Sam Adams Cold Snap Clone?

Not a big SA fan but I am enjoying this seasonal. Can't find any clone recipes online. Mainly curious about some of the spice (or fruit) that it may have. Any guesses?

 

I'd love to get my hands on a recipe as well. I'm entering a homebrew competition in March and it's my goal to bring this clone to the table.

 

I had some over the weekend, and I agree it was very good.
Here's what I found:

 

When I had it, the flavors that came through the most strongly were vanilla and hibiscus. Use an american ale yeast, and a solid amount of wheat. I would use the hops for bittering only with all of the spice additions.

 

Working on a base I went with biscuit and Munich malts with light DME (I'm still green and working up to all grain). Hallertauer and tettnanger hops. Left out the spices. I'll see what I have here first then work on spice and fruit next batch.
I did brew a 1 gal the same and experimenting with brown sugar, honey, vanilla and cinnamon for fun.

 

I distinctly tasted mint. Couldn't tell you what kind, but it's there.

 

It has a great light flavor. I think this will be a great beer on a hot day working in the yard.

 

So funny... Hibiscus and vanilla... you're killing me.

 

Lol yup maybe but I wasn't joking. Even Sam Adams hints at it: "made with crisp golden wheat and a lively blend of ten different fruits, flowers and spices"... I don't think hibiscus and vanilla are far out of the question. That's what my palate got anyhow.

http://www.samueladams.com/media/press-releases/2014/january/cold-snap-release

 

It is a Belgian...you're not going to get that taste if you use any American ale yeast. It'll be missing the fruitiness and some sweetness that Belgian yeasts bring out. Without something like WLP530 or 570, I don't think you'll hit it.

 

SA says that this uses their house ale yeast. Is that a Belgian yeast?

 

Just tried this tonight. It is very good imo. Coriander is what came through to me. Ive brewed a coriander beer before, it is a great spice to use. A light touch is needed. You would need a very powdery yeast...

 

I tried harvesting yeast from this, but it appears to be pastured as I got no activity.

 

This page: http://www.samueladams.com/craft-beers/cold-snap has fantastic statistics on this beer. According to it, they use Sam Adams house ale yeast, so check out WLP008: http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp008-east-coast-ale-yeast

Side note: it also says hibiscus on this page.. Quell haters! Also plums, orange peel, ground coriander seed.

 

I wonder how they get the beer to stay so cloudy even when cold...

 

My guess would be unmalted wheat on the cloudyness. A clone with unmalted would probably involve some step mashing or cereal mashing and a long mash if using up to 50%. I really need to get that brewing with wheat book!

 

I am still working on mine. Trying to get the right base before experimenting with the spice. 5% biscuit malt in my first attempt. Not bad and thinking that gets the cloudiness. Used munich malt too. Seems like I'm on the right track for my version anyway. Thanks for the yeast suggestion.


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Call me crazy but I definitely taste blueberry in it. As well as corriander seed and even slight mint.

 

I just realized that the beer is unfiltered. If it's also unpasteurized then we could harvest the yeast dregs out of a few bottles.

 

Thought I posted this here, but I tried harvesting with no luck. Seems as if they pasteurize

 

SA pasteurizing wouldn't surprise me. According to this article, SA does not pasteurize their kegs, but they do pasteurize their bottles:

 

i was under the apparently mistaken impression that you get autolysis flavors if you pasteurize unfiltered beer.

 

So what I have figured out for a cold snap clone because its my wifey's favorite beer.
6lbs 2 row blend
4lbs white wheat
10 spices; ground coriander
Sweet orange peel, lemon peel, hibiscus, vanilla, licorice, star anise, paradise seed, dried plums(prunes), and tamarind.
Hallertau Mittelfrueh 10 ibus
WLP patriot yeast
Some of the spices were "dry spiced"
I will be attempting a brew in a couple of weeks.

 

Wolfdust, were you able to brew this beer. I am throwing together a cold snap clone recipe and want to see how yours turned out.

 

To keep it simple could all spices be dry hopped? What % of munich malt are people using?

Also, how do you figure out how much spice to use.

 

Does Anyone Think Which Spices Might Be Dry Spiced

 

I will be brewing this tomorrow. The spices I am going to add during the boil will be the Orange zest, lemon zest, hibiscus, and the coriander. I am going to be using the zest from 3 oranges, 5 (smallish) lemons, one ounce coriander, and 3 oz hibiscus. Hopefully the hibiscus wont affect the color too much, I don't think it will. I will see how the flavor is at that point after fermentation and post the result. Than if needed I will "dry hop" the rest of the spices.

 

Let us know how it turns out!

I can't comment on the hibiscus as I've never brewed with it, but one ounce coriander is a lot! I'd strongly recommend considering tuning that down to 0.5oz or so.

There are lots of thoughts on coriander and orange in the very long blue moon clone thread.

 

The most likely candidates to me seem like vanilla and hibiscus

 

Having brewed with lots of hibiscus, I can say with 100% certainty that it is not in this beer. Grain of paradise, maybe. But definitely not hibiscus.


Better brewing through science!

 

Its on there site that they add Hibiscus. We shall wait and see..

 

They might be lying, but this Sam Adams says that this beer has hibiscus: http://www.samueladams.com/craft-beers/cold-snap

 

Wow. I don't see why they would lie. It must be trace because I can't detect it at all!


Better brewing through science!

 

Its Hard To Pick It Out But Im Sure Its In There, With 10 Spices Im Sure Its Just A Little Muted. Its Like My Cooking With Onions, I Dont Like Them So You Cant TastE OniOns In My Cooking But I Like The Flavor They Lend To The Dish As A whole.

 

This post just made my head hurt.

 

Any updates on the cold snap clone recipe?

 

Hi - New poster here... After exhaustive research online, on the when/how of spice additions-- including pestering SA 3 times (they gave me a few additional spices each time is asked) ... I believe I have a decent baseline Cold Snap 5 gallon AG recipe, which I am going to brew this week.

I used Mt. Hood as substitute for Hallertauer Mittlefrugh (LHBS didnt have). The two areas I am unsure of are whether this is too much tamarind, and if I should further tamp down the Star Anise, in the recipe.
The SRM is slighly off SA. I think this may be offset by Hisbiscus added to secondary, which Beersmith does not calc.

Feedback Welcome...
I will keep you all posted on how it turns out so we can refine this!!!


Ingredients

6 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 61.1 %
4 lbs White Wheat Malt (3.2 SRM) Grain 2 37.6 %
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 14.3 IBUs
0.25 oz Anise, Star (Boil 10.0 mins) Spice 4 -
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 5 -
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 6 -
2.00 g Seeds of Paradise (Boil 0.0 mins) Spice 7 -
0.50 oz Lemon Peel (Boil 0.0 mins) Spice 8 -
1.0 pkg Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944) [124.21 ml] Yeast 9 -
2.1 oz Fruit - Plum [Secondary 2 weeks] (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 10 1.2 %
1.50 oz Hibiscus (Secondary 3.0 days) Spice 11 -
0.25 oz Lemon Peel (Secondary 2.0 weeks) Spice 12 -
8.00 oz Sweet Tamarind Paste [Whole de-seeded tamarind in 4 oz water] (Secondary 1.0 weeks) Spice 13 -
.75 oz Cinnamon Stick Extract [Soaked in Vodka] (Bottling 0.0 mins) Flavor 14 -
.75 oz Vanilla Bean Extract [Bean Slit open and Soaked in Vodka] (Bottling 0.0 mins) Spice 15 -


Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color

Est Original Gravity: 1.057 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.5 %
Bitterness: 14.3 IBUs
Est Color: 4.2 SRM

 

Hello jmdkc and wicked first post. Can I ask which ingredients SA confirmed were in the recipe and which you're guessing on?

 

Looks like I should have bought wheat malt at the lhbs while I was there. Bought the SA seasonal collection yesterday just to try the Escape Route kolsch and ended up being impressed by cold snap. Will definitely be keeping an eye on this clone recipe

 

Hi there,
confirmed w SA: Paradise Seeds, Orange peel, lemon zest, plums, hibiscus, coriander, star anise, vanilla, sweet tamarind
They would not confirm or deny the presence of cinnamon. Since I detect subtle cinnamon on palate, I am making an educated assumption on this one. I guess i should edit first post they confirmed 9/10.
When the ingredients are added, and at what quantity are educated assumptions as well, but thats what makes this hobby so intriguing!