Critique Stone 18Th Anniversary ale clone Recipe

[rikrcar21]

Ive been working on a clone for Stone's new 18th anniversary IPA, and based on the tasting notes on Mitch Steele's Blog this is what I have come up with. Before I brew it I wanted to give you guys a chance to help me make it better.. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! The only things I know arnt correct are the HCB 342 hops @30 I replaced with Belma and they use a hop called "Hopsteiner 06300" I cannot source... other than that I feel it could be close..
Here is the link to Mitch's Blog http://blog.stonebrew.com/index.php/stone-18th-anniversary-ipa/


Recipe: Stone Clone Brown IPA TYPE: All Grain
Style: Imperial IPA
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 16.8 SRM
IBU: 76.2 IBUs Tinseth
OG: 1.082 SG
FG: 1.017 SG
Est ABV: 8.6 %
EE%: 72.00 %

Batch: 1.00 gal Boil: 1.79 gal BT: 90 Mins



Total Grain Weight: 3 lbs 0.5 oz Total Hops: 2.01 oz oz.

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 65.9 %
11.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 22.8 %
1.3 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.6 %
1.0 oz Brown Coffee Malt (150.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.0 %
1.0 oz Caramunich Malt (47.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.0 %
0.6 oz Chocolate Wheat Malt (400.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.3 %


Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Saccharification Add 2.00 gal of water at 158.9 F 152.1 F 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min 168.0 F 10 min



---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG Est OG: 1.082 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.6 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 7 3.4 %
0.06 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 8 16.4 IBUs
0.10 oz El Dorado [15.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 9 22.7 IBUs
0.10 oz HBC 342 [12.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 10 18.2 IBUs
0.15 oz Sterling [7.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 11 11.0 IBUs
0.05 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 12 -
0.20 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 13 7.9 IBUs
0.20 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
0.20 oz Sterling [7.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs


---FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 05 Sep 2014 - 6.00 Days at 66.0 F
Secondary Start: 11 Sep 2014 - 14.00 Days at 68.0 F
Style Carb Range: 2.20-2.70 Vols
Bottling Date: 28 Sep 2014 with 2.3 Volumes CO2:
---NOTES------------------------------------
Fine crush for BIAB

 

[signpost]

I just had one of these last night and was thinking I'd love to clone it. Thanks for getting a good start on the recipe. I'll have to look at the blog you linked to when I get home later. But right now I don't have any thoughts or critiques.

 

[signpost]

When I responded before I hadn't realized that your post was from a few weeks ago. Have you tried brewing this yet? Or are you still tweaking the recipe?

After checking out the blog you linked to, I have a couple questions.

Why are you using the Cara-pils? It isn't mentioned in the blog. Do you just tend to use that as a standard ingredient in your IPA recipes? Or is it for head retention or the full body referenced in the tasting notes?

As far as the darker specialty malts, even though you include them at pretty low percentages, I think that might still turn out too dark and disrupt the flavor balance with too much roasty, cocoa, and coffee flavors. In the video, Mitch emphasizes that it is a 'very small' percentage of the grist. I would think the brown coffee malt and the chocolate wheat shouldn't be any more than maybe 1% each, while the caramunich could maybe be up to 3%. That would add up to about the same total percentage, but maybe leave it closer to the 10-12 srm range. While being dark for an IPA, it certainly isn't even into light brown ale territory. At least, it wasn't when I drank it last night.

Also, it doesn't seem like you are taking the comments about the El Dorado hops as literally as I would, especially for a dry-hop. The blog mentions 2 lbs. per barrel of El Dorado for dry-hopping, but you only include it as part of your 30 min. addition for 22 IBUs. The text on the bottle says it is "dry-hopped exclusively and abundantly with El Dorado hops."

Are you basing your other hop choices on matching flavor profiles to the tasting notes? I couldn't find any specific references to anything except the El Dorado hops. I'm sure there are others used, especially for bittering, since they specify the El Dorado is used for the dry hop. But I'm not sure I would guess they were combining that many different hops.

 

[crusader1612]

When I responded before I hadn't realized that your post was from a few weeks ago. Have you tried brewing this yet? Or are you still tweaking the recipe?

After checking out the blog you linked to, I have a couple questions.

Why are you using the Cara-pils? It isn't mentioned in the blog. Do you just tend to use that as a standard ingredient in your IPA recipes? Or is it for head retention or the full body referenced in the tasting notes?

As far as the darker specialty malts, even though you include them at pretty low percentages, I think that might still turn out too dark and disrupt the flavor balance with too much roasty, cocoa, and coffee flavors. In the video, Mitch emphasizes that it is a 'very small' percentage of the grist. I would think the brown coffee malt and the chocolate wheat shouldn't be any more than maybe 1% each, while the caramunich could maybe be up to 3%. That would add up to about the same total percentage, but maybe leave it closer to the 10-12 srm range. While being dark for an IPA, it certainly isn't even into light brown ale territory. At least, it wasn't when I drank it last night.

Also, it doesn't seem like you are taking the comments about the El Dorado hops as literally as I would, especially for a dry-hop. The blog mentions 2 lbs. per barrel of El Dorado for dry-hopping, but you only include it as part of your 30 min. addition for 22 IBUs. The text on the bottle says it is "dry-hopped exclusively and abundantly with El Dorado hops."

Are you basing your other hop choices on matching flavor profiles to the tasting notes? I couldn't find any specific references to anything except the El Dorado hops. I'm sure there are others used, especially for bittering, since they specify the El Dorado is used for the dry hop. But I'm not sure I would guess they were combining that many different hops.

Yeah agreed, I'd also suggest as a start point using the Ruination IPA hop Schedule, and then using El-Dorado in the dryhop instead, but a larger one of course. maybe 3.5ounces?

 

[Singletrack]

As luck would have it, I just drank one of these. (Lucky for me I guess, as I don't think it helps you one bit.) I have to wonder about the information you collected on this beer, given the lack of dry-hopping "exclusively and abundantly with El Dorado," as it says on the back of the bottle! I'm thinking you just forgot to mention dry hopping, but it is important to this beer.

The El Dorado gives it a little different and interesting aroma/flavor. Not a beer I will seek out, but enjoyable. Good luck with your clone!

 

[rikrcar21]

Yes I have tweaked it a lot since I posted this. I have the updated recipe logged in my beersmith. The reason I used carapills is because when I had it I noticed how good the head retention was, and due to the high gravity and low amount of wheat malt used, I figured they may have used some carapills. Your right about the dry hopping. I calculated it out and I think it came out to an ounce of dry hopping with eldorado per gallon.

I haven't gotten a chance to brew this recipe. But I did make a gallon batch of a clone recipe I came up with before reading the blog. I'll post it if you want, but it tastes pretty close to the original. The main flavor I get is that lemon candy due to the high amount of eldorado hops used.