Grey Lady (Cisco Brewers) out of Nantucket

[redspy]

It's a local beer(for me). I'm looking for an all grain recipe, preferably 5 gallon batch but will take anything if someone has something close. This beer is delicious and I'd like to get it brewed!

Thanks in advance!

 

[BishopGary]

Yeah I'll second that. I was out there visiting the in laws and loved all the Cisco beers I had. I live in Utah so no chance getting it here. I was thinking I would email the brewer, if I hear back I will post it here.

 

[BishopGary]

Sorry it took so long, I emailed Cisco and got a reply from the head brewer. He did not give specifics but said that Grey Lady was a wheat based beer with Chamomile, Coriander, and citrus used in the boil. He also recommended reading "brewing with wheat" by Stan Hieronymus. I will probably start putting together a recipe for this spring.

 

[redspy]

I've actually picked up those ingredients in preparation for trying this myself. Through some research I found clove is used also. But if he said only those 2 he obviously knows better. Very interested to hear how you make out. I will post also if I come up with something.

 

[aldubya]

I have been looking to make a batch of this myself. Did either of you come up with a promising recipe?

 

[BishopGary]

I have put together a rough recipe based on the limited info the brewer emailed me. What made me really enjoy this beer was the subtle, almost unnamable flavor of the spices. I am still pondering how much citrus, the brewer did not mention specifics I initially thought I tasted a bit of lemon, but realize there may have been bitter orange. I am also not set on the amounts of other spices. I have to rely on memory being that I cannot get my hands on any here in Utah.

5# Belgian oils
4# wheat malt
1# flaked wheat

Mash at
140-151

1oz. Hallertauer 60 min
.5oz Saaz 20 min
.5oz Saaz 5 min

.5 oz bitter orange peel 10min
2 tsp crushed coriander seed 5 min
.5 oz bitter orange peel 1 min
Zest of 1 lemon 1 min
2-4 grams chamomile flowers

Wyeast Forbidden Fruit

Will probably scale this down and brew a small test batch very soon.

 

[aldubya]

keep me updated on how it turns out

 

[BishopGary]

So it took a bit longer to get to this brew than I thought, and being all the way out in Utah I decided it would be tough to truly clone the brew since I only had a couple pints. The batch I brewed was inspired by Grey Lady. I mainly wanted to test out the citrus, coriander, and chamomile before tweaking. I did the following 2 1/2 weeks ago:

5# pale 2 row
5# German wheat malt
.5# flaked wheat

Mashed:
122f for 15 min
152f for 60 min

1 oz Hallertauer 60 min
.5 oz Saaz 10 min
1 tsp coriander seed 10 min
.5 oz Saaz 1 min
Peel of 1/2 lemon and 1 orange 1 min
2 grams chamomile flowers 1 min

IBUs: approx 20

I ended up using White Labs American Farmhouse blend because I had it and it sounded good, though I am sure Cisco uses something else.

Transferred to secondary today and had a sample. It definitely reminded me of the Grey Lady I had last summer. Just a hint if the spices could use less lemon maybe more orange. However those flavored may change once it has been bottled, carbonated and chilled.

 

[Chrisharvey]

Any update? This is literally the only clone thread out there

 

[BishopGary]

Sorry I never posted a final response after bottling, etc. I brewed the recipe as I posted earlier. To me it seemed to be in the spirit of Grey Lady but nowhere near being a clone. I will likely brew it again and make the following changes: For the first batch I went with 2g of Chamomile, I would increase it to 3 or 4. If I was really concerned with cloning Grey Lady I would choose a different yeast, I liked the results with the yeast I originally used, but I think it overwhelmed some of the delicate flavors of the chamomile and coriander. After the beer was bottled and carbonated, the citrusy aromas/flavors had really faded. The citrus/lemon flavor I noticed in the original Grey Lady was what I enjoyed most about the beer, so I would think about different ways to get that quality without adding more lemon/orange zest. Maybe a hop with those qualities? Or maybe with a different yeast and increased chamomile and coriander it would taste more like I remembered. Hope this helps, I can't believe this is the only thread about this particular beer. If you have tried a batch I would be curious to know what you have done or been thinking. I will try to be better about replying to the forum.

 

[Chrisharvey]

Here's my attempt today. Boosted the grain bill to get it close to 6%.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[amt0803]

How did it turn out, and how did it compare to the real thing?

Would you mind posting exactly what you did?

Thanks.