Can you Brew It recipe for Stone Arrogant Bastard

[Apendecto]

One question that baffles me.

In the first show, JZ said the test came back from the lab with 58 IBUs. They say the second attempt is nearly dead on with about 95 IBUs. Why would their test not be anywhere close?

 

[wheatgerm]

i'm struggling to get the color/gravity to come out right on this with the given grain bill. what's the color supposed to be?

 

[Frodo]

I also have a question about color (I get close pretty close to the stated SRM in the recipe in my software, actually 24 but who really cares if it's that close), but is the color of AB really at 22.5 SRM? That seems too high.

 

[wheatgerm]

Beersmith defaults to having Special B's color at 180. AHB has it listed on their site at 140-155 though. Once I changed it to 150 the color estimate comes out looking much better at 22.4 using the following recipe:

Boil Size: 6.75 gal
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil: 90 min
Efficiency: 70%
OG: 1.071
FG: 1.017
ABV: 7.12%
IBU: 92.1
Color: 22.4

Malt Bill:
-[90%] 13.5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (3.5 SRM)
-[10%] 1.5 lb Special B (150 SRM)

Hops:
-1 oz. Chinook (12.5%) @ 85 min.
-1 oz. Chinook (12.5%) @ 45 min.
-1 oz. Chinook (12.5%) @ 15 min.
-1 oz. Chinook (12.5%) @ 0 min.

Yeast:
-WLP007 (1.5L Starter)

-------------------------------------------
The OG came out at 1.071 at a BH efficiency of 70%. It comes out at 1.066 when efficiency drops to 65%(which is usually where I'm at). At 1.066 the FG would have to go to 1.011 to come out to the listed 7.2% ABV. Can WLP007 pull that off?

 

[Frodo]

But the question is, is AB really that dark? 22.5 SRM is pretty close to opaque, AB is not that dark as I recall. I was thinking it's closer to maybe 18, but could be wrong.

 

[Frodo]

The OG came out at 1.071 at a BH efficiency of 70%. It comes out at 1.066 when efficiency drops to 65%(which is usually where I'm at). At 1.066 the FG would have to go to 1.011 to come out to the listed 7.2% ABV. Can WLP007 pull that off?

The recommended mash temp is 148F, so that'd make it really fermentable. I'm actually thinking it'd be possible it could get even lower FG especially at a fermentation temp of 67F.

 

[wscott823]

But the question is, is AB really that dark? 22.5 SRM is pretty close to opaque, AB is not that dark as I recall. I was thinking it's closer to maybe 18, but could be wrong.

20-25 SRM lands you about the color of a brown ale. not opaque. I've made the previous AB clone recipe from CYBI, the color was still about 22 SRM, and looked identical in a side by side comparison with the real AB.

 

[wscott823]

Can WLP007 pull that off?

Yes it can, as long as you ptich a healthy amount. WLP007 is a workhorse yeast that still gives nice British ale flavor and aromas.

 

[wheatgerm]

BrewWiki notes the problem with color calculation when using special b:

"This malt is always dark, but the color and flavor vary more than most other malt styles; most of the commonly available varieties are in the 110-160 L range, but it may be even darker. Don't depend on homebrew software to calculate the color of your beer correctly, since it may be expecting a much darker malt than you are actually using; some older sources assume Special B will be over 200 or even up to 300 L."

Learn something new every day.

 

[Tarheel4985]

We brewed 10 gallons using the new recipe on Saturday. The mash went great and we hovered between 148 and 150 for just over an hour. We estimated 27# 2-row and 3# of Special B because we've been getting around 70% for the last few batches. Well we didn't have a refractometer to test the runnings into the BK, so we just went ahead and boiled 13.5 gallons down to about 11 after the 90 min boil and unfortunately our efficiency was higher than normal. Our gravity going into the fermenter was 1.080 so our efficiency was around 83%. Not the end of the world but it won't be AB.

As for color, the sample I measured looked a little lighter than AB, so I think the comments about Special B and color consistency are probably true. It's not as universal as other malts. Fermentation took off within about 3 hours using a 4L starter split in 2. I'll post the results but I imagine it will come out closer to Double Arrogant than AB but we'll see.

 

[2bluewagons]

One question that baffles me.

In the first show, JZ said the test came back from the lab with 58 IBUs. They say the second attempt is nearly dead on with about 95 IBUs. Why would their test not be anywhere close?

They have also mentioned on various shows that there is a big difference between kettle IBUs and finished beer IBUs. Yeast pitching rate, the floc level of the yeast, and filtering can all affect the bitterness that makes it to the bottle.

 

[Apendecto]

They have also mentioned on various shows that there is a big difference between kettle IBUs and finished beer IBUs. Yeast pitching rate, the floc level of the yeast, and filtering can all affect the bitterness that makes it to the bottle.

Cool. Good to know.

So when a bottle says 100 IBU's or whatever, do they mean finished beer IBU?

 

[maida7]

Cool. Good to know.

So when a bottle says 100 IBU's or whatever, do they mean finished beer IBU?

It could be either. I don't think there is a hard fast rule for that.

 

[bdleedahl]

Also I believe if you listen to the Brew Strong hopping podcast they say that the IBU's that you will get using different formulas (usually Tinseth or Reiger I believe) or sending it to a lab will never be the same, and in fact may not even be close to one another; the point is is that as long as you are consistent using one formula you will will learn what those numbers mean for your system

 

[2bluewagons]

Cool. Good to know.

So when a bottle says 100 IBU's or whatever, do they mean finished beer IBU?

Yeah I don't think there is a requirement for breweries to list IBUs at all, let alone what kind of value it is. Generally, I would think that larger breweries will test the final beer and provide an average of those results. I am pretty sure Stone's IBU numbers are measured values of the final beer, and would think that Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, etc. would be the same.

But the above post is correct, testing of final beers is prohibitively expensive for us. I think WhiteLabs has an annual event where they open up their testing capabilities to the public, and it is still something like $150 for a single test. Get to know the IBU number your software is giving you and relate it to the taste of your beer, maybe even comparing bitterness to a commercial beer. That will allow you to fine-tune your beers to a bitterness level you are shooting for.

 

[BeerPressure]

I bought the grain & hops today for this brew. They didnt have WLP007 in stock so I had to settle for the Safale 04 English.

Next time I will be sure to get WLP007.

 

[Apendecto]

I bought the grain & hops today for this brew. They didnt have WLP007 in stock so I had to settle for the Safale 04 English.

Next time I will be sure to get WLP007.

I'm brewing it this weekend with my home grown Chinook and S-04. I've also got some oak cubes in bourbon so maybe I'll oak some of it.

 

[BeerPressure]

Anyone drinking theirs yet? I waited and got WLP007. Brewed 01/08/2011. Hit mash temp and OG came in at 1.065.

 

[Apendecto]

Anyone drinking theirs yet? I waited and got WLP007. Brewed 01/08/2011. Hit mash temp and OG came in at 1.065.

Not yet. I'm in no rush to bottle this since I like Arrogant Bastard a whole lot more when it ages a bit. I had the fresh stuff when I was in San Diego a few weeks ago and I really didn't like it as much as some of the older bottles I have here.

 

[jvcjbl]

Here is the recipe from a LHBS that I followed. Seems to be a decent clone.

Arrogant Strong Brown Ale

 

[EricCSU]

Here is the recipe from a LHBS that I followed. Seems to be a decent clone.

Arrogant Strong Brown Ale

That probably does make a good beer, but I would be very surprised if it made AB...the recipe is so far off in quite a few ways.

Eric

 

[PSmurf78]

Not yet. I'm in no rush to bottle this since I like Arrogant Bastard a whole lot more when it ages a bit. I had the fresh stuff when I was in San Diego a few weeks ago and I really didn't like it as much as some of the older bottles I have here.

Maybe that's the difference. I tried brewing this a couple weeks back and moved it to a secondary to clear up room. The flavor wasn't quite right, though the OG/FG was there, along with the hop schedule and ferment temps (if anything, it might have been slightly low here).

 

[Tarheel4985]

We brewed this back on 12/18 and just transferred it to the keg last week. Since I had split it into two 5 gallon batches, I dry-hopped one for about 5 days and left the other alone. I didn't have enough space in the kegerator so I only have the dry-hopped one on tap right now, but the initial taste after about 3 or 4 days of carbing is excellent. I'm probably the opposite of Apendecto as I like mine fresh and hoppy, so I would probably prefer drinking it now as opposed to later this spring or summer. But once space opens up I'll carb the non dry-hopped batch and let you know the results.

Ours finished rather sweet at about 1.016 but started at 1.081, which was much higher than the clone recipe, so it still seems pretty balanced. I only have Oaked Arrogant available to compare it to for now, but after I pick up another bottle of the original I'll post a side-by-side comparison. I had the original on tap at a local bar the other night and I certainly wouldn't consider mine a clone, but it's still pretty tasty. Not sure if overshooting the OG played a big factor or not.

 

[maida7]

Anyone drinking theirs yet? I waited and got WLP007. Brewed 01/08/2011. Hit mash temp and OG came in at 1.065.

I have the OLD recipe (the one with all the crystal malts) on tap currently in my kegorater. It's a very tasty beer but it's not the same as AB. I've tried them back to back and the AB is more hoppy then my clone. The clone is maltier and smoother. They are very similar but not exactly cloned. Eventually I'll brew the new and improved recipe (the one with just special B) and see how that fares.

 

[Sithdad]

Anyone drinking theirs yet? I waited and got WLP007. Brewed 01/08/2011. Hit mash temp and OG came in at 1.065.

I brewed mine just before Christmas and just bottled it Saturday. I've never had Arrogant Bastard, but I got whole Chinook hops from my sister-in-law's father. He and some friends have started a hop farm. I'm hoping to get a bottle of AB and test mine side-by-side. I didn't have 007, but I did have Pacman on hand so I used that. Interested to see how it works out. I've never used Special B either and I was surprised how much it smelled like raisins.

 

[pipapat]

so no dry hopping on this?

mine is conditioning in my tank at the moment.

 

[Tarheel4985]

so no dry hopping on this?

mine is conditioning in my tank at the moment.

The clone recipe never called for dry hopping, so I wouldn't suggest it if you're trying to make an exact clone. I'm assuming the original is not dry hopped but I could be wrong. The only reason I dry hopped was because I prefer a fresher, hoppier AB to the ones that have been aged and cellared for a while.

 

[pipapat]

The clone recipe never called for dry hopping, so I wouldn't suggest it if you're trying to make an exact clone. I'm assuming the original is not dry hopped but I could be wrong. The only reason I dry hopped was because I prefer a fresher, hoppier AB to the ones that have been aged and cellared for a while.

that works, i wasnt sure if i has missed something or not.

I missed my og by 5 points so mine wont be extact, but ill get a good idea of the flavor profile.

 

[HItransplant]

Anyone drinking theirs yet? I waited and got WLP007. Brewed 01/08/2011. Hit mash temp and OG came in at 1.065.

bottled last week, Ill wait a few more before I crack one open... sample was good though

 

[Apendecto]

The clone recipe never called for dry hopping, so I wouldn't suggest it if you're trying to make an exact clone. I'm assuming the original is not dry hopped but I could be wrong. The only reason I dry hopped was because I prefer a fresher, hoppier AB to the ones that have been aged and cellared for a while.

I was kind of surprised at the "no-dry hop" as well. Seems to me, if it's a hoppy beer it gets the dry hop treatment.

I really can't wait to see how this turns out. Nothing beats a recipe with so few ingredients, especially if it winds up being great.

On a side note, I brewed 9 gallons and it only cost me something like $20 with reused yeast and home grown hops. To buy an equivalent amount out here, would be around $200. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.