Arrogant Bastard Clone Options

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PoorYorick

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Hey guys, so I am looking to make an AB clone and I found two recipes that look like winners based on comments and reviews. I do want to make a 10 gallon batch, so I will make necessary conversions and additions if needed. However I was wondering out of these two, which one looks like something that I can get closest to the original with? Any suggestions?

1. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sGcyfrL2YUaSreKwJ_T6t9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

2. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YlAk3qlKf7CKyjtnIp13SNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Aarogant Bastard 5.5 gals.jpg


Aarogant Bastard 10 Gals..jpg
 
I did the first one. It was very good. I ended up dry hopping it with 1oz of Chinook because the hops were a little subdued.

I wouldn't say it was exact. Mine was a little lighter in color and not nearly as malty as I was expecting. Could have just been my technique.
 
Ok cool. Thank you for the input. Would you dry hop more if you did it again? As for the malt complexity, maybe add more special B or aromatic to it?
 
Yes - I'd dry hop again. Based on what I've read the special B is the key, but I'm no expert. I just really like AB.

I have another batch in primary now, but it won't be ready for several weeks. I didn't change the recipe and I am dry hopping again. If it comes out maltier this time I can blame my technique the first time around. Although I had a badly stuck sparge this time, so I'm not holding out much hope.
 
I'm about to keg a 2.5 gallon test batch and mine is closer to the second one. Just 2 row and special B.
I dry hopped but someone told me Stone doesn't dry hop it. Too bad, I like it that way.
I used all Chinook. Personally, I wasn't aiming for a true clone, just something close.
 
I'm about to keg a 2.5 gallon test batch and mine is closer to the second one. Just 2 row and special B.
I dry hopped but someone told me Stone doesn't dry hop it. Too bad, I like it that way.
I used all Chinook. Personally, I wasn't aiming for a true clone, just something close.

Same here... although i wouldn't mind it one bit if it came out identical to the real thing. Great beer. I am leaning more towards the second one myself as well. I may try to throw in a # or so of some aromatic just to try it out. I am brewing on Sunday so I'm hoping to lock down my recipe on Saturday when I hit the store.
 
Don't use the gypsum in the second recipe! You may not need it, and it's not good to use if you don't need it.

My AB clone is just 13# two row and 1.5 pound of crystal 120L, so my recipe is closer to the second. It's really good, but I didn't make the first recipe to compare it to so I can't say if it's better or not.
 
Ok I was questioning the gypsum.... Stone is pretty much against adjuncts anyhoo. What are all of your hop schedules like when cloning the AB?
 
I've made this. Dead ringer to AB in the bottle. (Doesn't taste like on tap...I wish it did.)

5Gallons

90% 2-row (13# 3oz)
10% Special B (1# 7oz)

Mash 148 for 90 minutes

Try to hit 90 ibu with all chinook.

.9oz of chinook (11.8%) at 85, 45, 15, 0 minutes.

WLP002 yeast. Many use 007 but that finishes too dry. By using the 002 you can get your OG of 1.072 down to the FG of 1.018 (which is what AB finishes out too.) This also lets you hit the abv.
 
I've made this. Dead ringer to AB in the bottle. (Doesn't taste like on tap...I wish it did.)

5Gallons

90% 2-row (13# 3oz)
10% Special B (1# 7oz)

Mash 148 for 90 minutes

Try to hit 90 ibu with all chinook.

.9oz of chinook (11.8%) at 85, 45, 15, 0 minutes.

WLP002 yeast. Many use 007 but that finishes too dry. By using the 002 you can get your OG of 1.072 down to the FG of 1.018 (which is what AB finishes out too.) This also lets you hit the abv.


How did you learn this kinda of stuff? I am reading this site way too much and am learning a lot on techniques, but how do you learn to critique recipes?
 
My stab at this recipe is REALLY similar to Hammy's, but my hops were 13% and I just used a full 1oz at each of the 4 times.
I also used WY1028 (London Ale) yeast and adjusted my water for the Brown Bitter profile in Bru'n Water.
Starting gravity of 1.068, finished at 1.018.
Pretty darn hoppy with those few extra IBU's, but it was preferred by myself and everyone who tried it over bottled AB (the only version I've ever seen here in MI).

How did you learn this kinda of stuff? I am reading this site way too much and am learning a lot on techniques, but how do you learn to critique recipes?

For me, it's a single word; experience.
Reading up is great, and I encourage you to continue that, but there's no substitute for brewing a batch and documenting it the entire way, from brew day until you're cleaning whatever you used to store/drink the brew.
Then do it again. And again.
Talk to other brewers, go to craft brew tastings, brewery tours, etc.
All of the professional brewers I've ever met, big or small, have been incredibly generous with both their time and knowledge.
Hang out with people who are better brewers than you, that's how you'll learn, get better, grow.
 
I think I have my recipe figured out. Bill as follows:

26# 2 Row
2.5# Special B
.5# Aromatic
12 Gallon Boil for 90 minutes
1 oz Chinook @ 70 min, 55 min, 40 min, 25 min, 10 min
WLP007 Yeast

Should yield an OG of 1.079 FG around 1.020
7.9% ABV if I can keep my efficiency up. I am probably going to get a little darker in color than Arrogant bastard but not by much. Expected IBU's 84.3

Im boiling 12 gallons to have flameout quantity of 10.5 gallons so i can hopefully get as close to a true 10 gallon batch as possible at finish.
 
Jamil and Tasty tackled this on Can You Brew It. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen. I think they did 2 episodes on it.
 
Jamil and Tasty tackled this on Can You Brew It. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen. I think they did 2 episodes on it.

Alright, yea that second recipe came from someone who watched the two episodes. Ill give e a shot tonight if I can remember to watch when I get home. If not Im gonna try out this recipe... Im just excited to be brewing something close to my favorite brewskis finally!
 
How did you learn this kinda of stuff? I am reading this site way too much and am learning a lot on techniques, but how do you learn to critique recipes?

After about a half a dozen, five gallon 'test' batches. Trail and error. I'm grateful my brew pal is happy to take some of my failure kegs home. :tank:
 
I just kegged my 2.5 gallon 'Cheeky Bastard' and FG only got down to 1.019 after 3 weeks....stayed the same the last 5 days. Maybe the yeast died early as I kept it close to 60. Tasted great in the test jar and though it's only 6% ABV, I can drink more of it. The color looked to be spot on but I'll chill and gas it and test it in a week. Even if it's not remotely close, I know it will be good.
 
Yes - I'd dry hop again. Based on what I've read the special B is the key, but I'm no expert. I just really like AB.

I have another batch in primary now, but it won't be ready for several weeks. I didn't change the recipe and I am dry hopping again. If it comes out maltier this time I can blame my technique the first time around. Although I had a badly stuck sparge this time, so I'm not holding out much hope.

I just wanted to give a follow-up to this post. Not sure if it's bad form to quote yourself - oh well.

I just kegged my AB clone tonight based on recipe #1 from the OP. Been dry hopped (1 oz) for a week. Been in primary for 4 weeks. I'll keg condition for another 2-3 weeks before popping it into the kegerator.

I took a small (er large) sample from the product going into the keg. Had a Stone AB at my side as a comparison. Color was dead on. I know it's not done yet, but I'm still missing the malt bite you get from AB. I cant imagine keg conditioning will fix that. It was very good though. Should turn out nice.

I'd say after 2 attempts at recipe #1, it's not quite there. I'll probably up the special B next time.
 
I'd go with Hammy71, i.e. more like the 2nd recipe. I tried one like the first a while back and it was just way, way, too much, tasted like a christmas ale of some sort.

Just had an arrogant bastard the other night for the first time in a while, and my first though was yeah, there is definitely special b in there, but I don't think aromatic and biscuit and all that stuff.

I'm tellin' ya, go with Hammy's recipe.
 
Well I ended up using

26# Two Row
3# Special B
1# Carmel 10L
60 min mash, 90 min boil
Starting at 75 min I added 1oz of Chinook pellets every 15 min for a total of 6 oz
Ended up with 10.5 gallons of wort.

Sadly, I disregarded my basic physics, and began pouring 200 degree wort into a 6.5 gallon glass carboy sitting in a freezing ice batch and..... CRACK!!! Thermo shocked my carboy and lost a good three gallons of wort. Most valuable lesson learned? Maybe drinking during brew day isn't a great idea after all. Next brew I will be keeping my beer intake to a minimum to avoid costly mistakes like these.

All in all, I ended up with 7 gallons of wort in two different fermenters. I will take the OG reading tonight after work and see just how effecient the rest of my day was. One bucket Im going to pitch the WLP 007 Dry English and in the sport of trial and error I grabbed a tube of the San Diego Super yeast for the second bucket to see if that comes close to the AB.
 
Just thought Id keep logging some info in case there's ever an interested reader lol

OG was 1.076 which is semi lower than I was expecting but still should be right on the correct path. Either way its going to be a hell of a great beer I can already imagine. I racked the wort into two carboys instead of buckets as I may try a single fermentation on this batch. I pitched both the yeasts at 7pm and this morning when I woke up they were both bubbling away like crazy :) Great start for just 10 hours of being in the wort.
 
Last night I took the gravity of the WLP007 and it was at 1.020. It tasted kinda like an AB clone, but there was an extra taste that I couldn't tell was sweet or what. It wasn't unpleasant by any means so I will post on that later. The WLP090 was not read last night because even after 10 days of solid activity it is still bubbling away in the airlock. I'll just let it sit until the krausen falls away and it stops showing signs of active fermentation.
 
I found an old recipe on this site from 2008 that used an insane amount Chinook, I think the total was around 8-9 oz for the batch. Are those that have brewed this happy with hop flavor/aroma with the 4 addtions at around 1 oz each?
 
The CYBI (Jamil and Co.) Arrogant Bastard recipes are 1.066/1.011. I went with four charges of Chinook at 90, 45, 15, and flameout. Ratio is 90% 2-r.ow and 10% Special B

My recipe was formulated for 6 gallons to account for 11% evaporation (Keggle). The actual rate was much lower so the boil was much longer to condense it down to 5.25.

The taste was great and I will do this brew again. I plan on using the same recipe and grain weight but start @ 5.5 gallons. Per Beersmith, the SG is 1.072. After that, I plan on a Double Bastard.
 
What yeast did you use and/or plan on using again? I honestly felt that the WLP 007 was better for the brew that the San Diego Super that i tried on the first go round.
 
Anyone have any advice on how long it takes for the chinnook to smooth out? My batch is about 4.5 weeks in bottles and is just approaching drinkability. It was so harsh at first i actually was worried about tannins. Its starting to mellow, but Im wondering if I should just cellar these till next year.
 
PoorYorick, Hammy71's recipe in post #10 is the recipe that Jamil Z and Tasty talk about on Can You Brew it. I've made it twice now and both times the beer is fantastic but the hops are not quite there for me. It could be my water and I'm looking into that now. But the recipe is spot on. I used the WLP007 and I went from 1.072 to 1.015. I was very happy with it other than the hops.
 
I brewed the same as hammy but a full ounce each time. I saw no need to restrain from using the full ounce vs. a fraction of an ounce. It's a damned good beer. As a matter of fact, it's the next in the pipeline.

Mine however was WLP007.
 
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