DFH Aprihop clone - I need some opinions on my recipe

Thinking I'm going to brew this Friday but I coverted a little of it over to LME and subbed some hops plus I have a limited setup (can't brew a full 5 gallons of wort at once), I'm going to post my entire plan for this beer and I was hoping for some opinions if anything looks questionable or iffy, I've based this off of a couple different recipes I've found.

A couple facts about the DFH Aprihop listed at their website:

• American IPA
• Brewed with Pilsner and Crystal malts
• Backtoned with Apricots
• Dry Hopped "irresponsibly" with Amarillo
• 7.0% ABV
• 50 IBU

Here we go:

Aprihop - 5 gal batch

Grains:
7.38lbs Pilsner LME
1lbs Cara-pils/Dextrine
1lbs Munich Malt
.5lbs Crystal Malt (60L)

Hops:
1.0 oz Amarillo [60 min]
.25 oz Simcoe [60 min]
.50 oz Amarillo [20 min]
.25 oz Simcoe [20 min]
1.0 oz Williamette [5 min]

Ferm:
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)
0.5 lbs Dextrose

Secondary:
2 oz Amarillo
3lbs Apricot puree (rack beer on top of)

The beersmith stats on this:

SRM: 8.8
IBUs: 53.9
Est OG: 1.071
Est FG: 1.017
Est ABV: 6.95%

I actually feel pretty good about the recipe but here is the fun part, how I actually plan to brew this (at least my plan right now, I definitely need an opinion on this please)

Mash all grains at 158.0 F for 60min in 2gal water. Sparge into the brewpot, then add water as needed to bring level up to 3 gal. Stir in the LME bringing to a boil. Once the boil starts, on with the hop schedule. Chill wort then filter into the fermentation bucket adding water to bring the level up to 5 gallons. Pitch the yeast and oxidize for 2 minutes then let em' get to it... (from this point on, it's the norm)

Am I doomed here or does this sound like I'll have a great spring beer come June?

It doesn't look like you "converted a little" so much as "converted it entirely" to extract!

As it stands now, I'd suggest adding a bit more dextrose (upping to maybe 1lb) to dry it out a bit more; with that much extract, you'll end up with a solid sweet backbone that could easily get out of hand. However, if you're open to a bit more tweaking, I'd suggest converting it back to a partial mash (as what you have above looks like a steep-extract recipe to me). I don't have Beersmith on hand at the moment, but off the top of my head, I'd drop the LME down to somewhere in the 4-5lb range and add 4-5lb of 2-row pale malt with the specialty grains. (Note that those are VERY rough values; use a tool to balance the two to make sure your gravity remains where you want it.)

With your current recipe, there's not much need to mash, as those are all steeping grains anyway, so you'd be fine to steep anywhere up to 170F for 20-30 minutes. If you go to the partial mash version instead, then you should try to keep the mash somewhere in the 150-152F range (I'd shoot for the lower end of the scale, myself) for about an hour, then sparge as you're suggesting.

The rest of the procedure sounds right, so hopefully these thoughts will be helpful!

It doesn't look like you "converted a little" so much as "converted it entirely" to extract!

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lol... yeah, suppose you're right

So I played around in beersmith a bit with your suggestions and found that using 3.3lbs Pils LME, 5 lbs Pils 2row, and 1lbs dextrose evened the numbers out fairly well, OG around 1.075, FG around 1.018 hardly altering the SRM, IBUs stayed the same, and the ABV is around 7.2.

Looks good! Thanks for the suggestions and it's good to know the mash process looks okay though I'm going to try and it to 12qts instead of 8 like originally planned. 60min at 155.0 F at a 1.6qt/lb ratio.

155F is still fairly high for the mash; you'll end up with a lot of unfermentables that way. Is that what you're shooting for?

Also, be sure that your mash pot can handle 6lbs of grain+water; that'll probably require something around a 4 gallon pot I think. I'm guessing you already calculated that, since you have the qt/lb ratio already, but figured it was worth a mention .

Have you calculated the fermentability of the puree? I haven't used apricot myself, but I'd imagine it has a fair bit of fermentable sugar in it that'll up your ABV as well (assuming it isn't already included in the calculations).

Sidebar: Did you get any apricot flavor from the DFH Aprihop? I tried it and picked up the hop citrus flavor I get from their other beers but didn't taste apricot at all. Just wondering if anyone else had a varying experience...

I got the apricot flavor on 2/4 from my four pack. I think it is very subtle and largely lost with the amount of hops in the beer. I think it varies greatly with your palate also. I've had maltier beers done with apricot where it is much more noticeable.

Don Bischel the Chicago division DFH stopped in at my work brew and grow days before they released this beer. He said they were goin to infuse the apricot flavor by placing dried apricots in a Randall. If that helps.

Smagee - so I max at 4 gal with my current set up so I'm guessing I will have to drop the water level down to 2.5gal, I think I can manage that though now I'm concerned about sparging, thinking I may grab another pot beforehand so I can mash then sparge to the other.

Again, thanks for the input, learning here on the ag, i'm usually all extract.

So my numbers and calculations are all from the beersmith calculations, including the mash. I have the proposed brewhouse efficiency at 75%, 60min at 155. What are your suggestions or concerns?

Teromous - on the flavor of the beer, so I caught a slight and I mean slight hint of the apricot and an awesome hop slap that was surprisingly smooth, everything complementing everything. I just tried it for my first time in Vegas, loved it so much I wanted to brew a batch of my own.

RN - Thanks for the insight, I was planning on rehydrating dried apricots then tossing them in a food processer, then racking onto the mush before adding the dry hops. Good to know i'm on the right path

Jsmith82 said:

Smagee - so I max at 4 gal with my current set up so I'm guessing I will have to drop the water level down to 2.5gal, I think I can manage that though now I'm concerned about sparging, thinking I may grab another pot beforehand so I can mash then sparge to the other.

Again, thanks for the input, learning here on the ag, i'm usually all extract.

So my numbers and calculations are all from the beersmith calculations, including the mash. I have the proposed brewhouse efficiency at 75%, 60min at 155. What are your suggestions or concerns?

Click to expand...

When I do partial mashes, I have two pots: one 5.25 gallon, one 3 gallon. That way I can do the mash in the smaller one, and sparge in the main kettle. So yeah, two decent-sized pots helps .

Like I said, I'd suggest entering 70% in Beersmith for the efficiency, and I'd go somewhere around 150 or 151F for the mashing. That way you'll get a good balanced IPA, rather than a heavily-malted one. If you stick at 155, I think it'll end up to sweet and the hops won't come through at all.

If you need to tone down the grains a bit, you can use Beersmith to add extract and reduce the 2row accordingly until you have an amount you can comfortably mash. That's how I typically convert my recipes, anyway.

I'm going to pickup another 4gal pot this afternoon for sure. I dropped the mash temp and BH efficiency as you suggested, it's evened out quite well; everything seems to be about right and on with the proposed specifications of this beer so my confidence level is booming, I'm taking a swing tomorrow with what we have and will post updates and results here in this topic in case anyone else has an interest in this brew.

Here's the recipe I'm rolling with:

Aprihop - 5 gal batch (Boil Volume: 5.72 gal)

Grains:
3.3lbs Pilsner LME
5.0lbs Pilsner 2-row Belgium
1.0lbs Cara-pils/Dextrine
1.0lbs Munich Malt
.5lbs Crystal Malt (60L)

Mash:
151.0 F for 60min, 10qts water
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00%

Hop Schedule:
1.0 oz Amarillo [60 min]
.25 oz Simcoe [60 min]
.50 oz Amarillo [20 min]
.25 oz Simcoe [20 min]
1.0 oz Williamette [5 min]

Fermentation:
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)
1.0lbs Dextrose
2min oxidation

Secondary:
2 oz Amarillo
3lbs Apricot puree (rack beer on top of)

Beersmith stats:

SRM: 8.4
IBUs: 53.9
Est OG: 1.070
Est FG: 1.017
Est ABV: 6.94%

Looking good! Like others, I'll be curious to see how much apricot you get out of it; it's a strong flavor, but that's also a lot of hops . I suppose regardless, Amarillo + Simcoe is always a winning combination, so even with no apricot, it'd be delicious! Makes me sad I blew through my hoard of them before this shortage kicked in.

So I think I've decided to skip the hassle of re-hydrating dried apricots and processing them, I found this product here: -> Oregon Apricot Puree <- One of my local shops sells it, seems not only will this be simpler (it is 3lbs puree, no sulphur dioxide, and ready to go, exactly what I needed), it will be a lot cheaper and this product is used for beers all the time. I was surprised to price 1 lbs dried apricots that hadn't been treated with sulphur dioxide at the store last night, not a cheap addition to a beer by any means..

On another note, got my hops and yeast yesterday, got another 4 gallon pot, and I'm heading out after work today to my other local shop to swoop the grain bill then good times ahead!! (I'm treating myself to a brand new digital thermometer and straining funnel as well). I haven't brewed in almost a month b/c we were saving up dough for our trip to Las Vegas. Yahoo for beer!

Looking good . Again, keep in mind that puree is probably fairly fermentable, so it'll be a bit hard to retool how the taste is developing early on.

Brew complete! I ended up subbing .25oz of Simcoe in the first addition lessening the 1st Amarillo addition to .75oz (thought I had more Amarillo around the house) but it's all good. Though I had a great time with this, I missed my numbers by a little bit but I honestly don't think it's going to matter much at all, I also think since I added 2 gallons of water into the fermentation bucket to bring it up to 5 gal due to my setup, it still may not have been completely mixed throwing the gravity off a little bit on the lighter side. If anyone would like to double check my math, I calculated I hit 61% efficiency:

Post Boil: 5 gallons / 18.925 Liters
Post SG: 1.065
Post Boil wort density: (.65/4 = .1625 * 100) 16.25 Plato
Total Grain Weight: 11.8lbs / 5.352 kg

Weight of Extracted Elements in the Wort: (18.925 * 1.065 * .1625) 3.27 kg

Brewhouse Efficiency: (3.27 / 5.352 * 100) 61.09%

Anyhow, good brew night, not a single problem, and SWMBO loves the smell of fresh grain, guess I'll have to brew that much more, got to keep that scent around Thinking I need to invest in a larger brew kettle and an igloo cooler before the summer, I just opened yet another door of this hobby that no doubt has already led to an addiction.

I'll update after fermentation and racking to secondary for the apricot / amarillo addition.

Been two weeks so I went ahead and racked over. Poured in part of the apricot puree and added 1oz of Amarillo, got the siphon going and transferred about half then added the remaining puree and the second ounce of Amarillo, then finished it off.

I have to say, this beer tastes GREAT right now, no kidding. It's not as sweet as the DFH Aprihop but I tasted the Apricot puree on its own, it is pretty damn sweet so I'm feeling that will add to it. The taste of the hops felt pretty legit. I had to grab a second sample for my own enjoyment. I can't wait to get it in bottles in 2 more weeks and let it condition for a while. OG was 1.065, we're down to 1.015 which I calculate around 6.7-6.8% ABV. Aiming for 7% so just about spot on.

Doubting the gravity will drop any more, maybe .001 at the most. Here you go:


I know it's good and will just get better so I'll check back in once it's been in the bottle for a couple weeks after I pop the first one.

Looks delicious!

Looking tasty; I'll look forward to hearing how the final product turns out .

Pardon my ignorance (I'm a newbie), but is that a mini-mash recipe? Does the LME just get added to the boil after you mash?

Also, when did you add the dextrose?

Another dumb question, how did you measure 3.3 lbs of LME?

Hey KC, it was a partial mash. The LME is added with 15 minutes left in the boil, you could add it at 0 minutes though, it really wouldn't hurt anything. I cooled the wort down, got it into the fermentation bucket, then added the dextrose just before aerating before pitching the yeast. LME is generally sold in 3.3lb containers, they do the hard work for you

Sent you a PM

Jsmith82 said:

Hey KC, it was a partial mash. The LME is added with 15 minutes left in the boil, you could add it at 0 minutes though, it really wouldn't hurt anything. I cooled the wort down, got it into the fermentation bucket, then added the dextrose just before aerating before pitching the yeast. LME is generally sold in 3.3lb containers, they do the hard work for you

Sent you a PM

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm thinking of making this my next batch.

Moved over to bottles on Saturday...



When I popped that bucket open, WHOOMPHF! Amarillo slam to the nose, it was wonderful. I had numerous taste tests during bottling, it's definitely good beer. The apricot puree really came through, if I were to describe it in one word, that word would be TART! (I'm sure it will mellow in the next month).

Already thinking for the next batch I would like to up the bittering hops and with better brewhouse efficiency, the malt back tone would be more present (recently built a mash tun and started milling my own grain at the house). Round 2 will be all AG but not until round 1 carbs up... Can't wait!

On a funny note, the bucket I used for secondary, though now smells like a beer bucket normally would, is completely tinted orange. I soaked and scrubbed and soaked and soaked and scrubbed, it's clean without a doubt but the puree left its mark. (not that I really care, just laughed a bit at it)

Not directly related to the recipe but the flavor changes year to year. From a tour with Sam at DFH he commented how Aprihop began to get away from being a apricot flavored IPA and more of a fruit flavored beer. This year they dialed back the apricot and kept it more an IPA but I can definitely still taste the apricot.

So, any follow up on this one? Did the tartness mellow out? I'm looking for a good apricot ale recipe to try soon and would like to try and either clone Aprihop or Dry Dock's Apricot Ale.

I really want to make a good clone of DFH Aprihop, but there just aren't any confirmed recipes out there.

First off this was a great fruit beer. It's been a hit no doubt with my buds and it's the first IPA SWMBO has liked ever.

However...

The apricot was and still is strong, I think 3lbs was too much. 2 would have suited the recipe better, then depending on how serious you want the flavor, if you're leaning more towards a hoppy IPA or towards a fruitier beer, I would adjust the apricot and hops accordingly IE extra ounce of hops and a little less apricot. Honestly though, 2lbs I believe would have offered the flavor in a more subtle manor.

One thing is absolutely certain, the smell of the Amarillo dry mixed with the scent of Apricot is phenomenal. I'll post up a picture tonight of the beer now that it is fully carbed and I will be brewing this again very soon.

Thanks for the follow up Jsmith. You just used the apricots in the secondary, right? 2 weeks? Does the puree just hang out at the bottom? Or does it absorb fully into the beer? (Never used it before)

Amarillo has an apricot scent to it, that's why it pairs so well.

I racked right on top of the apricot puree and the Amarillo dry for secondary, we haven't popped a bottle yet that didn't have a full on apricot front to it and as long as you keep your siphon tube submerged it blends very well. Also when siphoning to the bottle bucket you can't help but take a little of the settled puree with it so each bottle had a nice thin layer in the bottom much like an unfiltered wheat.

Next time I brew it will be something like this:

Grains:
3.3lbs Pilsner LME
5.0lbs Pilsner 2-row Belgium
1.0lbs Cara-pils/Dextrine
1.0lbs Munich Malt
.5lbs Crystal Malt (60L)

Mash:
151.0 F for 60min, 10qts water
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00%

Hop Schedule:
1.0 oz Amarillo [60 min]
.50 oz Simcoe [60 min]
.50 oz Amarillo [20 min]
.50 oz Simcoe [20 min]
1.0 oz Williamette [5 min]
1.0 oz Amarillo (or maybe Simcoe) [5 min]

Fermentation:
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)
1.0lbs Dextrose
2min oxidation

Secondary:
2 oz Amarillo
1.5 - 2 lbs Apricot puree (rack beer on top of)


The extra hops only raise the IBUs up to 75 which is moving away from the technical Aprihop stats but I think that's what this beer needs to really be a winner.

The light was dim but here it is...

Any updates on this one? Has anyone else brewed it?

I really want to make a clone of Aprihop for my next brew.

I brewed this last night. Everything that could have went wrong did. This was my first attempt at a PM. Missed my target of 151*. Only got to 141. I checked on it this morning and it is at 67* in my basement not really doing a whole lot yet. I will keep you posted.

Importantly I just hope you got your conversion with the grains. What was your OG?

Have you converted this recipe to all grain, if so can you share it?

5gal ALL GRAIN

9.5lbs Pilsner 2-row Belgium
1.0lbs Cara-pils/Dextrine
1.0lbs Munich Malt
.5lbs Crystal Malt (60L)

Mash:
151.0 F for 60min, 15qts water
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00%

Hop Schedule:
1.0 oz Amarillo [60 min]
.50 oz Simcoe [60 min]
.50 oz Amarillo [20 min]
.50 oz Simcoe [20 min]
1.5 oz Amarillo [5 min]

Fermentation:
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)
1.0lbs Dextrose
2min oxidation

Secondary:
2oz Amarillo
1.5 - 2.0lbs Apricot puree (rack beer on top of)

5oz Dextrose / 2 cup water priming solution for bottle carbing


This is the exact recipe (altered slightly from the original) that I will be brewing this spring. Cheers!

more importantly, have you BREWED it as an all grain and how did it come out? LOVE APRIHOP!

I have not brewed it all grain yet (I went all grain right after this beer last year) but Bel pils malt is awesome, I'm fully confident it would own the pils extract. As for the flavor of the beer, it was intense Apricot which is why I would cut back from the original 3lbs I used and only use 1.5-2lbs, but extremely similar to Aprihop. It shares the same hops, though they continuous hop and this one is not, which is strange given the IBU they claim on their version.

Overall it's a recipe in progress and I thought it turned out fantastic - if you like Apricot, Amarillo, Amber sweetness, and nose this is a good beer and you shouldn't be disappointed.

And +1 LOVE APRIHOP! I'd drink it over 90min any day, I wish it was sold in my area.

Thanks for recipe. I will be brewing it this weekend. Will keep you posted.

Just moved this brew to the secondary, added 2lbs of apricot puree, 2oz Citra because my LHBS was out of Amarillo and took a reading. 1.012 Not that far off for missing my temperature by ten degrees. I will keep you all posted and maybe post a photo in a few.

Nice aknox, thanks for the update - looking forward to seeing the brew. I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE Citra and the nose on your beer is going to be VERY intense. Too bad we're not located closer, I'd love to try one.

Cheers!

Did you get any 'canned corn' flavor out of this only boiling the pils malt for 60 min? Maybe that led to some of the intensity you were picking up from the apricot? I know a 90 minute boil is a little harder with a smaller setup, but you really do want to drive off that DMS in the pils.