Any feedback on this Brooklyn Lager clone?

I'm due to brew in about an hour - anyone have any feedback on this recipe or the hop schedule?

Brooklyn Lager
A ProMash Recipe Report
BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------
01-C Light Lager, Premium American Lager
Min OG: 1.046 Max OG: 1.056
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 25
Min Clr: 2 Max Clr: 6 Color in SRM, Lovibond
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 11.00 Wort Size (Gal): 11.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 19.00
Anticipated OG: 1.050 Plato: 12.44
Anticipated SRM: 7.2
Anticipated IBU: 34.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------
Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 12.94 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.043 SG 10.64 Plato
Formulas Used
-------------
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.
Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager
Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
47.4 9.00 lbs. Pilsener Germany 1.038 2
44.7 8.50 lbs. Vienna Malt America 1.035 4
7.9 1.50 lbs. CaraMunich 40 France 1.034 40
Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.75 0.0 Dry Hop
2.50 oz. Hallertauer Pellet 4.00 22.4 60 min.
3.00 oz. Hallertauer Pellet 4.00 9.0 20 min.
2.00 oz. Hallertauer Pellet 4.00 3.0 5 min.

Are you looking to take the hops out of the style range?

I've no experience of the style but overall it looks fine to me?

That was my fault on selecting "American Lager" in ProMash... just curious if anyone has any experience with a Brooklyn Lager clone and if this is even close. Guess I'll find out in a month or so...

Had this beer in NYC and visited the brewery in Brooklyn last week. Screw my pale ale, this will be my house brew (fermented as an ale). :rockin:

I couldn't detect pils malt in the brew, and their site lists American 2-row for this beer, and various pilsner malts for some others so that also points to pale 2-row as the base. I suspect they use Rahr 2-row since I saw it stacked up at the brewery.

The hops are listed on the website as Vanguard, Cascade, and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh. My guess is Cascade for bittering, Vanguard and Hallertauer for flavoring, and I could tell from a mile away they dry hopped with Hallertauer and Cascade. IBUs not listed, probably 30-40. I may try Cascade and Hallertauer Perle since the Vanguard and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh (hard to find) together seemed IMO pretty close to Perle in flavor and aroma.

1.053 OG and 5.2% which is 75% apparent attenuation.

Here's what I'm going to try for 5.5 gal at 75% brewhouse eff:

5# Rahr 2-row
5# American Vienna
1# American Crystal 60

1oz Cascade 60
.5oz Hallertauer 15
.5oz Vanguard 15
.5oz Hallertauer 5
.5oz Vanguard 5
1oz Hallertauer DH
1oz Cascade DH

Single infusion mash at 152 for 60 min
Boil 75 min

Wyeast 1007 (German Alt) @60*F for 14 days, dry hop for 7 days.

I've always thought the Cascades were for aroma, not bittering (siding with the OP here). Maybe I have to try Brooklyn Lager again though. But they are noticeably there.

Seems they just started distributing this in Texas, I'll pick up a 6-pack at Spec's and compare side by side with Anchor Liberty which should help nail down the aroma. Oh, the woes of doing brew research.

Saccharomyces said:

Seems they just started distributing this in Texas, I'll pick up a 6-pack at Spec's and compare side by side with Anchor Liberty which should help nail down the aroma. Oh, the woes of doing brew research.

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it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it

The only place local that carried it just recently dropped it for lack of interest... so I haven't had any direct comparisons, but this turned out really good. The color is about right, finishes clean, and it has a good amout of "spiciness" to it. The only variation is that I decided last minute to not dry hop and instead just add the cascade at flame out - wish I had a hopback.

Good call. I'll dry hop with Cascade and the Hallertauer. There is definitely Cascade aroma. I think I'll try the Cascade for bittering too.

John Beere said:

The only place local that carried it just recently dropped it for lack of interest... so I haven't had any direct comparisons, but this turned out really good. The color is about right, finishes clean, and it has a good amout of "spiciness" to it. The only variation is that I decided last minute to not dry hop and instead just add the cascade at flame out - wish I had a hopback.

Click to expand...

I use an IC so I always dry hop any beer for <5 min additions.

We literally just started getting it here, I picked up a 6 pack today. I am not sure when I will get around to brewing this, but when I do we should arrange a swap... I can send some of the original with my clone.

A swap sounds like a good idea but I'm not sure how soon I'll be brewing this again. Due to some personal issues, my beer pipeline is running dry - the 10 gallons I made back in July is already gone! I'd like to make it again and give it more of a chance to actually lager...

Saccharomyces said:

Seems they just started distributing this in Texas, I'll pick up a 6-pack at Spec's and compare side by side with Anchor Liberty which should help nail down the aroma. Oh, the woes of doing brew research.

Click to expand...

Did anyone end up brewing this? I'm looking for a good Brooklyn Lager clone. This has become my favorite beer and I'd love to make it because it's really hard to find locally.

Hilbert said:

Did anyone end up brewing this? I'm looking for a good Brooklyn Lager clone. This has become my favorite beer and I'd love to make it because it's really hard to find locally.

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I would imagine those beers are long gone but I'd be interested to hear Sacc's/Beere's take on their versions. I'm brewing a lager this weekend and was gonna make a Helles (boring! ) but I'm considering changing to this...much more 'interesting' brew for me.

But I don't have Vanguard, Mittlefreuh, or Cascade. I do have Liberty, Hersbrucker, Tettnanger, and Centennial so I guess I'll try some combination of those. Unfortunately I've never had Brooklyn Lager so I don't even know what the 'target' is.

Also, no US 2-row. I have German Pils, Belgian Pils, Maris Otter, Golden Promise, Special Aromatic, and Munich Type I to choose from. Looks like my Brooklyn Lager will prob be as close to the real thing as Florida-made 'New York Style' pizza is.

Any other good descriptions of this beer? Don't make me use Beer Advocate!

I have not brewed mine because I just recently got a lagering fridge. It's on the list of brews.

Brooklyn Lager is like a lager version of something like Sierra Nevada pale ale.

I was guessing about 25 IBUs from taste alone on it. It has some caramel flavor, but it's very light. I'd go with any trusted Vienna lager recipe that had some kind of a crystal / cara 40 / 60, but not very much. Dry hop with maybe the Tett and Centennial. Again, not too much. This doesn't hit me nearly as strongly with hop aroma or flavor as a SNPA might. It has a nice hop character, but I thought it was pretty restrained, and that's what made it excellent. It was tasty and easy to drink and refreshing, the kind of thing you immediately want another sip of. So, more flavor and aroma hop additions that a Vienna lager usually gets (more than none, eh?), but not too much!

Thanks phasedweasel.

I'll prob try something like:
5.25 gallons/82% BHE
4# Bohemian Pils
4# Special Aromatic
.5# Caramunich Type II
.5# Carafoam
1 oz. Carafa Special II

1oz Liberty FWH
.25oz Magnum 60
.5oz Tettnanger 60
.5oz Tettnanger 5
.5oz Centennial 5
.5oz Tettnanger DH
.5oz Centennial DH

Wyeast Staro-Prague lager yeast (large starter).

OG -1.053
FG - 1.012
IBU - 32.5
SRM - 9.5

I'll report back when it's done...in ~3 months.

Well it's ~3 months later. I got lazy and never dry-hopped it. I brewed mine having never seen/tasted Brooklyn Lager but now that I'm drinking my version I bought a 6-pack to compare. I brewed it pretty much just like the recipe above except no dry-hopping.

The color is about perfect. Mine is slightly maltier and slightly less bitter and of course doesn't have the hop aroma of the real thing (but more malt aroma). I really like mine. I'm a wuss when it comes to bitterness and love malt so I actually like mine better, except for the aroma, the real thing wins there.

I've actually done something similar to this recipe. I can post it later but since I partial mash, it was atleast 1/2 of pale liquid malt extract and a bit of dry light malt extract. The grist consisted of Munich 10l, pils, vienna and caramunich. I have no plans to dry hop but might consider now. I used wyeast Bohemian.

My recipe was a Vienna Lager to the best of my partial mash capabilities, but I wonder then if Brooklyn Lager is a Vienna?

Curious, how did it come out? did you get it right??

I am thinking of brewing it for the summer.