Advice for Sierra Nevada Clone

[ashopis]

Hey there,

I’m planning on making a Sierra Nevada Pale ale clone. I started with the recipe on the Sierra Nevada web site. I put it into Brewfather but the IBUs come out way too high…in the 50s instead of the 38 they list on the web site. So Questions:

1. Should I adjust the recipe to approach the listed IBUs?

2. If so should I adjust hop amounts or timing.

3. (Unrelated) I do not have temp control and the recipe calls for Chico at 68F. Should I use Chico and pressure ferment or should I use Kveik yeast (I have Voss and Lutra).

Thank you for any advice you have.

Cheers!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I'd guess the amounts of hops are specified according to a brewlog from a certain date, and alpha acid levels vary.
Keep the late boil additions at the levels specified, and adjust the first hop additions (90 and 60min) to reach the IBU specified.

 

[wsmith1625]

Hey there,

I’m planning on making a Sierra Nevada Pale ale clone. I started with the recipe on the Sierra Nevada web site. I put it into Brewfather but the IBUs come out way too high…in the 50s instead of the 38 they list on the web site. So Questions:

1. Should I adjust the recipe to approach the listed IBUs?

2. If so should I adjust hop amounts or timing.

3. (Unrelated) I do not have temp control and the recipe calls for Chico at 68F. Should I use Chico and pressure ferment or should I use Kveik yeast (I have Voss and Lutra).

Thank you for any advice you have.

Cheers!

I'm also planning a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone and read the recipe on their website. I'm going to use the hop schedule from the AHA Nearly Nirvana recipe instead. This was their 2023 Big Brew Day recipe and it looks like a good one.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/nearly-nirvana-pale-ale/

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Nearly Nirvana (Big Brew Day 2000)

 

[wsmith1625]

Nearly Nirvana (Big Brew Day 2000)

Thanks for sharing. Apparently he's been tweaking this recipe for years.

"Along with NNPA’s deliciousness, its beauty lies in its simplicity. My current iteration of NNPA is a tad more malt and hop forward than SNPA, and just a skosh bigger. The recipe has been tweaked many times over the years, but my current iteration is, to me, Goldilocks—just right."

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I've made this and it turned out great. I didn't have a Sierra Nevada right next to it to do a side-by-side, but it was pretty spot on. Just like with food recipes, I would make it how it says, then tweak it to your liking.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I put it into Brewfather but the IBUs come out way too high…in the 50s instead of the 38 they list on the web site. So Questions:

1. Should I adjust the recipe to approach the listed IBUs?

2. If so should I adjust hop amounts or timing.

I'll suggest using the recipe (and ignoring the differences between estimated IBUs and measured IBUs).

Tracking IBUs Through the Brewing Process (MBAA podcast) may be of interest.

 

[mac_1103]

3. (Unrelated) I do not have temp control and the recipe calls for Chico at 68F.

The recipe says to pitch at 68F. It doesn't actually give a fermentation temperature. What is the ambient temperature range where you ferment?

 

[ashopis]

The recipe says to pitch at 68F. It doesn't actually give a fermentation temperature. What is the ambient temperature range where you ferment?

My fermentation chamber (AKA my kitchen) is about 78F.

 

[Panderson1]

Use Voss

 

[mac_1103]

If your ambient temperature is 78F then the temperature inside the FV will be higher during active fermentation, even if you pitch at a lower temp. That might or might not be a problem. Chico strains are probably among the most forgiving, but there's always going to be a line you shouldn't cross. I have no experience with kviek yeasts, but some people say that voss makes a pale ale a little too sweet

 

[anteater8]

I've brewed the recipe from Sierra Nevada's website. When I scaled to my system, I ended up with about 55 IBU, but it tasted nearly identical to the real thing (maybe better because the SNPA I bought was kind of old). If you're going to brew this, definitely use Chico, its the namesake of where SNPA is brewed!

12.1 lb 2 Row Pale Malt
1.05 lb Crystal 60

0.6 oz Cascade 90 min
0.9 oz Cascade 60 min
2.4 oz Cascade 30 min
2.4 oz Cascade 0 min

 

[Kickass]

Chico over kveik. Ferment I’m a swamp cooler.

 

[T Murph]

@ashopis Did you brew this yet?

 

[Shenanigans]

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/28546/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-clone
This is the most brewed beer on the recipe section of brewers friend. Not sure if the removed the magnum and perle over the years?