New Belgium 1554 - tried it last night

Now I'm looking for a recipe/clone - what an outstanding beer Belgian Dark Ale (Black Beer).

It's like a Brown Ale with a Belgian twist - very very drinkable, a good session ale


"cherry fruitiness, some fresh-baked dark bread, smoked (slightly charred edged) wood. Sweet with just a touch of spicy, bitterish, balance in the candy-ish finish."

Anybody tried the AHS clone??

I tried it but wasn't very impressed. However (and this is crucial), it was the second beer that I ever brewed and I didn't know what the heck I was doing. AHS has a very good rep on their clone kits.

It's really brewed with lager yeast.

by Brewer Tom on Tue Oct 07, 2003 10:53 am

From: Brewer Bob ([email protected])
Subject: Re: 1554 Black Ale Clone
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Date: 2003-05-21 15:03:05 PST


NB 1554

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

13-B European Dark Lager, Schwarzbier

Min OG: 1.044 Max OG: 1.054
Min IBU: 25 Max IBU: 35
Min Clr: 20 Max Clr: 40 Color in SRM, Lovibond

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

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.75
Anticipated OG: 1.055 Plato: 13.60
Anticipated SRM: 32.8
Anticipated IBU: 27.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 1.50 Gallons Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 7.75 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.039 SG 9.78 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Tinseth
Tinseth Concentration Factor: 1.30


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
46.5 5.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
27.9 3.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8
9.3 1.00 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40
7.0 0.75 lbs. Chocolate Malt Belgium 1.030 500
4.7 0.50 lbs. Crystal 80L 1.033 80
4.7 0.50 lbs. Honey Malt Canada 1.030 18

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.75 oz. Mt. Hood Whole 5.90 15.9 90 min.
0.50 oz. Mt. Hood Whole 5.90 7.6 30 min.
0.50 oz. Crystal Whole 5.00 4.2 15 min.


Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP800 Pilsner Lager


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs: 10.75
Water Qts: 20.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 5.00 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.86 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 90
Mash-out Rest Temp : 176 Time: 60
Sparge Temp : 180 Time: 45


Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.86 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Whats up with the lager yeast - is it a lager?

NB said:

Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale uses a light lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be.

Click to expand...

ten chars.

sounds like a schwarzbier with pale instead of pils to me.

/shrug

What about a 2 below clone...I love that beer.

So do they ferment it at lager temps, or use a lager yeast at higher temps? I've wondered about this since they call it an ale. Also, i've never lagered, but really want to clone this brew, what are lager temps? I've got space in the beer fridge for a primary, but it's like 38 degrees in there... And i don't really wanna drink warm beer if i warm up the fridge.

Here is a great thread on it from TBN.

It uses the same lager yeast as Blue Paddle but is fermented warmer. The roasted grains are of the non-bittering variety...so either dehusked Carafa or debittered Black...and used sparingly, just enough for color. No aroma hops...only bittering hops. It has a 'spice' addition...the guess-du-jour is Grains of Paradise.

Conroe said:

It's really brewed with lager yeast.

Click to expand...

I could taste that on the very first sip.

1554 is an excellent beer. There is a lot of good information and attempts on the TBN link above, but it doesn't seem like anyone got very close. Has anyone attempted to brew this one?

i tasted licorice. How can you get a licorice taste from malt?

beerjunky828 said:

i tasted licorice. How can you get a licorice taste from malt?

Click to expand...

There is a spice addition but I don't know the actual spice used. There was speculation in that thread I linked earlier that it was Grains of Paradise, but it was pure speculation.

I'm going to have to get the AHS clone to see what is in their version.

I thought it was very close to Sam Adams Black Lager. I liked the Sam better.

Woo hoo all new belgium bombers for a buck sixty at the gas station near my place! Time to stock up on 1554!

that is an amazing deal, I've got 4.99 around the corner

What do you think of mward's recipe?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/hey-i-want-clone-450-year-old-beer-33561/

mward said:

There was a titanic thread on another board trying to clone this. I used the recipe they ended up with and am drinking it right now, it's pretty close. Important things to remember - they're using lager yeast, so use lager yeast. I fermented mine around 68. When they say warm they mean warm for lager, not warm like a trappist ale. Also you need more munich malt. They use a lot in this recipe. Get rid of the chocolate, black patent and carafa and put in carafa II, it'd dehusked so it's like dingemans debittered malt. The guy from the brewery mentions using debittered malt in a post someplace. Do a google search, I think it was brewboard where I got the recipe.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.16 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 24.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 27.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 43.5 %
3.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 30.4 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 8.7 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 8.7 %
0.50 lb Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 4.3 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.3 %
0.90 oz Northern Brewer [8.80%] (60 min) Hops 27.0
2.00 gm Seeds of Paradise (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafLager West European Lager (DCL Yeast #SYeast-Lager


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 11.50 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 14.38 qt of water at 164.8 F 154.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 8.05 qt of water at 196.6 F 168.0 F 10 min

Click to expand...