Falstaff Clone recipe

[ZooBrew]

From what I understand, Falstaff beer is no longer produced. I remember when I was in college back in the early seventies, Falstaff's creamy lager was one of my favorites.

Now, after having started homebrewing, I'd like to try and brew that recipe if anyone of you out there has one. Or can you steer me in the right direction?

 

[Revvy]

No, sorry, the closest anyone has been able to get, according to my digging around every few months, are these two recipes for Balantines XXX Ale....the companies merged for awhile. Some sites list this recipe as being falstaff, other's as Bally's.

Ballentine XXX Ale All Grain

6-3/4 lb American 2-Row
1/4 lb Munich Malt
3/4 lb Cooked Rice
3/4 lb Flaked Maize
1-1/4 lb Crystal 20L
2 oz Williamette Hops 60 min.
2 oz Williamette Hops 5 min.
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min.
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
3/4 cup Corn Sugar for priming

Mash grains for 30 minutes at 135 degrees F. Raise the mash temperature to 160 degrees F and mash an additional 30 minutes.
Sparge and collect wort. Bring wort to a boil, and add 2 oz Williamette hops. Boil 45 minutes. Add irish moss boil 10 minutes. Add 2oz Williamette hops and boil 5 minutes. Cool wort and pitch yeast.
First Fermentation 5-7 days
Secondary Fermentation 3-5 days. Drop temperature to 40 degrees F and condition an additonal 2 days. Bottle or keg. Age 3-4 weeks before serving.


Ballentine XXX Ale Extract

1/8 lb Crystal 20L
1 lb Flaked Maize
3/4 lb Maris Otter
1/4 lb Carapils
4 lb Alexanders Pale Extract
1 lb Plain Extra Light Dry Malt
1 lb Rice Syrup
2 oz Williamette Hops 60 min.
2 oz Williamette Hops 5 min.
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min.
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
3/4 cup Corn Sugar for priming Steep grains for 30 minutes at 155 degrees F. Remove grains and stir in extracts and rice syrup. Bring to boil. Add boiling hops and boil for 45 minutes. Add Irish Moss and boil for 10 minutes. Add finishing hops and boil for 5 minutes. Cool wort and pitch yeast. Ferment for 5-7 days at 70 degrees F. Secondary Fermentation 5 days at 65 degrees. Drop temperature to 40 degrees F and condition an additonal 2 days. Bottle or keg. Age 3-4 weeks before serving.

Their history is fascinating if not somewhat sad...History of Falstaff Beer and the Falstaff Brewing Corp.

 

[Teacher]

I don't know where to find it, but I do remember seeing one online after a quick Google search. Good luck in finding it.

 

[ZooBrew]

One of those beers that I drank in college were Duquesne (Duke). When we're young, our tastes are not as refined. I remember back then loving Strohs. With much fan-fare when it finally made it out to California (where I migrated) I bought a six-pack and threw 5 of them in the garbage.

I would hope that if I ever had the chance to taste a Duke again, remembering those nights in those sticky-floor beer bars in Kent, Ohio drinking 3.2 beer, it wouldn't be the same disappointment.

But, if I had the recipe........

 

[Revvy]

One of those beers that I drank in college were Duquesne (Duke). When we're young, our tastes are not as refined. I remember back then loving Strohs. With much fan-fare when it finally made it out to California (where I migrated) I bought a six-pack and threw 5 of them in the garbage.

I would hope that if I ever had the chance to taste a Duke again, remembering those nights in those sticky-floor beer bars in Kent, Ohio drinking 3.2 beer, it wouldn't be the same disappointment.

But, if I had the recipe........

I have similar feelings about Ballantines AND fallstaf AND I've never had them...but reading their histories, I would love to taste them...I mean they come pretty much from an era JUST before/or alongside the German brewmasters and their light lagers....when breweries were still regional and independant...when Budweiser was just another brand competing for customers....

*sigh*

I'll keep looking....and if you find anything, let me know...

 

[BigEd]

From what I understand, Falstaff beer is no longer produced. I remember when I was in college back in the early seventies, Falstaff's creamy lager was one of my favorites.

Now, after having started homebrewing, I'd like to try and brew that recipe if anyone of you out there has one. Or can you steer me in the right direction?

Specific clone recipes for light American lagers are indeed hard to come by. First there was never much information available from the old breweries and second is that they all taste very much alike. This style is typically on the sweet side but with very light malt flavor and barely discernable hops. The biggest differences in most of these beers' flavor was the choice of adjunct and yeast strain. I would suggest making a generic beer in the style and perhaps using a mix of corn & rice for adjuncts. Wyeast Danish Lager 2042 makes a very good GP lager yeast IMO and for creaminess add 5% CaraPils to the bill. Most American beers of that era used Cluster hops for bittering which are still available and I would use a Hallertau or American equivalent like Liberty or Mt. Hood as a finishing hop. Shoot for and OG in the mid 40s and keep the IBUs at between 12-15.

Here is an outline for a recipe:

5 lbs lager malt (2-row pale or 50/50 2-row & 6-row)
1/2 lb CaraPils/CaraFoam
1 1/2 lbs Flaked Maize
1 1/2 lbs Flaked Rice

Mash @ 150F for 60 minutes

1/2 oz Cluster and 1/4 oz Hallertau @ 60 minutes
1/4 oz Hallertau @ 15 minutes

Wyeast Danish Lager Yeast 2042
Ferment then lager for 4-5 weeks.

 

[cefmel]

I knew an old timer once who said that Falstaff use to taste like Heineken before prohibition. But I drank it a lot in the 70's and by then it was obvious that by then they were competing with the brewery across the street, Anheiser Busch. The old Falstaff brewery still stands and if you go there you might even find some collectibles if you're lucky. But if you want a Falstaff clone just go get a six pack of Bud.

 

[ZooBrew]

As I think about how Falstaff tasted, it had a creamy mouthfeel and a bit over-hopped (to my taste). What lager yeast will produce creamy suds?

 

[Michael Tatalovich]

The historical Recipe for Falstaff as well a Lemp are NOT like the light lagers of today! I doubt that most people would like the actual recipes from 100 years ago! Even the New Lemp is only based on the original as it as they said "is brewed for more current tastes, that people today would not want to drink that beer now"! That being said I would love to find the old recipes for both of them as well as some very old historical recipes from the Middle Ages!