Beer cloning?

There's a local craft brew (that coincidentally just went on sale in bottles) that I'm head over heels for. While I love to help support local brews, and will continue to buy it (often), I would also love to be able to make this beer.

It's a dark brown/slightly reddish beer, malty with a slight hint of chocolate. Relatively thin, brownish head, and it leaves decent drunk rings (lacing) as you drink it down.

That's pretty much all I know about it.

I understand that it's mostly trial and error. I'm just curious about any hints, tips, or tricks that might make this interesting journey slightly shorter.

call the brewery and ask them, usually they will get you close.

What style is it? Who makes it? What do they call it? Start there. People on here may know it or can get you close

Roanoke Railhouse Brewery. It's called Track 1.

Couldn't tell you a style... Their website isn't terribly informative on that front.

I suppose I'll shoot them an email... Something along this lines of, "I love your beer and want to make it myself." Only more diplomatically lol.

I would also like to try to clone a beer. It is yellow with bubbles and it taste like that one beer.

Get the BYO 250 clone magazine and read the introduction by Chris Colby on how to clone beers. I read it in the 150th and I'm assuming it is the same intro, or pretty close. Not only did it teach me a lot about building a clone, but recipe creation in general. It took me leaps and bounds in my beer education. It is very clear cut on how to deconstruct a recipe.

Found it, the orginal article I am referencing.

How to Clone, by Chris Colby. BYO magazine.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I would also like to try to clone a beer. It is yellow with bubbles and it taste like that one beer.

Click to expand...

I think thats Miller.

1# 6 Row
10# Corn
1/8 oz. saaz
bread yeast

Looks like it could be an English Brown Try other English Brown Ales and see how you like them compared to this one. Research is one of the best parts to brewing.

You're right. Their website really doesn't have much to say. However there is a link to email the president of the brewery.

Do they really only have two brews? Track 1 and Loose Caboose.

Shinglejohn said:

I think thats Miller.

1# 6 Row
10# Corn
1/8 oz. saaz
bread yeast

Click to expand...

Isn't there a late addition of cat piss?

Half of the websites I saw listed it as a brown ale. BA said it was a english-style brown ale. The other half referred to it as a "amber lager" or a vienna lager.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

Half of the websites I saw listed it as a brown ale. BA said it was a english-style brown ale. The other half referred to it as a "amber lager" or a vienna lager.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I found pretty much the same thing. I guess there's a few brown ales brewing in my future. Oh darn

The brewery started up a couple of years ago. They only had Track 1 until just recently, and it was only available by the keg or on tap. About a week ago they began distributing bottles.

I'll be stopping to get a few 22-oz'ers on my way home from work tonight.