DFH Tweason'Ale recipe guesses?

[robodeath]

I would like to make a batch of something as close as I can get to DFH Tweason'Ale. I contacted them and they will not give any info on their process. A friend and I are thinking about making a basic sorghum brew, blending some strawberries up and putting the mixture into the beer in secondary. Anyone have any tips or suggestions for this?

 

[stefan1011]

I recently brewed the following after enjoying DFH's Tweason Ale so much:

5 Gallon Batch

6 lbs Briess Sorghum Extract 60 min
2 lbs Buckwheat Honey 30 min
1 lb 7.5 ozs Strawberry flavored Blue Agave Syrup
1 oz NZ Motueka 60 min
0.5 oz NZ Motueka 15 min
0.5 oz NZ Motueka 5 min
1 tsp DAP 15 min
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min
1 tsp Gypsum 15 min
WLP 002 English Ale yeast

I racked 2.5 gallons onto 5lbs of frozen strawberries in secondary. I bottled 2.5 gallons with a strawberry extract flavoring. I want to compare the real fruit vs. extract flavoring.

I guessed on the hops. I was mainly looking for something that I hadn't brewed with yet. I used the agave syrup because, well, I thought it might offer some strawberry flavor contribution.

I tried the extract flavored beer last night. It was unexpectedly decent. I think a few more weeks of bottle conditioning and this will be a great beer.

I had the opportunity to drink the TweasonAle on tap at the DFH brewpub in May and it was really good. Much more strawberry coming through in both aroma and flavor than in the bottle version available in stores.

I will let you know how the other half of the batch using real fruit turns out.

 

[stefan1011]

I put the Agave syrup in at 5 min. My OG was 1.068 and FG was 1.012. I meant to include that in my first post. Sorry.

 

[igliashon]

Tweason'ale has little to no hop character, and is fairly heavy on the buckwheat honey. I'd go 80% sorghum extract and 20% buckwheat honey, use only a single bittering hop addition of something very clean, probably magnum or millenium, and then rack onto not a whole lot of strawberries in secondary. You don't want so much strawberry that it turns the beer red, after all; I think the idea is that the sorghum actually has a slight strawberry character on its own (I notice this when drinking Bard's, for instance), and the strawberries should subtly enhance it, not dominate. But use good-quality strawberries; frozen is fine, as long as they're from a good source. Tweason'ale has very light body and negligible head retention, so leave out any steeping grains or maltodextrin additions if you want to duplicate the appearance and mouth-feel.

 

[robodeath]

Stefan, any updates on the real fruit batch? I'm gonna brew this soon.

 

[stefan1011]

Stefan, any updates on the real fruit batch? I'm gonna brew this soon.

Not yet. Will try it this week for sure. Will post my observations. The real fruit batch did have a nicer aroma at bottling. Also, the finished beer had a subtle pink hue that looked more in line with the appearance of Tweason'Ale.

 

[robodeath]

What's the difference between normal honey and buckwheat honey?

 

[GFdude]

I beleive it has to do with the type of plants in the area of the beehives where the honey is first made. Often times you will find varying color or quality from things like "wildflower" honey as wild flowers are different everywhere.

 

[stefan1011]

In my experience, buckwheat honey is darker than wildflower honey. Buckwheat honey is a bit more expensive (in my area at least) but it adds a nice flavor component to gluten free beers, in my opinion.

 

[igliashon]

Varietal honeys offer a tremendous range of flavors. Buckwheat honey is dark, earthy, and malty, an excellent addition to GF beers. I've experimented with lots of different varieties of honey...gotta say, stay away from chestnut, that stuff has an OVERPOWERING flavor that is not very pleasant. My favorites have been berry honeys, buckwheat, and star thistle (adds a marshmallow flavor that's really unusual, but good).

 

[robodeath]

I'm going to do this brew on Tuesday. How long did you wait before you racked?

 

[stefan1011]

I'm going to do this brew on Tuesday. How long did you wait before you racked?

I left the beer on the fruit in secondary for 30 days.

I sampled this beer last night. First impressions were favorable. Carbonation was good. The appearance was excellent. The beer was clear with a subtle reddish tint from the strawberries. The taste was much better than anticipated. Strawberry was certainly in the forefront, but not overpowering. There was some sweetness after the fruit, but the carbonation kept it from being cloying. Clean finish. I am going to give this another month of bottle conditioning before I do a side by side comparison of the real fruit vs. flavor extract version of this batch. I have some Tweason'Ale still, so I might do a comparison of all three beers.

All in all I am pleased with how this has turned out. I have not had much luck with GF fruit beers in the past. This is the best one yet. While it is not a exact clone of DFH's Tweason'Ale, it certainly shares the major similarities and the recipe is wide open for interpretations and modifications.

Good luck on brewing yours. I would love to hear how it turns out!

 

[Beerrific]

I am pretty sure Sam Calagione gives the basic recipe in this interview: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/824 .

 

[robodeath]

I transferred to secondary on the strawberries two days ago. It's got a nice red tint already. I tasted it and it's great so far. I'll be using buckwheat honey in more of my gluten free brews.

 

[stefan1011]

Nice! The real fruit definitely gives the beer a nice color. How long do you think you are going to stay in secondary?

 

[robodeath]

15 days. I need to have it ready for my end of the world party. Maybe I'll cut it down to 12 so I get more keg carb time.

 

[texwake]

So whats the update on the fruit vs. extract? Also someone post a photo of the beer when done. I think this might be the next beer on my list.

 

[robodeath]

Mine has been kegged for a few days and man, it's fantastic. I'm hosting an End of the World party tomorrow night and am going to unveil it there.

The strawberries were solid white when I took them out. It added a lot of color to the beer. I'll post tasting notes after tomorrow.

 

[stefan1011]

So whats the update on the fruit vs. extract? Also someone post a photo of the beer when done. I think this might be the next beer on my list.

The real fruit is the way to go. Better flavor, and nicer appearance. The strawberry extract flavor isn't bad, just pales in comparison. Using real strawberries certainly put this beer in line with Tweason'Ale. I am going to brew this again, but as a 5 gallon batch. I am thinking of using 10 lbs of strawberries in secondary and will probably change the yeast. Also, I will leave out the agave nectar and up the buckwheat honey by one pound.

 

[mtbskier]

Just tried one of these beers and was hopeful given the quality beers dog fish usually puts out but it was awful....I poured out most o the beer.

I can't see how anyone would want to clone this beer....way worse than redbridge

Very light no flavor at all and an awful after taste

 

[stefan1011]

Was the bottle fresh? I ask because I have had this beer on tap at the DFH brew pub in Delaware in May and it was fantastic. I bought two cases over the course of the summer and they were excellent.

 

[mtbskier]

Was bottled in July....you would think that would be fresh enough....I've had hbs age way longer than that and still be great but maybe a lighter pasteurized beer is different than hb

My wife even tried it and said it tasted like water with a hint I strawberry and bad aftertaste

 

[tommyguner03]

ok this is my first time trying this beer by dogfish head .. i am not a fan of fruit beers at all and this tweason ale is a slam dunk..im searching for the clone recipe and came up with this as of now.. any ideas?.... Tweason’ale is a beer we brewed on
the cusp of summer. It is a gluten-free sorghum based beer brewed with fresh
strawberries from our friends at Fifer
Orchards near Dover, Delaware. For
the sorghum, we sourced a dark,
sweet, syrup with notes of molasses
and pit-fruit. We also used a a dark
buckwheat honey with a beautiful
hay-like, earthy-malty thing that we
felt added the final touch to this
Tweason’ale recipe www.hunterdonbrewing.com/.../uploads/2012/02/tweason-ale.pdf

 

[furryjeff1]

tommyguner03, that link to the recipe is broken. Do you have another source for it?

 

[gilbert]

How do I know when this is done primary? How long did you leave it in secondary on the strawberries? What did you use for bottle carbonating / priming? Thank you for any clarification. I'm new and really want to try this brew.

 

[robodeath]

How do I know when this is done primary? How long did you leave it in secondary on the strawberries? What did you use for bottle carbonating / priming? Thank you for any clarification. I'm new and really want to try this brew.

1.) I just waited a week and then moved it. There really isn't a "done" when it comes to primary.

2.) I left it for three weeks and the strawberries were completely white. I'll probably do three weeks again this time (I have another batch going right now).

3.) I keg

 

[mergs]

I recently brewed the following after enjoying DFH's Tweason Ale so much:

5 Gallon Batch

6 lbs Briess Sorghum Extract 60 min
2 lbs Buckwheat Honey 30 min
1 lb 7.5 ozs Strawberry flavored Blue Agave Syrup
1 oz NZ Motueka 60 min
0.5 oz NZ Motueka 15 min
0.5 oz NZ Motueka 5 min
1 tsp DAP 15 min
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min
1 tsp Gypsum 15 min
WLP 002 English Ale yeast

I racked 2.5 gallons onto 5lbs of frozen strawberries in secondary. I bottled 2.5 gallons with a strawberry extract flavoring. I want to compare the real fruit vs. extract flavoring.

I guessed on the hops. I was mainly looking for something that I hadn't brewed with yet. I used the agave syrup because, well, I thought it might offer some strawberry flavor contribution.

I tried the extract flavored beer last night. It was unexpectedly decent. I think a few more weeks of bottle conditioning and this will be a great beer.

I had the opportunity to drink the TweasonAle on tap at the DFH brewpub in May and it was really good. Much more strawberry coming through in both aroma and flavor than in the bottle version available in stores.

I will let you know how the other half of the batch using real fruit turns out.

Stefan, I'm working on a clone of this now as well. I'm going with 10lbs of fresh strawberries in secondary for a 5.25 gal batch. Do you think this is appropriate? Also were you happy with your hop bill above, or did you use the millenium or magnum that Igs recommended?

 

[MadGus]

Brewed this for the wife (and mother-in-law) last year - both are gluten intolerant

9 gallon batch

7lbs Sorghum
5lbs Buckwheat Honey
0.50oz Magnum (14% AA) 60 mins
0.25oz Magnum (14% AA) 15 mins
Irish Moss 15 mins
0.25oz Magnum
8.00oz Malto-Dextrine 5 mins
2pkgs S-05 Safale American Yeast

10lbs Strawberries (frozen, good quality) to secondary for 10 days

My wife prefers this over DFH Tweason'Ale.


Mergs - I think 10lbs of strawberries in 5.5gal is going to be very overpowering.

 

[glutarded-chris]

You should consider posting that recipe in the GF recipe database section:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f240/

Could also post your Dos-Equis Clone recipe if you consider it a keeper!

 

[MadGus]

I should technically call the Dos Equis clone "gluten reduced" - I made it with barley and brewer's clarex