Clone Beer Coffee & Cigarettes - Cloning Cellarmaker's Smoked Porter with Coffee

[Nick Poggetti]

So, I thought I'd try my hand at recreating Cellarmaker's Coffee and Cigarettes... and I think I came damn close. When doing a side by side with the real thing, mine lacks a little 'oomf' that Cellarmaker's has. I'd call it 97% cloned by my sniffs and taste buds.

Recipe was based off two things: Reading Cellarmaker's description of the beer with the ratios / ingredients they provide there, along with slightly modifying their posted recipe of "Underberg and Cigarettes" found at Craft Beer and Brewing's website.

This beer has a great blend of coffee (primary focus) with a perfect mix of complimenting smoke, roast, chocolate, acidity.

I'm extremely happy with how it turned out, and like many of us.... my own harshest critic. With that said, I'm happy to share this because it's so dang good. Hope to see some folks brew it and report back their opinions.

Side by side pic is below... Mine is in the pint glass, commercial version is in the mini.

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Robust Porter
Boil Time: 75 min
Batch Size: 7 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 9.14 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.069
Efficiency: 68% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.076
Final Gravity: 1.018
ABV (standard): 7.66%
IBU (tinseth): 36.3
SRM (morey): 35.19
Mash pH: 5.42

FERMENTABLES:
9 lb - Pale 2-Row (41.4%)
7 lb - Golden Promise (32.2%)
1.5 lb - Chocolate (6.9%)
3.5 lb - Beech Smoked Barley (16.1%)
9 oz - Brown Malt (2.6%)
3 oz - Black Malt (0.9%)

HOPS:
1.75 oz - Centennial, Type: Pellet, AA: 8.2, Use: Boil for 75 min, IBU: 34.18
2 oz - Hersbrucker, Type: Pellet, AA: 2.3, Use: Whirlpool for 0 min at 200 °F, IBU: 2.12

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 151 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 10.39 gal

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
2.5 g - Calcium Chloride (anhydrous), Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
3.25 g - Gypsum, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2 g - Canning Salt, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2 ml - Lactic acid, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - English Ale Yeast S-04
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 75%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 54 - 77 F
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

PRIMING:
CO2 Level: 1.9 Volumes

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: 17682
Ca2: 50
Mg2: 5
Na: 27
Cl: 60
SO4: 50
HCO3: 85
Water Notes:

NOTES:
At FG, ad 7oz of whole coffee beans. I'm using Revel Coffee's Blend for beans, since it's my typical medium-light roast I drink at home and have plenty of beans on hand.

 

[Mr. Vern]

This looks like a fun and tasty brew! I like rauchbier but sometimes the smoke is a little too much for me. 16% *seems* like a lot, for smoke flavor/dominance only, How would you compare this to something like a Schlenkerla or Alaskan Ale smoked porter? With me never having the Cellarmaker these are the best examples I can think of. Again, I am just looking for notes on smoke dominance, I find the Alaskan Ale is a bit too much smoke for my taste buds (could just be the alder wood).

Thanks for sharing! One of my favorites is a Michigan brew, Bonfire Brown by Saugatuck Brewing, with a mild-medium campfire flavor. I have plans on making some soon to kickoff BBQ season

 

[Nick Poggetti]

I actually don’t have many other beers to compare to, and haven’t had any of the ones you mentioned.

The smoke flavor is, in my opinion, just right. It takes a backseat to the coffee and is a good complimentary flavor.

Even before I added the coffee, the sample I had was really quite enjoyable and I didn’t detect any overpowering smokiness.

One thing to note… the grain bill I used for reference from Underberg and Cigarettes had much less of the smoke malt. I opted to go roughly 2.5x that amount that’s posted in that recipe. I mentioned you can find it on Craft Beer and Brewings website.

 

[Knightshade]

I'd be interested in trying this beer...but the name and visual on that can.

Gives me flashbacks to my 6th grade teacher, whom I hated talking to. She smelled like Cigarettes & Coffee, and her breath just had the added aroma of Tootsie Rolls. Blech.

 

[Nick Poggetti]

Time to make a new nostalgia and brew it! I love the label.

 

[janeront]

Time to make a new nostalgia and brew it! I love the label.

Oh so! This feeling cannot be confused with anything else!