question: So I'm looking for a fat tire clone

and I've come across many recipes, but none of them seem to have done the most basic research: Check the new belgium website for ingredients:
http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=7c5b394b-d7b7-486a-ac9a-316256a7b0ee
ABV - 5.2%
IBU - 18.5
Calories -155
Hops - Willamette, Goldings, Target
Malts - Pale, C-80, Munich, Victory
OG - 12.6
TG - 2.2

Not one recipe I found uses the hops and malts shown here. all have the 2-row and crystal, but all vary using munich and biscuit malt and other specialty grains, but none have the victory.

and for hops, they all have willamette, but no clones out there have goldings or target.

Is it possible that no one actually checked the NB website? or is it possible that maybe people have tried the actual ingredients, but have had better luck with some alternate ingredients?

Just curious why not one clone uses the ingredients listed on the website.

Don't know where you are looking, but here is the recipe that NB provided to BYO in the December 2010 issue.

Fat Tire Clone (December):
5 gal, OG = 1.050, FG = 1.013
IBU = 19, SRM = 14, ABV = 4.7%

8# 10 oz. 2-row Pale Malt
1# Munich Malt
8 oz. Crystal Malt (80L)
6 oz. Victory Malt
0.4 oz. Target (60 min.)
0.5 oz. Willamette (10 min.)
0.5 oz. Goldings (0 min.)
Wyeast 1272 or Wyeast 1792 or WLP051 Yeast

Mash at 154F for 45 minutes. Ferment at 68F.

Not sure about this clone recipe or the others you were looking at, but maybe someone didn't have the exact ingredients listed and used substitutions that were similar. I know victory, biscuit and toasted malts can be used interchangeably. Maybe it was the same for the hops?

well i had't come across that one.. i just searched on here for fat tire clone, there's about 5-8 recipes, none of which seemed to use what's listed on NB website..
perhaps maynard has a point, maybe they used what they had or what was available at homebrew store.

That's entirely possible. However, even BYO's earlier clone (March/April 2010) recipe didn't use all the same ingredients specified on the NB site. You'd think that a respected brew magazine would do that obvious bit of research prior to creating a clone recipe.

Fat Tire Clone (March/April):
5 gal, OG = 1.050, FG = 1.013
IBU = 20, SRM = 14, ABV = 4.8%

8# 10 oz. 2-row Pale Malt
8 oz. Munich Malt
8 oz. Carapils Malt
8 oz. Crystal Malt (20L)
6 oz. Biscuit Malt
1 oz. Chocolate Malt
0.8 oz. Willamette (90 min.)
0.4 oz. Fuggle (20 min.)
0.4 oz. Fuggle (0 min.)
Wyeast 1272 or WLP051 Yeast

Mash at 154F for 45 minutes. Ferment at 68F.

The kit I got from AHS is very similar to the recipe from the December 2010 BYO magazine. I just brewed it a few weeks ago, and will be happy to let you know how it compares to the original.

ah, well they must have changed it. I still have my pdf of AHS's fat tire clone, and it is:
8.5 2-row
.5 C-90
.5 munich
.25 biscuit
.25 victory

and willamette and northern brewer hops.

I bought this kit about a year ago. I guess they change them.

Also, I realized I read this just a couple days ago, and had bookmarked it.. it is not consistent as far as hops are concerned.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/new-belgium-1554-a-95397/#post2523586
calls for magnum instead of target, claimed on the website.

email is said to be sent from a new belgium brewer, so assuming so, i'd go by that.

The NB info has changed over time. This is what they used to say:
Fat Tire: 5.3% alcohol
Hops and Spices-Willamette, Goldings and Magnum
Malts: Pale, C-40, Munich and Victory
I'm sure they can change the bittering hops without a huge change in the final product, and in the great hop shortage of 08, some types were hard to get.

met,

Check out the recipe from Austin Home Brew Supply.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...=1113&osCsid=6c77d6c924c96b49920bcadbf564a9cd

NRS