Arrogant Bastard clone is... bland?

[Soma]

I brewed an Arrogant Bastard clone a few weeks ago and finally gave it a taste yesterday. Although I don't detect any 'off' flavors per se, the beer seems rather unoffensive and a little bland (nothing like it's inspiration). Some details on the brewday:

12.5lbs 2-Row
1.4lbs Special B
Mashed 150F for 80mins
80mins: 150F, 5.54pH
0mins: 149F, 5.20pH

20g Chinook 10.9% @ 60 mins
20g Chinook 10.9% @ 20 mins
20g Chinook 10.9% @ 5 mins
28g Chinook 10.9% @ 0 mins

3.6L starter of wyeast 1098 english ale.
OG 1.072

The beer tastes like plums and pine, but seems to be lacking much of a malt character and is quite thin bodied. Does this recipe/process seem it would be 'bland'? Am I looking at oxidation problems? I racked it as quietly as I could straight into a party pig and conditioned for 3 weeks.

 

[iijakii]

Is it fully carbed? Poor carbonation can lead to no mouthfeel which leads to no taste.

 

[HexKrak]

Ferm temps? And how long was it in the fermenter?

 

[Soma]

I pitched yeast at 60F, but I was unable to monitor the temperatures during fermentation (it was at a different house). It sat in the primary for 8 days (I then packaged half of it, and racked half to a secondary where it's still aging with American oak). I carbonated with dextrose (on the low end of the recommended amount for a party pig), and it conditioned for 3 weeks so I would hope most of the carbonation is done.

 

[HexKrak]

3 weeks at 70-75*F should be fully carbed, but for an AB clone it probably could use some further bottle ageing. I did a partial mash batch with the opposite time table, 3 weeks in fermenter, and 1-2 weeks in bottle, and I have a feeling it won't "hit it's stride" for at least a couple more weeks. I'm not sure if time will solve your "problem", but it wont hurt.

I'll find out if there's any left over after the new years party

Also I just noticed, you only have 10% of your grain bill dedicated to special B, aren't AB clones usually closer to 20%? (this beer is officially 10% less special )

 

[mithion]

Well I can see 3 potential problems. First off, if the temperature stayed around 60F, you would get few esters from the yeast. You need to warm it up to 66 or 68F and then yeast contributed character will show up. Second, AB is made using something like 5 different kind of malts. You only used 2. JZ's recipe was deemed not cloned, but it's a place to start.

CYBI Arrogant Bastard Clone

Finally, you might have bottled it a bit too soon. I find my beers mature a bit when I leave them in the primary longer. For a beer this big, I'd let it sit in primary for about 3 weeks before kegging or bottling it. I'm willing to bet you're oaked version will turn out much better for this reason.

 

[RchanceN]

Mashing at 150 combined with 90% 2-row and single variety of crystal grain bill would lead to a thin, less robust beer in my experience. Did you have some kind of reliable temp control? Could have fermented a little warm attenuating more than you wanted. Or it stayed cold and has very little ester profile. What was FG? Also, 8 days is rushing it. Especially with an OG of 1.072.

 

[broadbill]

Well I can see 3 potential problems. First off, if the temperature stayed around 60F, you would get few esters from the yeast. You need to warm it up to 66 or 68F and then yeast contributed character will show up. Second, AB is made using something like 5 different kind of malts. You only used 2. JZ's recipe was deemed not cloned, but it's a place to start.

CYBI Arrogant Bastard Clone

Finally, you might have bottled it a bit too soon. I find my beers mature a bit when I leave them in the primary longer. For a beer this big, I'd let it sit in primary for about 3 weeks before kegging or bottling it. I'm willing to bet you're oaked version will turn out much better for this reason.

You should check out the updates on the thread you linked to. Jamil's show did attempt a re-brew of AB, and deemed the second try cloned. The cloned recipe is 90% 2-row, 10% Special B, just at the OP has made it.

 

[HexKrak]

Oops, my recipe is officially 10% TOO special.