Another Hopslam Clone

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wobdee

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This will be my 3rd batch in my new AG modified BIAB setup. Did a lot of research here comming up with this recipe, thanks to all for the outstanding info. Going for something similar to Hopslam but I don't have the yeast so will be using S-05. Any tips or comments are welcome.

2.5 gl all grain
60 minute boil
SRM 8
OG 1.090 at 70% efficiency
FG 1.010

7lbs Briess Pale Ale
2oz Crystal 20
2oz Crystal 40
1LB Orange Blossom Honey at flame out

.5 oz 13.9aa Columbus FWH 56 IBU
.5 oz 13.0aa Simcoe 20 min 18 IBU
.5 oz 9.2aa Amarillo 10 min 7.6 IBU
.5 oz 13.9aa Citra 10 min 11.4 IBU
1 oz Simcoe FO
1 oz Amarillo FO
2 oz Simcoe dry hop in primary for 7 days after fermentation done
 
I am not completely familiar with the original clone recipe, but I would advise not adding honey directly to boiling hot wort. To preserve some of the aromatic properties of the honey, add it when the wort is below 100 F. Ray Daniels describes how to add honey to beer in his book, Designing Great Beers. Honey is sterile, but some people choose to make sure by holding it at a low temp. for a certain amount of time. And I would shoot for 15% total honey instead of 12%.

At only 60-ish IBUs and tons of hop aroma, presumably from late hopbursting and dryhopping, I would think the first bittering addition is much lower. A 20 minute addition probably doesn't exist.

Lastly, pitching a yeast starter of the appropriate yeast into highly oxygenated wort, following the proper fermentation temperatures, and giving a little more time than usual for conditioning are all of the utmost importance for a big beer like this. So make sure you're using enough healthy yeast and your temps. are on target. I would have personally made a starter with liquid yeast and brewed a full 5.5 gallons. This is a lot of work for an excellent clone of only 2.5 gallons. It will only give you about 4 six-packs and be gone in no time.
 
One thing I'm not to sure about is the IBU calculation. This one is from Promash and when I did the same thing from Brewpal on my phone I end up at 62 IBU.

I plan on adding the honey after flame out along with hops after cooling it down under 180. Maybe I should wait longer til it's cooler for the honey addition but I also want to make sure it gets sterilized.

2.5 is just about right for me. I'd hate to end up with 5 gl of something I don't like. If it ends up being a great beer I will consider doubling it in the future.
 
Keep us posted on this! I too brew 2.5 - 3 gal batches. I started with 5-6 gallon batches but after a few that were only "ok" I decided to brew smaller batches, and brew more often. Nothing worse than having 50 crappy beers that you have to slog through.
 
I brewed this up yesterday and must of screwed something up because my OG was way off at 1.074! Oh well, it's still beer.

The last two batches I brewed with honey have also been short on the OG.
 
First sample out of the keg yesterday and also did some side by side tests with Hopslam at a local bar and have to say it turned out pretty close. The color and aroma are spot on, the taste wasn't too far off, I think the Hopslam was a tad more bitter. All in all I'm pretty pleased and think the next time will be even closer.
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread but, Could this recipe be done in a 5 gallon kettle with the BIAB setup?

I have been wanting to go All-Grain/BIAB and 2.5 gal or so is a good size for me for similar reasons mentioned by the previous posts.

Went to LHBS told them I wanted to do a Hopslam clone, they had their own recipe and scaled it down using their software to my 5 gallon pot (end up being 2.91 gallon), and it only had small amounts of malt (I think the 2-row was 1# 9 oz) and HUGE amounts of honey (nearly 5#)

I walked away from it, because the main fermentable was honey, I was concerned that the beer would dry out as it would basically be a mead.

Thoughts? I would really love to make a hopslam type beer in a BIAB without investing in the big kettle until I am able to get good results that necessitate brewing bigger batches.
 
Thanks - I thought that more honey than grains didn't make sense. I am glad I walked away.

Sad thing was he tried to tell me it was still "the same" because scaling it down, efficiency, yadda yadda. I know there can be differences but that much, really?

Do you think OP's recipe could be done in my standard 5 gal kettle w BIAB? I figure I should be able to get 2 or 2.5 gal this way, but... I don't have experience in this either.
 
I would think so. My next brew will be an IPA, using 7 pounds of malt (but my OG is only supposed to get to 1.070-1.075, no honey) and I am using a 4-gallon pot. I am not going to be able to do a full-volume mash, though, so I have to incorporate a sparge. A 5G pot might be able to handle the full volume though, so that is not something I can say for certain.
 
Cool thanks slym2none. Glad to hear some encouragement.

I will have to learn more of this before I jump in to AG. Fortunately a brewing buddy of mine offered to go split a NB hopslam clone (extract) kit so that will cure my hopslam craving for now; but... Still do want to go AG. Should give me some time to read up and learn more about the process before taking on a big, expensive beer along with it
 
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