Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone

Sierra Nevada PA has to be one of my favorite beers. To me it's one of those beers you can enjoy any time of the year for any occasion. Plus it's one of the few beers that I like that SWMBO likes too.

I was on the Brew Your Own website today and they had this recipe for a Sierra Nevada PA clone. I haven't done more than extract brewing with steeping grains, so this recipe looked like something in my skill range.

Any thoughts on this recipe? Anything you might do differently? I'm sure there are other clone recipes out there, but being new to brewing not quite sure what different ingredients add to the flavor.

landis said:

...Ferment three days and rack to secondary. Dry hop with 0.5 oz. Cascade pellets. Ferment two weeks at 65° F. Prime and bottle.

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I can't comment on the recipe as I've never had SNPA but I wouldn't follow these fermentation instructions. Let it sit in primary for at least 10 days (2 weeks is better) before you even consider moving to secondary.

Read this (if you can because it is long) if you want some addtional info on SNPA. >> http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=15532&highlight=snpa
I would agree with Brad on the fermentation time.

SNPA uses Magnum now also.

SNPA

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.25
Anticipated OG: 1.070 Plato: 17.08
Anticipated SRM: 5.7
Anticipated IBU: 73.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 87 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 0.25 lbs. Crystal 60L America 1.034 60
93.3 10.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
4.4 0.50 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.80 0.0 Dry Hop
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.80 4.3 1 min.
0.50 oz. Perle Pellet 7.70 4.6 15 min.
1.00 oz. Magnum Pellet 13.10 64.5 90 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1056 Amercan Ale/Chico

Thanks for all of the tips. The whole 3 day fermentation sounded a little off to me, so I was thinking that 2 weeks would be much better.

Thanks for that updated recipe Drunkensatyr - I think I'll try that one sometime this next week...maybe even tomorrow.

I just brewed a SNPA clone. After 9 days in primary, the Color, Aroma and Flavor of the sample look great. I purposely upped the hops a bit, as I think the SN version could use it. Fermenter ranged at 66-69. No airlock activity since day 4 or 5. I'm thinking of bottling this at 14 days.
Here is the recipie I used.

Partial Mash
Batch size 5.25 gal
Pre-boil size 4.0 gal
Post-boil size 3.25 gal
Boil time = 70 min.
Top up fermenter with 2.00 gal
Est OG = 1.056, (Measured 1.053 at 68% eff.)
Est FG = 1.012, (Measured 1.010 at 9 days in primary)
Abv = 5.6%
IBU = 42.5
Color = 12.5 SRM

5.5 lb Pale Malt (2-Row)
1.5 lb Caramel/Crystal 60L
.5 lb Carafoam

Mash 60 min at 153

1 lb Light DME (before boil)

.5 oz Magnum 13.1 @ 60 min
.5 oz Perle 7.0 @ 30 min
1oz Cascade 6.4 @ 10 min
2oz Cascade 6.4 @ 2 min

1 lb Light DME (At flame off)

Chilled in ice bath to 85 degrees in 10 min. Top off with 2 gal 34 degrees to pitch temp of 66.

Safale American US-05, pitched at 66 degrees

My clone brew side by side with SN version. Color is way dark, but the cloudiness may be making it appear worse. The taste is fantastic. Very close to the original, mine maybe a bit fresher and more hop flavor.

Next time I'm going to cut back the C60 to 1 lb, increase the 2-row to 7 lbs, reduce the DME to 1.5 lbs and add all of the DME at 15 minutes.

I like everyone's recipes so far. My recipe is very close from what I've been told. It is my house ale and it looks, smells and tastes very similar. My IBU is higher by a ton but everything else is close. Here is my take.

9# American 2-Row
1# Crystal 60*L

2oz Magnum 9.5% (30 min)
1oz Magnum 9.5% (15 min)
.5oz Cascade 5% (15 min)
.5oz Magnum 9.5% (10min)
.5oz Cascade 5% (10 min)
.5oz Magnum 9.5% (5 min)
1oz Cascade 5% (5 min)

4oz Cascade 5% (DH)
2oz Fuggle 3.6% (DH)

1L starter 1056 Generation 3.

Heat 3.15gal water to 157*F
Dough in at 148*F for 60mins
Iodine test confirms conversion
Yield 1.25gal Batch Sparge 6gal water at 170*F
Boil 90mins. Add hops
Yield 5gallons
Pitched yeast at 70*F
Fermented at 71*F for 3 weeks.
Dry hopped for 3 weeks.
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.010
Brewhouse Efficiency: 81.5%

I mashed low so I fermented on the high side in hopes of balancing it out which worked well surprisingly. I usually ferment at 64*F with my yeast but this was an experiment that turned out great. I've brewed this a few dozen times and it's nice. I know SN states they use Perle for bittering
but I like this way better. Close enough in my opinion.
Cheers.

There's a recipe in the recipe selection that I make. I know it uses perle for bitter and cascade. The only difference is I dry hop with .5 simcoe instead of cascade. It tastes better then the original. Yours just seems like a lot of hops.

With all those hops, it looks more like a "Torpedo Light" than a PA.

Looks tasty though.

Look up nierra sevada.

shadows69 said:

There's a recipe in the recipe selection that I make. I know it uses perle for bitter and cascade. The only difference is I dry hop with .5 simcoe instead of cascade. It tastes better then the original. Yours just seems like a lot of hops.

Click to expand...

Based on there website they use magnum and Perle for bittering and cascade for aroma and dry hop. As for simcoe, seems like everyone uses that hop along with Amarillo. Therefor in my opinion everyone's beer has the same profile. I like my brew and so does a few brewers in my area (flying bison, southern tier). They don't seem to think its just a lot of hops. They even compliment the balance of the brew.

hopcop said:

Based on there website they use magnum and Perle for bittering and cascade for aroma and dry hop. As for simcoe, seems like everyone uses that hop along with Amarillo. Therefor in my opinion everyone's beer has the same profile. I like my brew and so does a few brewers in my area (flying bison, southern tier). They don't seem to think its just a lot of hops. They even compliment the balance of the brew.

Click to expand...

I agree that more hops make this better. My recipe is at 40 ibu and tastes better than the original.

I posted this in another thread:

6 gallons
75% efficiency
OG: 1.052 (before bottle conditioning, 1.054 after)
FG: 1.011

10.5lbs American 2-row
14oz Crystal 60 (English crystal would be preferred)
Mash at 154*

.5oz Pearle @ 60
.5oz Magnum @ 60
1oz Cascade @ 15
1oz Cascade @ 0
Dry Hop .5-1oz Cascade for 3-5 days

Ferment with California Ale yeast (1056/WLP001 or US05) Make a starter, or just use 1 pack of dry yeast. Ferment at 65-67*

*Note 1: Sierra Nevada bottle conditions their PA. If you bottle condition, great, you'll gain the 2 gravity points needed to hit 5.6% ABV. If you keg, increase your 2-row by 1/2lb to hit an OG of 1.054.

*Note 2: Sierra Nevada uses whole cone hops 100% of the time. If you really want the beer to be exact, get whole cone hops, not pellets. In reality, the difference probably isn't huge.

That should get you dangerously close. Adjust the amount of 2-row as needed for the efficiency you typically get.

+1 to scottland. I have followed his DFH120 Clone with some of my own modifications. I would trust his recipe for this brew as well.

I love this beer..but im gonna try to throw together a recipe with a late citra addition and dry hop with citra and cascade. Wonder how that will taste

landis said:

Sierra Nevada PA has to be one of my favorite beers. To me it's one of those beers you can enjoy any time of the year for any occasion. Plus it's one of the few beers that I like that SWMBO likes too.

I was on the Brew Your Own website today and they had this recipe for a Sierra Nevada PA clone. I haven't done more than extract brewing with steeping grains, so this recipe looked like something in my skill range.

Any thoughts on this recipe? Anything you might do differently? I'm sure there are other clone recipes out there, but being new to brewing not quite sure what different ingredients add to the flavor.

Click to expand...

I made this partial mash version which was very close to SNPA:

Nierra Sevada - Partial Mash

landis said:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. caramel malt, 30° Lovibond
• 6 oz. DeWolf-Cosyns cara-pils malt
• 6 lbs. light malt syrup
• 1.5 oz. Perle hops (8.2% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 2.5 oz. Cascade hops (5.4% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. for 5 min., 0.5
oz. pellets (dry hopping).
• Wyeast 1056 (American ale)
• 11/4 cup dry malt extract

Step by Step:

Add grains to 1.5 gal. water. Bring slowly to 170° F. Remove grains and bring to a boil.
Total boil is 60 min. Boil 10 min. and add Perle hops. Boil 45 min. more, adding water as
needed to maintain liquid level. Make first Cascade addition. Boil 5 min. more. Turn off
heat. Wait 10 min. Add 1 oz. Cascade. Wait 3 to 5 min. Remove hops and transfer to
fermenter.

Top up to 5 gal. Pitch yeast at 70° F.

Ferment three days and rack to secondary. Dry hop with 0.5 oz. Cascade pellets. Ferment
two weeks at 65° F. Prime and bottle.
[/INDENT]

Click to expand...

Does anyone know what the OG for this would be? Trying to determine if I should make a starter or not.

Here's an excellent Sierra Nevada clone recipe kit - http://www.eckraus.com/steam-freak-pale-ale-sierra.html