Dragon's Milk

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Cheesefood

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
6,740
Reaction score
54
Location
Poo-Poo Land
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WLP001
Yeast Starter
No
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
no
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
1.080
Final Gravity
1.018
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
27
Color
28
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7
Additional Fermentation
NONE
7.5 LBS 2-Row
1.5 lbs Munich
.5 Crystal 80'L
.5 crystal 120'L
.5 flaked oats
10 oz chocolate
.25 oz Wheat

1 oz oak chips

4 oz Jim Beam or similar bourbon

9 AAU Columbuts Pellets 9% @ 60
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient @ 15
1.13 AAU Northern Brewer Pellets @ 10
WLP 001 or 1056
.75 cup corn syrup

Single step infusion
3.5 gallons of 172' water to stabalize at 156' for 60
SParge with 175'
Collect 6 gallons
Cool to 75'
Pitch and aerate
Soak oak in bourbon prior to secondary
Let settle for 1 week
Let prime for 2 weeks


(Taken from BYO. Did not brew, but posting on request)
 
missing link said:
something is wrong with this recipe. Even with 100% efficiency, you will not get to 1.081 OG


The original poster of this recipe is no longer a part of the forum. Google search results [ame="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Dragon%27s+Milk+Clone"]here[/ame], you might find a better clone recipe.
 
missing link said:
Can anybody re-post?

Here is the recipe I'm making this weekend from Brew Your Own I think I got it..
Original called for 1oz of Columbus at 9% I've never seen Columbus hops at that low of IBU so I adjusted down a little.

Dragon's Milk
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 3/15/2008
Style: Old Ale Brewer: OhioDad
Batch Size: 5.00 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 6.41 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Igloo Cooler (10 Gal)

Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0
New Holland Dragon's Milk Clone

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 78.02 %
1.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 9.75 %
0.63 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.10 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 3.25 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 3.25 %
0.25 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 1.63 %
0.75 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 29.9 IBU
0.25 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops 2.2 IBU
2.00 oz Oak Chips (Secondary 14.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [Starter 125 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.083 SG (1.060-1.100 SG) Estimated Final Gravity: 1.019 SG (1.015-1.025 SG)
Estimated Color: 28.0 SRM (10.0-25.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 32.1 IBU (30.0-65.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 10.5 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 8.29 % (6.00-10.00 %)

Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Mash Tun Weight: 9.00 lb
Mash Grain Weight: 15.38 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 3.26 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 21.00 qt of water at 169.5 F 158.0 F 60 min


Mash Notes
Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Carbonation Volumes: 2.4 (1.8-2.5 vols)
Estimated Priming Weight: 3.8 oz Temperature at Bottling: 60.0 F
Primer Used: - Age for: 4.0 Weeks
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F


Notes
Soak oak in 2oz bourbon overnight. Add 2oz Jim Beam at bottling time.
 
byo printed a correction in the march/april issue
should be
13#2row
1.5# munich
.5# crystal 80L
.5#crystal 120L
.5# flaked oats
10 oz chocolate malt
.25# wheat malt

increase water to 21qts for mash



p.s. why anyone would want 5g of this i don't know
 
eriktlupus said:
p.s. why anyone would want 5g of this i don't know

I haven't used this recipe, but New Holland's Dragon's Milk is probably my favorite commercial beer. I don't know why anyone would want 5g's either. I wouldn't make less than 10!
 
eriktlupus said:
byo printed a correction in the march/april issue
should be
13#2row
1.5# munich
.5# crystal 80L
.5#crystal 120L
.5# flaked oats
10 oz chocolate malt
.25# wheat malt

increase water to 21qts for mash



p.s. why anyone would want 5g of this i don't know

+1... If my kettle was big enough I would make it a 20 gal batch.
 
Hate to bump an old thread, but can this be haxed to extract? Are all the grains but the 2 row steepers, or will they need mashing also? My experience/gear so far is limited to extract stouts and meads, and this looked like a good one to try.
 
I have been doing some reading have seen some places that the recipe calls for lactose. Anybody have thoughts on that?
 
I think lactose would be a good guess in this beer. Lactose is unfermentable sugar and will add to the sweetness of the beer. Generally used in milk (sweet) stouts, so perfect for this recipe. I'm not sure about the above recipe though, it seems like there was some disagreement on it.
 
I'm about to transfer this to the secondary, but I have a quick question about the whole JB and oak chips. I just start soaking them the day before I transfer, then toss them in? (I'll use a hop bag of course) Should I toss in the JB that it was soaking in too?

I've never had Dragon's Milk, but lactose seems like it would be a good addition to balance this out a bit. I'll try adding 4oz. Would you guys suggest adding it into the secondary or at kegging?
 
I don't think you want to add the JB it was soaking in... You might want to add an additional ounce or two of JB for that whiskey taste.

As for the lactose I've thought about it... I don't believe the BYO recipe calls for it, and it is not a milk stout... however you are right, it might help balance it out. I'd try it, then you can let me know how it came out!

I'm trying to develop a clone of this myself and will hopefully be going to the brewery soon to see if I can get some additional information. I'll keep this thread posted if I get more information from any of the brewers.
 
valicious - how did it come out?

I think New Holland will be doing a batch soon and I hope to get some yeast from them and give it a shot. Anything you'd change?
 
JSomps6 - I followed the recipe from BYO pretty closely (had to use some Pale DME because of some equipment limitations) and the smell from the primary makes is similar to the real deal, minus the whiskey/bourbon aroma. I'll let you know more as it comes along. I've been sitting on a few bottles to do a proper comparison, even though it hurts my soul to pass them over every time I open the refrigerator.
 
I just bottled this beer a few days ago and I have to say that the BYO recipe is pretty close in flavor and appearance. I used two packs of S-04 and let it ferment at basement temps, which hit around 70 this summer. I would not add any lactose as I don't feel that it is necessary. I added the bourbon the oak chips soaked in and feel that it really helped nail the profile. I'm curious to see how it turns out after it has a chance to rest in the bottle for a while.
 
I just bottled this beer a few days ago and I have to say that the BYO recipe is pretty close in flavor and appearance. I used two packs of S-04 and let it ferment at basement temps, which hit around 70 this summer. I would not add any lactose as I don't feel that it is necessary. I added the bourbon the oak chips soaked in and feel that it really helped nail the profile. I'm curious to see how it turns out after it has a chance to rest in the bottle for a while.


Well it's been a few weeks, thoughts?
 
So, my first thought is that I may have added a bit too much bourbon for it to be a spot-on clone. However, I'm not going to complain. Due to my grain limitations, I had to adjust the recipe as follows:

American Munich 1.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
American chocolate malt 0.67 lb, Grain, Mashed
American two-row 10.00 lb, Grain, Mashed
American wheat 0.25 lb, Grain, Mashed
Crystal 120L 0.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
Crystal 80L 0.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
Flaked oats 0.50 lb, Adjunct, Mashed
Light D.M.E. 3.00 lb, Extract, Extract

Columbus 0.75 oz, Pellet, 60 minutes
Willamette 0.50 oz, Pellet, 10 minutes

I mashed at 154 and ended up with an OG of 1.095 and an FG of 1.020. I think the mouthfeel and sweetness levels are quite good so I wouldn't consider adding lactose. The color and aroma are remarkably close and the flavor profile is very similar. I used McAfee's Benchmark Old No.8 instead of Maker's since it's an awesomely good bourbon for the money, but I probably shouldn't have added the bourbon that I soaked the oak chips in and some additional bourbon at bottling.

All in all, the process created a delicious beer, gave me a great learning experience, and landed me a bundle of beer for a lot less than $3.50 per bottle.
 
Okay - think I'm finally going to brew this on Sunday. After looking at New Hollands' website they say it starts at 23* Plato which is roughly 1090. So I bumped my 2 row to get me there. If it's starting at 1090, what can I expect it to finish at? I plan to mash at 155/156 to keep some residual sweetness. I'm going pitch two vials into a one gallon starter tonight. I figured if I can get it down to 1020, I'll be in good shape. Sound about right?
 
What yeast are you using? As long as your attenuation rate is around 75% you should be fine. Good luck on your brew day!
 
I was planning on using 001, but when I went to my LHBS, they now carry Wyeast. Looking at the date on the wyeast 1056 package, it was packaged January 23rd, 2011. And the WL had an expiration date of April 10th. I decided to go with the wyeast because it was a lot fresher. I pitched two smack packs into ha 2000 mL starter about an hour ago and will be bring tomorrow morning.

I'm wondering how long I should leave the oak chips in secondary. The package of oak cubes I bought said a minimum time of 8 weeks. And that is what the guy at the LHBS told me too. From BYO's Website:

"John told me that Dragon’s Milk is one of their best selling big beers and has been in their lineup for several years. One half batch of this beer is aged in bourbon barrels for 90 days and then blended with the other half, which is aged in stainless. He feels that it combines the best attributes of a sweet stout and an old ale."

So they do half their beer in oak for 3 months. Maybe I'll do all my beer on oak for 45 days.... But I'll give it a taste test after 2 weeks and make my decision. I'm excited for this one.
 
I used oak chips (medium French oak) but only left the beer on it for two weeks. I really only pulled the beer because I wanted to give it time in bottles to get nice and ready for Christmas. From what I've read since brewing my batch is that oak chips will give up most of their flavor in two weeks, and quantity has more to do with overall imparted flavor than time. I would imagine that oak cubes would require more time in contact with the beer because of the higher mass to surface area ratio, so you might need to go the full 8 weeks. In any case, it's going to be awesome.
 
Well - it wasn't a good brew day for me. Mashed in, but due to a faulty thermometer, it equalized at 140. Then I had some issues with my pump and took me about 45 minutes to get the temp from 140 to 156. So I left at it 156 for 30 min, then mashed out about 165. I oversparged by about half a gallon and ended up with a OG of 1079 instead of the planned 1090. (I bumped up my 2 row to hit 1090 as new holland's website says it starts at 23* Plato.) I pitched yeast about 4 pm and when I want to bed at 11 pm, it was bubbling, and this morning I was happy I had fashioned the blow off tube into a big bucket! Even though I missed my gravity, it's going to be a long 3 months til I try this beer.... can't wait
 
FYI there is a "Dragon's Milk" recipe in Radical Brewing by Mosher. It is not smoked and contains only MO for malt.
 
Update: I started off with 5.5 gallons in a 6 gal carboy. With the amount of blow off I'm down to 5 gallons in the carboy... It's still bubbling, but not as vigorous... should I worry I blew off too much yeast at high krausen?
 
I was considering doing a parti-gyle of this recipe with the following:

19 lbs American 2-row
2.5 lbs Munich
1 lb Chocolate Malt
12 oz Flaked Oats
12 oz Crystal 80L
12 oz Crystal 120L
8 oz Wheat Malt

it would be a 1/2 1/2 split, and the first of course would be dragon's milk, but i'm not sure how to hop the second. Any suggestions?
 
So? How did it turn out, JSomps6?

It was a good beer, but not a clone. I left it 9 weeks in the secondary with the oak... But it definitely needed more oak character and more bourbon. I would like to try it again, have a better brew days, add more bourbon, and give it longer on the oak.....
 
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