Why do people love clones?

[Franzi]

I don't understand the fascination with brewing clones. I mean, if I wanted a beer that tasted like Pliny the Elder for example, I'd just go buy a 6er of it. In my opinion (and it's just an opinion so no flaming necessary), brewing a clone is like watching a cover band...they're both close to the real thing, but the real thing is usually better.

I'll admit, I've brewed a few not-so-spectacular beers, but they were my own recipes so I enjoyed them anyway...still better than half the stuff you find at the store.

So, why the clone love?

 

[Strave19]

I'm not sure why the clone love is. I'm pretty new to brewing, but I think people probably like clones because it gets you a beer that is at least close to what you are looking to make, without the trial and error. From what I understand, and from looking at clone side-by-side comparisons, it looks like clones are generally a bit off from what they are cloning. They still hit the style and usually make a decent beer though. Basing a recipe off of a clone, or looking at a clone recipe for ideas makes a lot more sense to me than buying a recipe "Kit", which to me is kindof the TV dinner of brewing...

I dont think people brew clones to replace the beer they are cloning, but more to get close to the style without trial and error.

 

[IrishBrew]

I brew clones on occasion (I have a Goose Island Honker's Ale clone in the secondary as I type) because I enjoy the commercial examples but want to brew my own version for three reasons...

1) I can usually brew it cheaper than buying it commercially

2) It's a good way to see if my recipe design is on target and I am truely getting what I expect out of my grain bill, hop additions, and yeast choice

3) Most of my friends only drink commercial beers so if I am able to accurately clone a commercial style they like, they will be more open to trying my other beers with recipes I designed on my own.

 

[moosetav]

Also, I can't go buy a 6er of Pliny in IN. Unless I'm paying out the nose or find a mule, I'm brewing it myself.

 

[dorklord]

I can see a couple of reasons:

1) Challenge. It establishes that you have control over your process. I screwed up a lot of things when I made my first batch of beer, but it still came out as good beer. It also gives you something to measure your success against.

2) A jumping off point. You can start off with a clone of a beer you like, then alter it to make it better (or at least to better fit your taste).

I'm sure there are more, and I'm sure that different brewers do it for different reasons, and I'm sure that brewers that don't make 'clones' have their different reasons for what they do.

 

[brettwasbtd]

Here are a few thoughts on clones

- They are a good "jumping-off" point. For newer brewers they have had a certain kind of beer and liked it, but maybe had a different brand of that style and didnt like it. A clone of the first would probably guarantee they like it. OR maybe you really like a certain beer, but wish it had more of X, so you use a clone and tweak it to include more of X

- Availability. Maybe you really like a beer when you were vacationing, but can't find that beer any where near you. Then you can brew it and have it whenever

- As the above poster said, your non beer conesieur friends will recognize a certain brand name and be more intrigued to try it.

- Sense of Accomplishment - Figuring out and creating a clone from scratch is a pretty big feat. It is a good way to hone your recipe skills.

 

[tieflyer]

i have yet to brew a beer, but I look at the clone recipes because it gives me an idea of how to brew that type of beer, and at the same time, I hope to produce a good tasting beer.

I love Lake Placid Frostbite Ale, and I cannot get it very often, ie not sold around me, so I would love to be able to brew it myself, but since I am a total newbie, I look for a "clone" recipe of it so I can enjoy it year round.

 

[arturo7]

If you find a beer you like, why not try to brew it?

Trying to duplicate something is a sure way to improve your skills.

 

[KCPyrate]

I brew clones on occasion (I have a Goose Island Honker's Ale clone in the secondary as I type) because I enjoy the commercial examples but want to brew my own version for three reasons... 1) I can usually brew it cheaper than buying it commercially; 2) It's a good way to see if my recipe design is on target and I am truely getting what I expect out of my grain bill, hop additions, and yeast choice; 3) Most of my friends only drink commercial beers so if I am able to accurately clone a commercial style they like, they will be more open to trying my other beers with recipes I designed on my own.

+1
I don't normally brew exact clones but it's a good way to match up flavors from malts & hops you like in a style, IPAs for example are all over the board, finding a clone recipe for one you like, you can alter the recipe to make something your own but keep with the idea of the original.

 

[BogusOwnz]

It's something quick and I know the result will be something me and my friends will like to drink. It's nice to take a break from recipes and just make something I know will be good.

 

[Walker]

I don't understand the fascination with brewing clones. I mean, if I wanted a beer that tasted like Pliny the Elder for example, I'd just go buy a 6er of it.

Well.... I can brew a Bell's 2-Hearted Ale clone for about $0.40 a bottle or I can buy it for about $2.00 a bottle.

 

[david_42]

With the exception of the Rogue Mocha Porter clone, the clones I brew are all beers I can't get locally. Even though I'm within 60 miles of about 1000 craft beers, there are very few examples of certain styles.

 

[jkarp]

I don't understand the fascination with brewing clones. I mean, if I wanted a beer that tasted like Pliny the Elder for example, I'd just go buy a 6er of it. In my opinion (and it's just an opinion so no flaming necessary), brewing a clone is like watching a cover band...they're both close to the real thing, but the real thing is usually better.

I'll admit, I've brewed a few not-so-spectacular beers, but they were my own recipes so I enjoyed them anyway...still better than half the stuff you find at the store.

So, why the clone love?

There's where you went off the rails. The challenge is to make the clone even better! My Brewdog Hardcore IPA put the real thing to shame. I love the challenge of clones but I've got a number of favorite "house" recipes too.

 

[dstar26t]

If you're making it at home, it's fresh, properly cared for and you know your lines are clean.

 

[AnonyBrew]

If you're making it at home, it's fresh, properly cared for and you know your lines are clean.

I agree with this and I've had a few cloned beers that taste better to me than the originals. Probably due to the freshness & handling as dstar pointed out.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I will probably never buy a clone.

I believe that most of my skill as a brewer has come from the trial and error of making a certain kind of beer.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

I don't understand the fascination with brewing clones.
I'll admit, I've brewed a few not-so-spectacular beers, but they were my own recipes so I enjoyed them anyway...still better than half the stuff you find at the store.

You doing it all wrong, dude.
This is how you do it: you pick a "commercial" beer that you really like, and once you succeed in copping it, then you start twitching the recipe little by little till you come up with your own 100% fantastic beer.
The reason why you have "brewed a few not-so-spectacular beers" is because you are starting with recipes pooled out of nowhere, as opposed to starting with a good recipe you like.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/why-do-us-brewers-try-replicate-branded-beers-167216/

 

[samc]

I rarely follow a clone recipe exactly. It's just a starting point for making something in the style of Brand X. Some of the commercial beers like Pliny are IMO almost impossible to get exact because brewers like Vinnie are constantly tweaking the damn recipe.

 

[wscott823]

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

[Franzi]

Points well taken. I'll give a clone a shot one of these days, but still like coming up with random recipes, hoping to create something new and different.

 

[wildwest450]

I don't understand the fascination with brewing clones.

Why grille a hamburger? McDonald's was doing it before you were born. Elitest troll question. Maybe i've been drinking (isn't that the point), but this may be the worst brewing question ever asked. Plus, my clones don't cost $4.50 a pint.

 

[remilard]

I think when people try to clone beers they pay way too much attention to the grist and hop schedule (where there is very little to learn) and way too little attention to the process.

I mean how many people brew Pliny clones and don't do the double dry hop or get rid of the yeast before they dry hop? Those are the things that make Pliny taste like Pliny.

 

[alx133]

the man is right though.
cover bands pretty much suck on principle.

 

[l1ranger]

b/c why not?

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

I brew clones of beers which I like, but can't get in my area. I.e European beers, or Yuengling lager. Which are not available in CA.

 

[Burgs]

Why grille a hamburger? McDonald's was doing it before you were born. Elitest troll question. Maybe i've been drinking (isn't that the point), but this may be the worst brewing question ever asked. Plus, my clones don't cost $4.50 a pint.

Elitist troll question, really? I don't think that was OP's intention.

People brew for different reasons. I can appreciate brewing clones of styles that aren't available in your area, or because it's cheaper... but I can also understand being totally uninterested in brewing a beer that someone else has already nailed.

 

[Jawbox0]

I think people brew clones for the same reason people brew styles. A person needs to have a target to brew. If you don't know all the styles by heart, doing a clone gets you to a place where you can expand your brewing knowledge.

 

[Shooter]

Why not love clowns, the red noses the funny faces, driving around in that little car with the...what's that? Oh, CLONES!!!

Well, the only good thing I see about them is if you ever want to build a massive clone army to take over the universe.

 

[mikeysab]

Why grille a hamburger? McDonald's was doing it before you were born. Elitest troll question. Maybe i've been drinking (isn't that the point), but this may be the worst brewing question ever asked. Plus, my clones don't cost $4.50 a pint.

I can't believe it took 3 pages for that to come out. As soon as I read the OP, I said here we go.

anyway, I can't get many different great beers here, so I'd brew a clone to taste something like the real thing. Secondly, I'd brew a clone because if I like a beer and it costs me the same amount to brew 5 gallons as it would to buy 72 ounces, I'm all for it. Recently brewed Yoopers DFH 60 clone because I like the real beer, and can't see paying 12 bucks for a 6 pack. My next brew is a dales pale ale clone for the same reason.

I don't know what the point of asking that question is because why brew at all? There's plenty of different types of beer in the world. We certainly don't have to brew our own. And I'm not flaming you, I'm just expanding in your question.

 

[wildwest450]

Elitist troll question, really? I don't think that was OP's intention.

People brew for different reasons. I can appreciate brewing clones of styles that aren't available in your area, or because it's cheaper... but I can also understand being totally uninterested in brewing a beer that someone else has already nailed.

How do I know, i'm not a mind reader. Someone else already nailed it? Really? Closed minded view of what beer is all about. Just because you chose to clone a beer, doesn't mean someone else has "nailed" it.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Why grille a hamburger? McDonald's was doing it before you were born. Elitest troll question. Maybe i've been drinking (isn't that the point), but this may be the worst brewing question ever asked. Plus, my clones don't cost $4.50 a pint.

When I make a burger, I am not trying to replicate frigging mcdonalds.

Cost is an OK answer, but why not make your own recipe for the same cost?

Only clone I ever tried was miller lite........for SWMBO.....and I brewed it as an ALE!!!!!!!which made it MINE!!!!!!!!!lol.

She loved it.

Only reason I looked at a clone recipe for that was that my brain does not compute "lite american lager". My recipe would have been 2 lbs of pale DME and 1 lb of sugar..........that's it.No hops.

 

[wildwest450]

Cost is an OK answer, but why not make your own recipe for the same cost?

Your "own" recipe, really? Post an "original', and i'll find 25 of the same that has been done first. There aint much left in the brewing field that hasn't been tried.

And if you cloned Miller Lite as an ale you have no business commenting on this thread.

 

[Shooter]

There aint much left in the brewing field that hasn't been tried.

Oh YEAH!!! How about brewing with bear vomit or fermenting in a sheep's stomach. I calls it me haggis beer, lots of oats in the recipe, still not as popular an option as you might think!!

There's plenty that hasn't been tried. It may not necessarily be any GOOD, but don't say it has all been done before.

 

[wildwest450]

There's plenty that hasn't been tried. It may not necessarily be any GOOD, but don't say it has all been done before.

OK, for your next batch try pound of STFU. I'm sure it will make an epic beer.
So by your logic, we can try poodle sh*t pale ale?

 

[billc68]

Not sure about your neck of the woods but imported beer here runs $3-$4 per can or bottle on average. I want to make a Guinness clone at about $45 CDN for 6 US gallons, that would run me about $150-$200 to buy in the store. Our Liquor taxes are insane around here

 

[HoppyDaze]

For me its just brewing a beer I know I'll like. Im still experimenting with my own recipes, Ive done about 15 AG batches so Im still very new to brewing

 

[Shooter]

OK, for your next batch try pound of STFU. I'm sure it will make an epic beer.

Where do you get the best price on that?

So by your logic, we can try poodle sh*t pale ale?

No, that would be absolutely terrible. You would have to use it in a porter to have any chance of it being delicious.

 

[boo boo]

Here are a few thoughts on clones

- They are a good "jumping-off" point. For newer brewers they have had a certain kind of beer and liked it, but maybe had a different brand of that style and didnt like it. A clone of the first would probably guarantee they like it. OR maybe you really like a certain beer, but wish it had more of X, so you use a clone and tweak it to include more of X

- Availability. Maybe you really like a beer when you were vacationing, but can't find that beer any where near you. Then you can brew it and have it whenever

- As the above poster said, your non beer conesieur friends will recognize a certain brand name and be more intrigued to try it.

- Sense of Accomplishment - Figuring out and creating a clone from scratch is a pretty big feat. It is a good way to hone your recipe skills.

My take on this topic also.

 

[DrinkinSurfer]

Where do you get the best price on that?



No, that would be absolutely terrible. You would have to use it in a porter to have any chance of it being delicious.

Last I check STFU is free. And wouldn't it be called a French Porter? Or possibly a French Imperial Porter if the sh*t was particularly strong and has a high OG?