Samuel Adams LongShot Honey B's Lavender Ale

[thrstyunderwater]

I'm looking for a clone recipe, I want to make this for my wife for Christmas. I really liked it in the 6 pack and haven't been able to find any recipe for a clone online.

 

[android]

well, you could try to email the person who won the longshot.. if you can find her contact info. otherwise, try to brew a simple pale ale with maybe some honey malt (or actual honey, but that might not end up with the honey flavor/sweetness you want) and then find some dried lavender and add it in as a 'dry hop' type application or add some in in the final 5 minutes of the boil... not sure how much though, maybe an oz or two?

 

[thrstyunderwater]

well, you could try to email the person who won the longshot.. if you can find her contact info. otherwise, try to brew a simple pale ale with maybe some honey malt (or actual honey, but that might not end up with the honey flavor/sweetness you want) and then find some dried lavender and add it in as a 'dry hop' type application or add some in in the final 5 minutes of the boil... not sure how much though, maybe an oz or two?

No offense, but that's the beauty of a clone recipe. You get close or dead on without batches and batches of tinkering.

 

[remilard]

Wait, you want someone to hand you a recipe, but you don't want it to be the person who developed the recipe?

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Wait, you want someone to hand you a recipe, but you don't want it to be the person who developed the recipe?

I'm not going to scour the internet and try to contact someone out of thin air. I don't think it's beyond the realm of comprehension that someone on this forum is looking for a clone recipe.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

i bet you could find her contact info pretty easily...she's an employee of Boston Beer Co. afterall...

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Well here is what the Boston Beer company told me:

"The Honey B's Lavender Ale is a basic Honey Wheat Ale with added Lavender. The specifics to the beer are unknown because we do not keep the ingredients on file plus its also to the discretion to the brewer themself which unfortunately remains classified. However, there are plenty of great forums online to brew a basic Honey Wheat Ale (heres just one example):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/honey-wheat-ale-35188/

There are also a lot of great books and websites for homebrewers. The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (Harper Collins, 2003), a book now in its 3rd edition, was written by Charlie Papazian, founder and president of the American Homebrewers Association. The American Homebrewers Association’s website is www.beertown.org. Another site, www.howtobrew.com, contains a plethora of free information.

Keep on brewin’!"

I can make a honey wheat, any guess as to how to best incorporate the lavender, how much, and should it be dried, fresh, or oil?

 

[baldilocks]

My aunt has a lavender farm in Texas and they carry a "culinary" lavender which is different from the lavender typically used in fragrances.

http://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Lavender-4-oz/dp/B0002NYO20

You can see one example here. I have personally always wanted to do a Lavender Saison for my aunt's Lavender Festival, but am not sure of the ratio to use. Making a tea seems the best approach.

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Well I'm leaning towards making a normal honey wheat and putting it in the secondary. Sure wouldn't mind hearing some other's inputs though.

 

[xjmox14x]

Well here is what the Boston Beer company told me:

"The Honey B's Lavender Ale is a basic Honey Wheat Ale with added Lavender. The specifics to the beer are unknown because we do not keep the ingredients on file plus its also to the discretion to the brewer themself which unfortunately remains classified. However, there are plenty of great forums online to brew a basic Honey Wheat Ale (heres just one example):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/honey-wheat-ale-35188/

There are also a lot of great books and websites for homebrewers. The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (Harper Collins, 2003), a book now in its 3rd edition, was written by Charlie Papazian, founder and president of the American Homebrewers Association. The American Homebrewers Association’s website is www.beertown.org. Another site, www.howtobrew.com, contains a plethora of free information.

Keep on brewin’!"

I can make a honey wheat, any guess as to how to best incorporate the lavender, how much, and should it be dried, fresh, or oil?

Quote from https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f19/just-me-does-sam-adams-longshot-competition-seem-like-scam-187885/

"If the product is brought to market and made available to American beer drinkers, the homebrewer will receive a one time royalty of $5000.00. If you are a Grand Champion of the Contest, you agree to disclose your complete recipe to The Boston Beer Company and grant to The Boston Beer Company an irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to all commercial and intellectual property rights to your winning beer, subject only to your right to receive the $5000.00 one-time royalty. Entering the Contest, constitutes permission to The Boston Beer Company and its agencies to use your recipe, the name of your recipe, your name, likeness, picture, signature, voice, audio and video recordings and biographical information in any manner or media whatsoever (whether now known or hereafter devised) anywhere in the world in perpetuity for the purpose of manufacturing, promoting, advertising and trade, of any product by The Boston Beer Company without further compensation, unless prohibited by law."

So in order to be champion and have your beer sold, you need to hand over all rights of that beer, including the recipe to Boston Beer Co. for a one time royalty of $5,000. Yet, according to the email above, they do not have this recipe on file and it is up to the discretion of the brewer themselves. Sounds a bit contradictory to me..

 

[Zamial]

So in order to be champion and have your beer sold, you need to hand over all rights of that beer, including the recipe to Boston Beer Co. for a one time royalty of $5,000. Yet, according to the email above, they do not have this recipe on file and it is up to the discretion of the brewer themselves. Sounds a bit contradictory to me..

This. They have the recipe. They may be choosing not to share it. I also fear that directly contacting the brewer may not shed any better results as they did sign over the recipe and rights.

I would suspect that this is a "niche" beer. Not many folks are out to get this beer or they would just go and buy it. I would love a direct clone for New Glarus Stag Horn but guess what? No-go, nadda, zilch. I have also tried contacting other breweries for recipies or a "close clone" and have never heard back.

GL

 

[dedhedjed]

I made a lavender wheat for my mother...dry-"hopped" with dried culinary lavender...be careful...it doesn't take much before it gets over-powering. i'd start with an ounce and check it every couple days so you don't overdo it...

 

[pdxal]

Agreed on the lavender. It is easy to go overboard.
Make a honey wheat beer and add 1/2oz dried culinary lavender to the fermenter for a week.
Another option is to add the same amount to the boil and ferment as usual.
One and a half teaspoons in a 2.5 gallon average gravity half batch was strong, but not overpowering or 'soapy' tasting for me.

 

[thrstyunderwater]

Agreed on the lavender. It is easy to go overboard.
Make a honey wheat beer and add 1/2oz dried culinary lavender to the fermenter for a week.
Another option is to add the same amount to the boil and ferment as usual.
One and a half teaspoons in a 2.5 gallon average gravity half batch was strong, but not overpowering or 'soapy' tasting for me.

So you've done this? Did you do more than one batch by boiling one and fermenting the other? If so what would you recommend?

I want it to be somewhat suttle, not the first thing you get in your face when you have a sip. I'll be doing a 5 gallon batch so do you think 2 tsp would do enough?

 

[KaceMN]

Sorry to dig up an old thread...but I tried this beer about a month ago and was shocked at how good it was. I was expecting it to be the weakest of the three samples in the sixer...not so.

As to the earlier comments...I didn't get "wheat beer" flavor from it at all. It seemed to me to be an incredibly balanced pale ale with lavender and honey notes.

 

[thrstyunderwater]

I made a honey wheat and dry hopped lavender. I need to bottle it and see how it is.

 

[thrstyunderwater]

If anyone has a recipe, let me know, I agree its more like a pale ale body.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

resurrecting an old thread is apparently my specialty, but I had to do it.lol

Any more info on honey and lavender in beer? I was in Kanab Ut, and stopped in the local liquor store and picked up a couple of these to try and all I can say is WOW! that was 2 months ago and I cant stop thinking about it, It was squatters brand. Any one have a recipe they can link me to

 

[csanborn26]

I currently have a honey ale brewing that I'm going to add lavender to not sure how much probably an oz maybe less I want just a hint of lavender

 

[pdxal]

I currently have a honey ale brewing that I'm going to add lavender to not sure how much probably an oz maybe less I want just a hint of lavender

See my earlier post.