Utopia Clone #3 Perfecting Nirvanha

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

paulthenurse

Fecal Transplant Super Donor
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
12,270
Reaction score
2,198
Location
Down by the rivah, Down by the banks of the Rivah
We're doing it again. Yeager and I both swore that we wouldn't, we have such polar opposite brewing styles that we drive each other bat**** but the results speak for themselves. This beer is phenomenal. We've been told by MANY people that they like our version hands down better than the real Sam McCoy. Utopia Clone #1 (2009) was a Grand Slam. U2 (2010) was a two run dinger. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's fantastic. It's not quite a year old and it's still in a couple of 5 gallon whiskey casks, we haven't even bottled it yet. Barrel tastings have been done and everyone who try's it loves it. But it's not U1.

In a side by side tasting last week I poured for a dozen guys at our local home brew shop, The Witches Brew in Foxboro, MA. (Home of this years World Champion NE Patriots.) Everyone RAVED about the U2. Then I poured the U1 and the U2 faded into also ran status. The U1 is just that good.

So we're going back to the original. We don't need the boosted up hops that we added to U2. We're going back to the same grain bill and we've scaled up the recipe so that we get 13 gallons going into the fermenter. We ended up with a metric ass ton of yeast/trub in the original batch, and had a 20 + % loss. We want to end up with at least 10 full gallons.

We're planning to brew a little later in the winter this year, more towards the end of February because we both have other weekend commitments before then. A firm date will follow. As always, we're going to make a party of it. BBQ, Beer and Bull**** will all be there in abundance.

Anyways, here is the new/old recipe.


Size: 13.0 gal
Efficiency: 63.05%
Attenuation: 87.5%
Calories: 677.8 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.200 (1.026 - 1.120)
|================================|
Terminal Gravity: 1.025 (0.995 - 1.035)
|===================#============|
Color: 22.21 (1.0 - 50.0)
|==============#=================|
Alcohol: 24.11% (2.5% - 14.5%)
|================================|
Bitterness: 43.4 (0.0 - 100.0)
|==============#=================|

Ingredients:
78.0 lb English 2-row Pale
19.5 lb 6-Row Brewers Malt
3.9 lb 2-Row Caramel Malt 60L
3.9 lb Toasted Pale Malt
1.3 lb Melanoidin Malt
5.2 lb Munich 10L Malt
1.3 lb German Smoked
3.25 lb Maple Syrup
2.6 oz Spalt Spalter (4.8%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
2.6 oz Tettnanger (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
2.6 oz Hallertau (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
2.6 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min
5.2 ea White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 50.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

00:03:00 Mash in - Liquor: 35.34 gal; Strike: 159.59 °F; Target: 145.0 °F

Notes
Four 15 Gallon Keggels As Mashtuns
1 12 Gal Keggel for hot water
1 12 gallon cooler for hot water
1 13.5 gal keggel for bewing
1 15.5 gal keggel for brewing
1 16.5 gal fermenter



If you are math challenged that is over 113 pounds of grain for a batch of beer. And it's worth EVERY penny.

Discuss,

PTN
 
Looks really awesome.

Now, how long is your boil and what size starter/aeration schedule do you use to get that baby down to 1.025? Also, do you sparge at all?

Did you guys have any trouble with the yeast stalling or anything on the last batch yall made?
 
Count me in, I'll make the trip down if you'll have me. Happy to lend my gear if needed.

First batch was awesome. I'm convinced the second batch will be, too, once you get a couple years' aging on it - was still pretty young when we sampled at Masstoberfest.
 
Count me in, I'll make the trip down if you'll have me. Happy to lend my gear if needed.

First batch was awesome. I'm convinced the second batch will be, too, once you get a couple years' aging on it - was still pretty young when we sampled at Masstoberfest.

Was it really hot when you tasted it?
 
I thought you guys agreed on EC-1118 over WLP099. What is with the change back?

I could've just missed something though, hard to find the actual changes between the bickering.
 
I'm going to ignore the innuendo and say that it wasn't hot in the least, but the added hops made it a little harsh. Both batches have been shockingly non-solventy.

Wow, that really is awesome. This is really a sweet project!
 
Well, you are certainly welcome to come out and join us. We make a day of it (not that we have a choice, it takes a LONG time to boil off 10 + gallons of beer) and it is great time. We brew in Yeagers garage so we're out of the elements.

And I'm NOT going to drive you home to Ipswich this year, Hippie. I've already told Yeager to stock up on blankets and Pop Tarts.

PTN
 
As far as the U2 goes, yes, it is a touch 'harsh' still. That is going to fade and I expect that it will end up as smooth as the U1. Remember, the first one is a whole year older. When we were going thru the development of the U1 it was like that. I remember my wife (who has one of the best pallets of anyone I know) tasting it for the first time and saying that it was a collection of really good parts that needed to come together as a whole. It did with time and I am sure that the U2 wll do the same. It is not 'solvent-y' at all and neither of them ever have been Its kind of weird that we are gettting such a smooth brew given how high the alcohol is but everyone who tastes them comments on that.

PTN

PTN
 
I hadn't had the original until Paulie was good enough to share a little of his stash... and man, the real Sam Adams Utopias tastes VERY hot. Paulie, what are you, maybe 2% or 3% lower alcohol than the Sammy version?
 
my wife (who has one of the best pallets of anyone I know) PTN

Hmmmm..... What's her other pallet look like? Interesting vocabulary you have there on the east coast. We call 'em coasters, fun-bags, or just bags here.

I'm sure you've seen PTN we're doing our day in early Jan. Wouldn't expect you east coasters to want to brave the tundra in January. But, we're Lions fans so we're used to being tortured. Doesn't that Tom Brady guy have some DAMN pretty hair?

Has eriktlupus contacted you about a swap? If not PM me. Ours from last year is bottled. It's still a little hot. Not really hot but not finished. It tastes like alcoholic first runnings, if that makes sense.

Enough trolling, carry on.
 
It's pretty funny that the only thing all you guys have is "Brady looks like a girl." Your teams can't do anything to stop him on the field so you giggle like 7th grade girls. Ya, he's a pretty boy. Ya, his wife dresses him in Ugg Boots. Ya, he does fashion shoots. Ya, we've heard it. All the way to the Super Bowl.

PTN
 
Whoa whoa whoa, not complaining, not in the least. I mean, he makes me giggle but the guy can play.

I just wanted to thank you for the new vernacular and wondering if you'd corresponded with ErikT.

Sidenote: I just texted a friend and used the pallets:D! Thanks PTN!!
 
I have seen this recipe being developed over the last couple of years and have always been interested in it. Since I live on the opposite coast there's not much chance of me sitting in on brew day.

However, I am interested in some of the logistics...am I to understand you do four separate mashes? Do you sparge, and if so is this a single batch sparge for each MT? How much do you end up with in the BK(s), and how long do you end up boiling the wort?
 
Yes, we do seperate mash tuns out of necessity. I use a keggle as my MLT on my rig, Yeager uses a cooler for his. Obviously that won't make it. What we've done in the past is use a bunch of MLT's so that we have the capacity for the grain. We batch sparge, getting around double the desired volume and then spend a long day boiling.

What I'm thinking about doing this year is tinkering with my wine vat and putting a manifold in the bottom. If we can work out the logistics of that we can do one mash and run off into several brew kettles for the boil.

PTN
 
That would be the longest 8-10 hours of your life. I get queasy thinking about spending all day cooped up in a garage with Yeager. Lets just say the lad is a bit high strung to start with, add in 10 - 20 people coming over to his house and he starts running around like a rat on crack. I keep hoping that the carbon monoxide snuffs me but the Schweet Baby Jeebus continues to taunt me.

Actually we divide the wort up into a bunch of keggles in order to be more efficient.

PTN
 
Lets just say the lad is a bit high strung to start with, add in 10 - 20 people coming over to his house and he starts running around like a rat on crack.

That's Yeager all right. He really doesn't need 10 - 20 people to start running around like a rat on crack. You could drop the 0's.

Ned was at the shop last week and he's aware of the maple syrup requirement. If the wine vat doesn't work out I can offer up a keggle and a 58 qt or 70 qt mash tun.

It was busy Thursday night when our boy showed up at the shop so I didn't get a chance to inquire on the other project for that day.
 
That's a good idea. Frank W won it, I may have to put the arm on him. Still, a few pots going at once will make short work of things. I ended up buying a banjo burner and installing it on my rig, I honestly believe that you could use that thing to launch a Saturn Rocket.

PTN
 
That's a good idea. Frank W won it, I may have to put the arm on him. Still, a few pots going at once will make short work of things. I ended up buying a banjo burner and installing it on my rig, I honestly believe that you could use that thing to launch a Saturn Rocket.

PTN

Heck yeah, I love my banjo.
 
I don't think so. There are going to be some serious modifications on the way we do it this year, starting with a MEGA mash tun.

But an extra burner or two going in the garage helps keeps things warmer and raises the carbon monoxide level to a point where I might have a legally sound defense when I strangle Yeager.

PTN
 
We could just leave all the burners running while we all "run out to the store" or "go pick up Hippie" or whatever - just close the doors on our way out "to keep all the heat inside". No prints!
 
Ya but when he's found bound and gagged in the corner it might raise a few eyebrows. Of course, we are talking about Norton where jaywalking is considered a serious crime. Maybe the cops there won't notice.


Na. That's no good. I wouldn't want to deprive myself of the pleasure of watching just to avoid a long stretch in prison. Back to plan 1.

PTN
 
I'm guessing that wouldn't be the first time someone's found Yeager tied up in the corner with a ball-gag in his mouth. Pretty commonplace, if the rumors are to be believed.
 
At the rate we're going we'll need to move this to the Boneyard. Let's just pretend that we know nothing about Chris and his romper room peccadilloes and go back to talking about the Utopia.

Ned (our guy who makes the maple syrup) has promised that he'll have the desired quantity ready for us come brew day. You have to taste this guys syrup. It's freakin' awesome. He makes it here locally and it's as good as anything you get out in the boonies. Not a commercial operation, just a dude with a bunch of sugar maples on his property and an understanding wife.

PTN
 
What, is he going to be tapping his trees in January? Ain't no maple sugaring happening in the dead of winter. Or, wait, you not going to be adding it until March/April?

EDIT: A couple years ago, Glibbidy had promised to hook me up with some smoked maple syrup. Made me feel a failure as a Vermonter that I had no idea you could smoke it (I'm sure a few people have tried). I know you're trying to keep things about the same as batch 1, but I've long been intrigued by the concept of this stuff and wanting to try it in a beer.
 
I'm sure he'll be dipping into the 2010 batch, unless the whole global warming thing kicks into high gear in the next month.

Interesting about the smoked syrup. You would think that the open topped evaporating trays would give the smoke plenty of opportunity to mix into the concentrating sap. But what do I know, I just put it on my pancakes. And occasionally in a brew. And every once in a while on a pair of boobies. I think a smoked syrup would take away from that experience. But that's just me, YMMV.

PTN
 
OK, so I went over Yeager's today and slapped him around a bit just to get his head on straight. We're doing the Mega Mash. All 113 pounds of grain in a single monolithic mash tun. This is gonna be so f'ing cool.

PTN

BTW, thanks Chris, for geeking out SWMBO's Christmas present. Unlike like me, you aren't half the jerk we make you out to be.

P
 
You have to taste this guys syrup.

PTN

Oh my, back to the Boneyard.

Just wanted to flip you some sh## and let you know how much I enjoyed following along with U1 and U2.

Please keep the abuse prominent in the thread as it helps me pretend I have friends, too. The information is sorta useful, too. Mostly the abuse though.

Be good. If you can't be good, be discrete.

Kirk
 
We're doing the Mega Mash. All 113 pounds of grain in a single monolithic mash tun. This is gonna be so f'ing cool.

I know you've talked about this thing before but have you tested it out at all yet? Just seems like a lot of grain to have to deal with if you get a stuck mash. I remember you guys having a problem last year or the year before, hell it could have been both years, with trying to drain the mash tun and recirculate.
 
I know you've talked about this thing before but have you tested it out at all yet? Just seems like a lot of grain to have to deal with if you get a stuck mash. I remember you guys having a problem last year or the year before, hell it could have been both years, with trying to drain the mash tun and recirculate.

Yeah, no s#!%. Nobody's gonna be sticking an arm into 113lbs of mash, I hope.
 
Back
Top