amount of dry hops so maybe the aroma lasts longer. Its going to be hard to remove the first additions though because the neck of the carboy.

Thanks guys for the tips on kegging... Can't wait to have this on tap!

I was going over the recipe last night and noticed this calls for removing the first addition of dry hop... I only have pellets to dry hop with and ferment in a carboy. Not exactly easy to remove the hops... I love hops so I intend on just following the dry hop schedule but leaving the first addition in there... thoughts?

Should be fine. or just add them all as one addition for 4-5 days

samandbekah said:

Thanks guys for the tips on kegging... Can't wait to have this on tap!

I was going over the recipe last night and noticed this calls for removing the first addition of dry hop... I only have pellets to dry hop with and ferment in a carboy. Not exactly easy to remove the hops... I love hops so I intend on just following the dry hop schedule but leaving the first addition in there... thoughts?

Click to expand...

I would probably add the first dry hops, then 2 days later add the 2nd dry hops, then keg/bottle after 3 days on 2nd set (5 days total). You can get away with 7-10 days dry hops most of the time, but really within 3 days you get the good stuff out of the hops.

Another option would be to just transfer off the first DH info a second vessel and dry hop it again. Be sure to cold crag before each raking to get the hops out. Flush vessels with CO2 before and after and you will be in good shape, I have done this with good results

I dry hopped #1 on Saturday and plan to toss in the 2nd batch of hops tonight or tomorrow. then keg this weekend or early next week.

Reporting back...

Brewed on Jan 26 with a 2L starter of WLP002.
Followed recipe, but just did a single 60 minute mash at 148 before sparging.
My OG was 1.081 and my FG was 1.016, giving me 80% attenuation.

I fermented at 62 for 3 days, then 63 for 1 day, 64 for 1 day, then held at 65.

Bottled on February 12, targeted a CO2 volume of 2.4. (3.8oz table sugar for 5 gallons)

After 30 hours in the fridge (2 weeks in the bottle) I tasted this for the first time just now. Let me just say this...

This is an amazing beer.

The hop aroma hits you as soon as you crack open the bottle. It pours a thick, off-white head. The beer is pitch black. It has a great hop aroma, taste and bitterness that tricks you into thinking this is less than the 8.5% beast it is. The perfect balance between hops and malt.

Genius in a glass. I immediately put six more in the fridge and moved the rest of the bottles out of the warm room and into the basement. I may just enter this into a local homebrew competition in mid-March.

Next I plan on brewing this with S-04 to see how that affects the beer.

Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!

I brewed this up this past weekend, used S-04. I'll definitely report back on it. Had some interesting things pop up while trying to brew. Basically, Mashed in at 150, but couldn't do much until about 4 hours later. So, it sat for 4 hours, and ended at about 142 when I went to sparge. First time I've ever had a slow/almost stuck sparge, due to me crushing too fine. Efficiency was decent, though. OG 1.082. Don't have FG yet It was bubbling away happily less than 12 hours later though.

I've noticed everyone (myself included) commenting on this being pitch black. Side by side, the original wookey jack is slightly more transparent. I'm going to experiment on my next batch and dial back the Carafa III and midnight a touch.

ilikeguns said:

I've noticed everyone (myself included) commenting on this being pitch black. Side by side, the original wookey jack is slightly more transparent. I'm going to experiment on my next batch and dial back the Carafa III and midnight a touch.

Click to expand...

Makes sense with varying system efficiencies and yields, good luck with nailing it down.

ilikeguns said:

I've noticed everyone (myself included) commenting on this being pitch black. Side by side, the original wookey jack is slightly more transparent. I'm going to experiment on my next batch and dial back the Carafa III and midnight a touch.

Click to expand...

Ha I messed up my numbers in beersmith and over-sparged with too much water... ending up with an OG of 1.068... color looks great and its fermenting happily away...

Might not be so bad if this ends up having close to the same flavor but alcohol dialed down a bit... then I'll be able to drink more of it

Thanks for the recipe!


I did not have all the ingredients but did what I could. After 4 week fermentation, 3 weeks bottle conditioning, 1 week in fridge, did a side by side tasting with the commercial example. Liked mine better for everything except head which was just not really there for mine. A significant change is that I used US05 and so got a clean fermentation that let the hops and malts take center stage. TBH the FW had a more complex flavor profile but there was a troubling off flavor that dominated the profile when I tried to think about the taste. I'm not trained but was thinking it might be oxidation.

Anyway here is what I did:
#14 2 row
#1.5 rye malt
8oz flaked rye
12oz Briess Blackprinz malt
#1.5 table sugar

Mashed at 145 60 min, then 155 30 min

0.6 oz warrior 60 min
1oz citra 20 min
1oz Amarillo 20 min
1oz citra flame out
1oz Amarillo flameout
1oz citra DH
1oz Amarillo DH

US 05 harvested from a previous batch
Fermented at 64F 30 days

Dry hops were pitches in primary 4 days before bottling

OG 1.081
FG 1.014


I will say When I first poured, the hop aroma in the FW was more pronounced than my version. That didn't last long though and my version ended up brighter in aroma and hop flavor as the glasses were tasted over the course of 30 min.

I just poured my first glass and damn this beer is good. Spot on to the original plus the hop aroma and flavor are even better. This beer kicks a$$.

Vigo, looks delicious.
Im going to brew this recipe on Saturday. I have the ingredients all lined up and a cake of wlp002 ready to go.

Vigo_Carpathian said:

I just poured my first glass and damn this beer is good. Spot on to the original plus the hop aroma and flavor are even better. This beer kicks a$$.

Click to expand...

Looks excellent man... I am kegging my 1st attempt of it tonight or tomorrow and hopefully will be consuming by next week!

I just brewed this recipe on Saturday. Looking forward to trying it in a couple of weeks.

Howdy Folks,

I do not have access to Wookey Jack, but I am very intrigued by the recipe. I have an upcoming competition that is calling for a Rye IPA; however, I wanted to bring something that would stand out and this recipe looks like it fits the bill.

My question...how does the rye flavor come across in the finished product? Is it overwhelmed/muted by the hops or easy to pick out?

Thanks for your help.

The rye is pretty far back as flavor goes. Compared to other rye IPAs you may get judges wondering if it is really in there...

it is very subtle and IMO the hops take the beer over. But its an absolute amazing combination of flavor.

Check this out and see how close you are:

http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/firestone-finder.php

I tried it at a west coast vs east IPA competition last fall and its been in my fridge ever since. I highly suggest that you try this beer

There's a craft bar close to my house, and they had a Firestone tap takeover the other day. Lucky me, I showed up not knowing. I got so excited when I saw the sign.

Going to brew a 1 gallon batch of this bad boy. Any updates to current recipe? Wookey Jack is delicious!

First recipe I it. Seems like a lot of time and work for 1g...

Hey guys, so I brewed this beer on 2/19/13 and everything went perfectly to plan. aerated the wort hit all the numbers on the dot, yet I am still sitting here with a gravity of 1.019. I have been trying to rouse the yeast/warm the fermenter for the last 2 weeks and I have been stuck at 1.019. What do you guys think I should do? Still need to dryhop for a week and then plan to bottle the batch into 22oz bombers. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Dry hop and bottle it. Two weeks at same gravity it's done. Maybe check thermometer calibration before next mash.

I brewed this, and thoroughly enjoy it! I did a Partial Mash, for my first time, and it came out great. My starter blew off, and I lost some WLP007 yeast, which is one reason why I believe the F.G. finished only at 1.019. Since then, I've kegged it up, and received multiple compliments on the awesome flavor. I plan to rebrew as soon as I can get more Citra and Amarillo.

Hey,

I want to say thanks again for the recipe. I emailed Matt at FSW to ask for clarification on a few things as well as to ask about using more Rye for the contest I mentioned before. Here is the recipe I emailed Matt:

Wookey Walker Clone Recipe

Estimated Original Gravity: 20 Plato (?)
Estimated Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato (?)
Estimated Color: 45 SRM
Estimated Bitterness: 80 IBU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 8.3 %

Mash @ 145 for 60 min
Increase to 155 for 10 min
Boil Time: 90 min

Malt Bill - ?
81.1% Pale Malt
9.9% Rye Malt
3.0% Cara-Rye
3.0 % Special Carafa III
3.0 % Wheat (Midnight)

Hop Bill - ?
90 min - 20.0 IBU Magnum
25 min - 24.8 IBU Citra
25 min - 17.0 IBU Amarillo Gold
Flame out/whirlpool - 10 IBU Amarillo Gold
Flame out/whirlpool - 10 IBU Citra
Dry Hop #1 - 50/50 Amarillo Gold and Citra - 3 days (remove hops and yeast)
Dry Hop #2 - 50/50 Amarillo Gold and Citra - 4 days

Appropriate pitch of an English Ale yeast strain @ 17C
Free rise to 19C for fermentation after first 24hrs
Free rise for diacetyl rest to no more than 21C after fermentation is complete

Here was Matt's response:
"James
For the most part the recipe looks good – a few details to change…
-We start at 18P (not 1.080)and end at about 3.0P (well below 1.015-1.018)
-We use all Citra and Amarillo through out the brew with a large whirl pool addition (no magnum). I would back out some of the middle additions to allow for a nice big 50/50 Amarillo Citra whirl pool hit.
-You could add more rye if you like, we haven't gone there so I don't really have much to advice to give. We have never done a beta G rest on this beer but it might help if you are having run off issues.
-No Oak

Hope this helps
Matt"

The higher OG you guys are starting with could be a reason you are having a hard time getting down to the proper finishing gravities. Also, it seems FSW begins there fermentations at 62F and allows them to free rise to 66-67F after 24 hours of pitching yeast before doing a diacetyl rest in the lower 70s (69F -72F) when fermentation is complete.

I adjusted the recipe accordingly for my brew day last Thursday. OG - 1.071 and currently sitting at 1.012. I am beginning my dry hop regimen and diacetyl rest tonight when I get home.

However, if you are pleased with your results, there is no reason to change anything. I just wanted to fill you in on some of the information I got and hope that it can possibly help someone else.

Ravenor said:

Hi,
-We use all Citra and Amarillo through out the brew with a large whirl pool addition (no magnum). I would back out some of the middle additions to allow for a nice big 50/50 Amarillo Citra whirl pool hit.

Click to expand...

This one is interesting as a home brewer. On a big commercial system, whirlpooling occurs at near boiling temps over a long period of time due to the time it takes to get all the wort through the chiller and into the fermenter. I think that Matt has previously said that he gets 15% utilization from his whirlpool additions vs 30% for 60+ minute additions. In Beersmith this means that pro whirlpool additions get about the same utilization as a 17 minute addition would on one of our systems. The big difference is the bubbles from the boil are driving off the oils. I wonder whether a longer simmer would more closely approximate the professional result.

-Anthony

AnthonyCB said:

This one is interesting as a home brewer. On a big commercial system, whirlpooling occurs at near boiling temps over a long period of time due to the time it takes to get all the wort through the chiller and into the fermenter. I wonder whether a longer simmer would more closely approximate the professional result.

-Anthony

Click to expand...

Hey Anthony,

You bring up a good point and one that Tasty and Jamil discuss on this podcast about 3/4 the way through. They mention how as a homebrewer, if you cut the flame, stir the hops in, and let them steep with the boil pot covered, then you can emulate what the pros (in this case FSW) are doing with their whirlpool. They noted that you would not loose enough temp to stop isomerization of the whirlpool hops during a 30 min flame-out steep.

I happen to live in the area of the brewery and also happen to know a few of the brewers. Next time I see em I willask for some of the specifics.

What a fantastic brewery and brewers at FSW...

This is an excellent beer and thanks to Matt and everyone here for researching this recipe. It is fantastic having 5 gallons of Wookey Jack on tap in the man cave...