shakespeare stout

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miafunk2003

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I just found out that my microbiology teacher is a homebrewer as well....we started to talk about what he brews and he told me that he loves brewing a clone of shakespeare stout by rogue brewing co....he said its rated as the top beer in the world in some book cant remember the name....My first question is have any of u tryed it and is it really that good and second of all do any of u happen to have an extract recipe to make this?
 
miafunk2003 said:
I just found out that my microbiology teacher is a homebrewer as well....we started to talk about what he brews and he told me that he loves brewing a clone of shakespeare stout by rogue brewing co....he said its rated as the top beer in the world in some book cant remember the name....My first question is have any of u tryed it and is it really that good and second of all do any of u happen to have an extract recipe to make this?
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I haven't had the Shakespeare Stout, but Rogue Chocolate Stout is very, very good. Probably one of the top 5 beers I've ever had.

Rogue beer is hard to come by in my area. I've had the Chocolate Stout, and Mocha Porter (very good also, but not as good as the Chocolate Stout, IMO). I just bought a sixer of Dead Guy Ale today. I've heard good things about it, looking forward to downing a couple tonight!
 
It is definitely one of my absolute favorite brews of all time. You can get it at Whole Foods. (Right next to the Dead Guy Ale, usually, as it's the same brewery.) I'd love to do an AG clone of that beer, but I think you need Pacman yeast, which may be hard to find.
 
beer4breakfast said:
It is definitely one of my absolute favorite brews of all time. You can get it at Whole Foods. (Right next to the Dead Guy Ale, usually, as it's the same brewery.) I'd love to do an AG clone of that beer, but I think you need Pacman yeast, which may be hard to find.
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Wyeast has released Pacman Yeast. In fact, Austin Homebrew provides Pacman Yeast if you order one of their Rogue clone kits. I'd assume you could buy just the yeast from them also.

I agree, something would be missing in a Rogue clone brew without the Pacman yeast.
 
thanx alot on helping me find the kit at austin ill be purchasing it today ill tell u how it comes out when i brew it
 
Shakespeare stout is good, but that score was back in 1994. If he has a clone recipe, he can probably convert it.
 
Well, I didn't know they had that, greg75. It does indeed come with Pacman yeast as one of the options. That's exciting. I haven't done a stout yet.

I'm about to order their Shakespeare Stout clone in an All Grain version. I see they have an option to boost the alcohol content by 1% without changing the flavor. How does that work?
 
Shakespeare is definitely up there the best, never tried brewing it, but am looking into as well. There's a homebrew shop in Tulsa, OK called High Gravity that sells all kinds of stuff on their website, www.highgravitybrew.com
They've got a extract/specialty grain kit based on SS, that looks pretty good to me, but what the hell do I know.

Here's a link to it to leave it open to any comments, additions, etc.

http://www.highgravitybrew.com/docs/ThespianStout.pdf

I would assume substituting Pacman for the #1084, would be the way to go.
 
beer4breakfast said:
Well, I didn't know they had that, greg75. It does indeed come with Pacman yeast as one of the options. That's exciting. I haven't done a stout yet.

I'm about to order their Shakespeare Stout clone in an All Grain version. I see they have an option to boost the alcohol content by 1% without changing the flavor. How does that work?
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Well, I've never ordered anything from Austin Homebrew myself, although my next batch will probably come from there. The 1% alcohol boost, IIRC, is basically just a packet of some specialized sugar that comes with the rest of the ingredients. I assumed they just sent more malt extract to achieve the higher alcohol, but maybe that would change the flavor profile too much, because they claim the extra alcohol doesn't compromise the taste.

Just for the sake of science, :cross: when I order my kit from Austin Homebrew, I'll get the 1% boost and tell you my thoughts. And, yes, this really is an unselfish act on my part. I'm really taking one for the team here! :drunk:
 
just finished ordering my kit now the hard part is should i brew the shakespeare stout this coming weekend or the infamous vanilla cream ale?
 
miafunk2003 said:
just finished ordering my kit now the hard part is should i brew the shakespeare stout this coming weekend or the infamous vanilla cream ale?
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You should probably just do both, to be on the safe side. :mug:
 
ur probably rite i should brew both of the i guess i got to order another fermenter then...lol
 
OK, I just placed my order from AHS for the Shakespeare Stout AG kit with the Pacman yeast too. Greg75, your turn. Maybe you and I and miafunk2003 will all brew within a week or so of each other and be able to compare notes on the outcome. Oh, I didn't opt for the alcohol boost. I'll let you do the honors on that. :)
 
im down for that...im brewing this coming sat....we can compare because i believe u got the AG version and im doing the extract version....i alos decided not to get the alcohol boost.
 
Yep, I got the AG, and I'm hoping to brew next weekend. If for some reason I don't get to, it'll be the following weekend and I'll just be one week behind you. I'm shooting for next weekend, though.
 
beer4breakfast said:
Yep, I got the AG, and I'm hoping to brew next weekend. If for some reason I don't get to, it'll be the following weekend and I'll just be one week behind you. I'm shooting for next weekend, though.
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Alright, I think I'll either go with the Mocha Porter clone or Dead Guy Ale. I figure I may as well get the Pacman yeast while it's available, also. I'll get the 1% boost, again, solely in the name of science. It'll probably be closer to two weeks before I brew, however. Still, I'll be sure to keep you all updated with my results.

Oh, I'll be doing an extract kit, just to let you know. I'm already looking into going all-grain, but I'm not there yet. Before I get a mash/lauter tun and turkey fryer, I think the single best improvement I could make to my brewing would be better temperature control during fermentation. I'm looking into building a fermentation chiller following these plans:

http://home.elp.rr.com/brewbeer/chiller/chiller.PDF

I wanted to get the all grain equipment, but my last two batches had strong alcohol tastes to them when I taste tested during racking. I think the main culprit is the brew temp getting over 75 degrees during primary fermentation. Maintaining a consistent 68-70 degrees would make a world of difference, I think. Plus, the ability to brew lagers will be very nice too. As I currently stand, lagering is not an option.
 
sounds good then ill keep posting how its going as it progresses....then maybe we can do a trade and see which one tasted better...Ag or Extract.
 
Sounds like a plan! Now we just gotta get greg75 to do the same with the alcohol booster.

I got an email that said my package shipped today. I think next Sunday will be my brew day.

EDIT: Ah, I had missed Greg's post above. Looks like we'll be able to get a three way exchange going once we're all done, bottled, and conditioned.
 
I might end up brewing next sat instead of this sat to....depends if i got a microbiology test or not:( ....but maybe ill be able to sneak some brewing time...:mug:
 
So I just cracked open a Dead Guy ale, first time I've ever had it, and GD if that isn't one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I think I'm ordering up a clone kit from AHS and bumping it way up in my rotation.

Now, to harvest lots of that pacman yeast...
 
TheJadedDog said:
So I just cracked open a Dead Guy ale, first time I've ever had it, and GD if that isn't one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I think I'm ordering up a clone kit from AHS and bumping it way up in my rotation.

Now, to harvest lots of that pacman yeast...
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Yes, it really knocked my socks off, too. In fact, I think I just may order a kit myself tonight (well, I'll probably wait a couple of days, because I'm concerned the crushed grains will lose something if I wait too long to brew...probably no basis to think this, but I do all the same :cross: )
 
Well, I'm glad y'all are going to wait an extra week to brew. Mine will be aged a week longer by the time we do the exchange.

As for the grains losing something over an extra week or two, read this thread where I asked that question and set your mind at ease.

BTW, my Shakespeare Stout AG kit from Austin Home Brew arrived today. And, I bought a cool little Lagerhead Turtle to help with pouring a Black and Tan.
 
your goiing to love that lagerhead turtle it pour black n tans perfectly....i had 2 dead guy ales yesterday while i was brewing the vanilla cream ale and its amazing!:mug: ...its official ill be brewing next weekend not this one:(
 
TheJadedDog said:
So I just cracked open a Dead Guy ale, first time I've ever had it, and GD if that isn't one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I think I'm ordering up a clone kit from AHS and bumping it way up in my rotation.

Now, to harvest lots of that pacman yeast...
Click to expand...

Good luck on that one. I don't think they use Pacman in the bottles. You'll have much better luck just ordering it from an online HBS. I ordered some from Austin, should be arriving today...I think I'm going to use it to brew a high-gravity cherry stout.

Dead guy is good, no doubt, but if that's one of the best you've ever had, well, you should come to our shop. Mwah ha ha! If you like dead guy, you should seek out one of my all-time favs, Gouden Carolus' Grand Cru of the Emperor. Or, see if you can get your grubby hands on some Stone Vertical Epic from 6.6.06...or, failing that, some Arrogant Bastard/Double Bastard.
 
Evan! said:
Good luck on that one. I don't think they use Pacman in the bottles. You'll have much better luck just ordering it from an online HBS. QUOTE]

Yeah, I ordered the pacman yeast too, was planning on harvesting after fermentation, not from commercial bottles.
Click to expand...
 
AG grain bill:

9 lb Pale Malt
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt
1/2 lb Flaked Oats
1/2 lb Crystal 120L
1/2 lb Black Roasted Barley

2 oz Cascade at 60
1 oz Cascade at 15
1 oz Cascade at 5
 
You smacked your Activator pack yet? I took mine out of the fridge about two hours ago and smacked it. I'm making my starter wort on the stove now. I'll be pitching into the starter when the yeast pack swells and the starter is room temp.
 
yeah i popped the smack pak...not making a starter though ive always used them w/o starters and fermentation always starts in about 8 hours....ill start brewing in an hour or so:mug:
 
well......i finished brewing already everything went as planned....lets see how long it takes for this pacman yeast to start up,,,finished off with a 1.060 OG just like the recipe calls for.
 
I just ordered an Austin Homebrew Dead Guy Ale clone today. I also opted for the Wyeast Pacman Smack Pak. I sort of messed up, however...I didn't order the 1% alcohol boost like I promised. :( I just blanked it out until I came here to let you guys know. I guarantee I'll get it next time, however. I plan on brewing next Friday evening or the following Monday. I'll let you know how everything goes.

In addition to the Dead Guy Ale kit, I also ordered a yeast starter kit ($14.99). It comes with a laboratory flask, rubber stopper, and a three piece airlock, as well as some DME. I also ordered some extra DME($2.50 or so) for future starters. My last two batches took about 24 hours for vigorous fermentation to get going, so I thought I'd help expedite the process a bit. Although, I must confess, the wort being below 65F probably had more to do with that than lack of a starter. Nevertheless, I can't imagine any downside in having a good starter going when pitching.

Another project I'm contemplating adding to this brew session is cleaning and harvesting the yeast. I think the Pacman strain is on a limited release, so culturing some of it for future brews seems like a wise thing to do. Now I just have to educate myself on that whole process (I've heard it's prety easy, but then again, anything's easy once you know how to do it. ;) )
 
I started my AG version of Shakespeare Stout clone about 05:00 PM yesterday afternoon, later than I intended. I pitched my yeast starter right at midnight. Sadly, my OG was only 1.051, so I missed the 1.060 mark by a bit. Maybe it's because I'm batch sparging. I probably should have added a pound or two of pale malt to compensate. I wonder what effect the OG difference will have? I suspect the stout will be good anyway.

I bought a two liter erlenmeyer and some DME from More Beer and it came in about a week ago, so I used it to make a 1.6 liter starter from the Pacman smack pack. I had a minor boilover, maybe a tablespoon of foam when I was boiling it, even though I was watching very closely. I definitely wouldn't try to make more that 1.5 liters of wort for a starter in a 2 liter erlenmeyer. I might get a 3 liter flask down the road.

I like making the starter. Seven hours after pitching my starter, there was 3/4 inch of kraeusen on top (there's about 1.25 inches now) and the airlock was bubbling away. I don't really know when the airlock activity started, as I was asleep. Seven or fewer hours to start, though, ain't bad.
 
udont worry about the OG im sure it wont change the flavor much...Glad to hear u have alot of activity going on mine is bubbling pretty vigourously too:)....im going to look into that yeast starter kit too.
 
well guys i already kegged the shakespeare stout and it tastes amazing...could use more time in the keg if it can last that long cuz my friends are already wanting more.
 

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