XX Amber Clone

[Eubanks]

So my wife really likes XX Dos Equis Amber... So I gotta try to clone it. I brewed this about a week ago and moved it to secondary recently. Here's what I ended up using for recipe:

10lb Pale Mat 2 row
1lb Crystal 80
1lb Muich
12oz Special B

1oz Goldings 60 min
0.5 oz Chinook 30 min
1oz Sweet Orange Peel 30 min

Safale English Ale Yeast - starter made 48hrs

Dry Hop 1oz Cascade 3 days

OG 1.065
IBUs 30.2
SRM 20.7

I originally wanted brown malt instead of special B and galena hops rather than golding but LHBS was out.

I also am unsure if I want to dry hop this beer. I am just trying to get an amber, nothing hoppy. Let me know what yall think

 

[Yooper]

well, it's nothing like Dos Equis, which is a Vienna lager.

I'm not one for orange peel in any beer, but if you like it that would be great in this.

I like the amount of bitterness and I think that looks good, but if your wife is hoping for something like Dos Equis, I don't think she would care for the amount of bittering (chinook can be harsh bitterness). I like cascade as a dryhop (again, not Dos Equis) and think it will be very drinkable.

 

[Eubanks]

I figured the dos equis amber would just be an amber ale, didn't think it was a lager... That may throw somekinks in things. I agree the chinook are probably pretty stout, i'll probably end up substituting them in the future.

Thanks for the critiques. Always trying to learn and experiment.

 

[progmac]

I love dark mexican beers. As a point of comparison, here is a recipe that I just brewed for the third time:
----
Mexican / Vienna Lager

5 lbs pils
3 lbs vienna
1 lbs dark munich
0.2 carafa
1 lb corn

mash at 153

60 min: 0.8 oz perle (8.5%AA) or similar
15 min: 0.5 oz tettnang or similar

ferment with mexican lager yeast WLP940 or german lager WLP830 at 50deg

-----

 

[Eubanks]

Thanks for the recipe. I have not tried lagering yet, just not set up for it. I could sacrifice my keezer for a while but then no beer on tap...

 

[solbes]

If you can get the temps down into the mid/upper 50's you could ferment with Notty or WY2565 Kolsch to get a psuedo lager. But not quite the same crispness you would get with a true lager yeast.

The recipe above looks good. I have a Mexican Vienna on tp right now that used Vienna as base malt, 12 oz of corn meal, 0.5 lb of Caramunich, and 1 oz of Carafa III added late in the mash for color. Tastes pretty similar to a Negro Modelo. Modelo is a little darker with more malt flavor than XX Amber, but they are both technically Vienna Lagers.

 

[progmac]

If you can get the temps down into the mid/upper 50's you could ferment with Notty or WY2565 Kolsch to get a psuedo lager. But not quite the same crispness you would get with a true lager yeast.

The recipe above looks good. I have a Mexican Vienna on tp right now that used Vienna as base malt, 12 oz of corn meal, 0.5 lb of Caramunich, and 1 oz of Carafa III added late in the mash for color. Tastes pretty similar to a Negro Modelo. Modelo is a little darker with more malt flavor than XX Amber, but they are both technically Vienna Lagers.

Good points. I taste a bit stronger caramel component in Dos Equis XX Amber, I haven't noticed caramel in Negro Modelo but I could be wrong.

 

[Yooper]

Here's the link to my favorite Vienna lager recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/brads-vienna-lager-80356/

It's simple!

100% Vienna malt with a double decoction. OG of 1.052.

Halletauer for bittering and aroma, at 25 IBUs.

It could be done as a single infusion as well, instead of the decoction.

This came out amazingly good for me- where Dos Equis Ambers lovers were ultra complementary. It also had enough flavor that I enjoyed it as well, so that was a win/win for sure!

 

[DromJohn]

FWIW, AHS Dos Equis Amber Lager (3A)

All Grain: 9.25 lb Base Grains, .44 lb Specialty Grains
and recommends WLP830.

Maltose Express also has a kit and their recipe is in "Clone Beers" (which is at home)

ABV: 4.6%, IBU: 22
Dos Equis has been brewed since 1900. The founding brewer, Wilhelm Hasse, migrated from his native Germany to Mexico, where he founded the Moctezuma Brewery. His goal was to make beer for the Americas. The original name for Dos Equis was Siglo XX, (20th Century), and it was to be the beer for the century. It is one of the more famous reddish amber, Vienna-style lagers from Mexico. With a light-tan head, it starts with a soft, clean, malt nose and leads into a palate bursting with malt, caramel, and toasted malt. This well-balanced, medium-bodied lager leaves you with a wonderful hop finish and a long, dry malt aftertaste. This fine offering is sure to keep its place well into the next millennium and beyond!
This clone was created in 1998.

I trust both to be very good clones, and would use the AHS weights and the Maltose ABV, IBU to calculate.

 

[Eubanks]

This is really great info. Probablyshould have asked before I brewed...

 

[Eubanks]

What is yalls technique for lagering these type beers?

 

[schematix]

My last attempt at XX Amber called for 70% cheap 2 or 6 row, 20% corn, 9% C60 and 1% roast barley for color, using WLP940.

This was a good beer, but even had too much body and flavor. I think a real clone recipe is more like 70% 6-row, 30% corn, and caramel coloring (no joke).

 

[solbes]

Lagers that are 1.055 OG and lower, I usually give about 4 weeks in secondary at 34F. Then I rack to a keg, force carb, and start serving. Even with 4 weeks of lagering, the last half of the keg is better than the first half.

For something like an Oktoberfest which is around 1.060, I add 2 weeks of lagering. Bocks and above I go 8-12 weeks lagering.

 

[Mark3885]

I love dark mexican beers. As a point of comparison, here is a recipe that I just brewed for the third time:
----
Mexican / Vienna Lager

5 lbs pils
3 lbs vienna
1 lbs dark munich
0.2 carafa
1 lb corn

mash at 153

60 min: 0.8 oz perle (8.5%AA) or similar
15 min: 0.5 oz tettnang or similar

ferment with mexican lager yeast WLP940 or german lager WLP830 at 50deg

-----

I wanted to brew this for Cinco De Mayo , but my LHBS didnt have any carafa or dark munich. It had light munich , if I add 2 lbs of the light munich , would that be sufficient? I have some roasted barley , I could add 1 or 2 oz. for color, but I think it might add too much bitterness/ roasted flavor . I have 2 lbs of cara 20 and 2 lbs of aromatic malt , could I add any of this to get me close to a Dos Equis amber? Also have Saflager w 34/70 dry yeast instead of the mexican lager yeast. I want to brew this on Sunday , our weather calls for wet snow and 40F , so good day to brew.