Foundation Brewing Epiphany Clone

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Interesting - I believe my can indicated a FG of 1.014 or maybe 1.016 ---- hard to believe the FG would vary that much from batch to batch unless they altered the recipe recently....

I just finished a can of this, and it definitely said the FG was 1.009, but I wonder if earlier batches might have been higher. A good friend of mine makes trips up there pretty regularly, and Foundation is one of his must-do stops. He saved this last can of Epiphany for me, since I was coming up for a holiday visit. Now, that's a good friend! And, I'm a little stunned that this beer is only #128 on BeerAdvocate's Top 250 list.

BTW... Just found this thread, and thanks to the OP and all contributing to the clone recipe. This beer is just too good and too hard to get for there to NOT be a good clone recipe for all us hopheads. I've not advanced to the all-grain stage of my brewing career yet, so I may try to convert this to an extract or partial and see how it comes out. I agree though, that color... We need to figure it out. It's beautiful.
 
Yeah, I'm excited to take my first stab at this. I have my ingredients, just need to find time for a brew day, hopefully in January. This is what Im going to brew. The recipe is adjusted for my system, my brewhouse efficiency isn't as good as I want it to be right now.

Batch Size: 5.00 gal Style: Imperial IPA (14C)
Boil Size: 7.24 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 6.4 SRM Equipment: Brew-Boss 15 Gallon Kettle 5 Gallon Batch
Bitterness: 80.1 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.071 (17.2° P) Mash Profile: BIAB, Light Body (148F)
Est FG: 1.009 SG (2.4° P) Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
ABV: 8.2%


7.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60 min)
2.00 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60 min)
2 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM)
12 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
1 lbs Golden Naked Oats (10.0 SRM)
0.8 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - First Wort
1 lbs 4.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM)
3.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Steep 10 min
2.5 oz Citra [12.0%] - Steep 10 min
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Steep 10 min
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Steep 10 min
1 pkgs London Ale III (Wyeast Labs #1318)
1.5 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days
3.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Dry Hop 5 days
 
I brewed this about 6 days ago. On day 5 on I transferred to a keg for dry hopping, while active fermentation was showing down. My keg had a spunding valve to release excess CO2 during the end of active fermentation. I'll dry hop for 5 days, transfer to a serving keg for the last few days to finish out then cold crash and carbonate. I can't wait to try this when it's done!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424525.985226.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424541.711439.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424558.652033.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424572.042943.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424588.518180.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1454424605.877038.jpg
 
I emailed Joel at Foundation. What a great guy! He hit me back straight away with a few hints. Although they won't disclose the brewing process at present Heres what I got:

This was initial stab at a recipe:

Batch Size: 5.30 gal Style: Imperial IPA (14C)
Boil Size: 8.26 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 4.6 SRM Equipment: 15 gallon brew boss
Bitterness: 85.9 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.076 (18.3° P) Mash Profile: BIAB, Light Body (149F mash)
Est FG: 1.015 SG (3.9° P) Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
ABV: 8.0%


7 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1
6 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3
1.0 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - First Wort Hops 4
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Boil 20 min Hops 5
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Boil 10 min Hops 6
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Steep 10 min Hops 7
3.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Steep 10 min Hops 8
2 pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 9
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 10
2.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 11

Joel responded with:

"You might want to consider some simple sugar as part of your recipe to ensure that it dries out enough. We also use Ella in the dry hop. Otherwise, you should have a pretty tasty beer!"

So I now have this:

Batch Size: 5.30 gal Style: Imperial IPA (14C)
Boil Size: 8.26 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 4.0 SRM Equipment: 15 gallon brew boss
Bitterness: 87.0 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.072 (17.3° P) Mash Profile: BIAB, Light Body (149F mash)
Est FG: 1.011 SG (2.7° P) Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
ABV: 8.1%

6 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1
5 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3
1.0 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - First Wort Hops 4
1 lbs Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Grain 5
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Boil 15 min Hops 6
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Boil 10 min Hops 7
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Steep 10 min Hops 8
3.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Steep 10 min Hops 9
2 pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 10
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 11
2.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 12
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 13

I guess now all I need is to find time to brew now.... I also feel like the color may be too light, but we'll have to see.

What is your efficiency with this? I plugged your #s in my software and am only getting OG =1.057 with the "after Joel" grainbill listed above. At 1.072 you are looking at >90% efficiency. You have a very sizable pre-boil volume though. Thanks!
 
That OG is post boil, yeah? My post boil volume is around 6.5 gallons, i lose about a gallon or so to trub and hops and dead volume in my system. So end up with astound 5 gallons in the fermenter.
 
I didn't end up doing this recipe. I did the one i posted later in the thread. My mash efficiency ended up being about 80% (higher than expected, a combination of new grain mill and stirring the mash), i ended up diluting my pre boil a bit to hit my pre boil numbers.

My system is new, my numbers aren't dialed in yet, but I'm pretty sure that grain bill for a 5 gallon batch doesn't equate to 90% efficiency. I may be wrong though. When i get a chance, I'll double check my numbers.
 
I didn't end up doing this recipe. I did the one i posted later in the thread. My mash efficiency ended up being about 80% (higher than expected, a combination of new grain mill and stirring the mash), i ended up diluting my pre boil a bit to hit my pre boil numbers.

My system is new, my numbers aren't dialed in yet, but I'm pretty sure that grain bill for a 5 gallon batch doesn't equate to 90% efficiency. I may be wrong though. When i get a chance, I'll double check my numbers.

OK, in reading through it looks like MarkLog did that recipe. He may have either altered the amounts or liquor volumes to hit OG. How did your recipe turn out? I noticed that it has a significantly different grist (mostly 2 row, a lot less pilsner).
 
OK, in reading through it looks like MarkLog did that recipe. He may have either altered the amounts or liquor volumes to hit OG. How did your recipe turn out? I noticed that it has a significantly different grist (mostly 2 row, a lot less pilsner).

My batch just went into the keg yesterday. I had a few mishaps along the way, mainly involving some residual hop matter getting into my serving keg which Im not happy about.

To give preliminary feedback though - the color is far too light. I have no idea how Foundation get that orange color Epiphany has, but my grain bill certainly doesn't provide it. I added golden naked oats to try to add color, but I just don't see how you can get there without some crystal malt. I was experimenting with some new dry hopping and timing techniques too, and dry hopped while primary fermentation was still going, so Im going to leave the keg to cold crash for a birt to drop the residual yeast and hop matter out.

That being said, initial aroma, taste and mouthfeel are promising. The hop aroma and flavor is pretty decent. Soft mouthfeel, and smooth bitterness (when I didn't get any flecks of residual hops in my sips).

Once it properly carbed and drinkable, I'll re-evaluate and try to determine what needs to change to move it closer to Epiphany.
 
What is your efficiency with this? I plugged your #s in my software and am only getting OG =1.057 with the "after Joel" grainbill listed above. At 1.072 you are looking at >90% efficiency. You have a very sizable pre-boil volume though. Thanks!

So my pre boil volume there was wrong, it was actually more like 7.5 gallons. Like I say, my system is pretty new to me, so Im still dialing it in. I had about a gallon boil-off, taking it down to about 6.5 gallons post boil, and lose 1 - 1.5 gallons to my kettle when I transfer. I also need to check my efficiencies, as they have been all over the place recently. Sorry, I know this doesn't help others get their recipes fine tuned.
 
So my pre boil volume there was wrong, it was actually more like 7.5 gallons. Like I say, my system is pretty new to me, so Im still dialing it in. I had about a gallon boil-off, taking it down to about 6.5 gallons post boil, and lose 1 - 1.5 gallons to my kettle when I transfer. I also need to check my efficiencies, as they have been all over the place recently. Sorry, I know this doesn't help others get their recipes fine tuned.

No worries; it is part of the process! I also wouldn't worry about the hop debris; I always get a little bit out of the cans of these types of beer.

I do wonder how accurate the can details are, and if adding a minimal dose of cara-red or crystal would bump it to that color.

I'll probably attempt my own shot at this in the near future, I think I"ll try the cara-red idea with a 60ish/40ish mix of pilsner and pale, with the oats and dextrose. Hops will be close to what you all are doing.
 
This is the finished beer for me I think. I think all the yeast had been dropped out now. It's been carbing and cold crashing for about 5 days. The aroma is nice, a lot of citrus and some tropical fruit. The bitterness is reasonably smooth, but not as nice as Epiphany. It's a decent IPA, but it's missing the wow factor of epiphany. Keep plugging away I guess...View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1455547860.196275.jpg
 
A note about the color:
At my brewery we brew an annual IIPA that's only Pale Ale malt (3 lovibond) and about 3% carapils. The color is a solid 8-10 SRM. It's a direct fire system, plus I constantly vorlauf during my mash - both things tend to make the beer darker in the end.

I can definitely see Epiphany's color a result from a mix of the listed malts.

If you have an idea on the size of their brewhouse you could probably get a better idea on the percentages of malt (generally we try our best to use entire bags of malt per brew and not to chop bags, especially for base malts/adjuncts).
 
What's the correct amount of hops on this recipe? There's a pretty significant gap in the recipes posted throughout the thread...

1.0 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - First Wort Hops 4
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Boil 20 min Hops 5
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Boil 10 min Hops 6
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Steep 10 min Hops 7
3.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Steep 10 min Hops 8
2 pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 9
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 10
2.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 11

Or

1 oz Citra (90 min)
1 oz Ella/Galaxy (10 min)
1 oz Columbus (5 min)
1 oz Mosaic (5 min)

Dry Hop:

1 oz Citra
1 oz Cascade
1 oz Mosaic

Let me know, trying to brew something similar to this tonight!
 
What's the correct amount of hops on this recipe? There's a pretty significant gap in the recipes posted throughout the thread...

1.0 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - First Wort Hops 4
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Boil 20 min Hops 5
1.0 oz Ella [15.0%] - Boil 10 min Hops 6
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Steep 10 min Hops 7
3.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Steep 10 min Hops 8
2 pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 9
1.0 oz Mosaic [12.5%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 10
2.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 5 days Hops 11

Or

1 oz Citra (90 min)
1 oz Ella/Galaxy (10 min)
1 oz Columbus (5 min)
1 oz Mosaic (5 min)

Dry Hop:

1 oz Citra
1 oz Cascade
1 oz Mosaic

Let me know, trying to brew something similar to this tonight!
 
I know it's probably late to respond to this particular question, but to me the first hop schedule seems more likely, except that it sounds like you could probably cut the first wort hops in half.

From their website :
Epiphany was designed to showcase the glorious flavor and aromatics of hops without any astringent bitterness.

There is very little bitterness to this beer. I'm obsessed with it and taking my first shot at it this weekend. Keeping the grain bill, but cutting the Columbus first wort in half and then a very late cascade addition... Whirlpooling and dry hopping the Ella, Mosaic, and Citra. I'll report back on exact proportions and how it turned out. Wish me luck!
 
OK, so I have brewed slight variations of this recipe 3 times since my last post. I wholeheartedly agree with cutting the bittering hops in half. I'm now consistently making an amazing, and one-time award-winning Vermontian IPA that is about as close to Epiphany as I can remember. The only exception is the color. My color looks more like orange juice. I need a little bit more red to match the original color however I'm nervous to modify the grain bill as it is spot-on to what I'm going for.

Bottom line, this recipe makes an amazing beer.
 
Have you settled on a hop schedule?

I've actually been wondering if it might be worth it to try adding nothing at all in the beginning and just add the columbus and cascade near the end of the boil and whirlpool the rest...
 
Have you settled on a hop schedule?

I've actually been wondering if it might be worth it to try adding nothing at all in the beginning and just add the columbus and cascade near the end of the boil and whirlpool the rest...

I've been pondering myself on whether or not something like this hopping schedule may have been the "Epiphany" they had to get such a smooth bitterness with this beer. This was going to be one of my major changes next time I got around to trying this again - bittering charge towards the end of the boil for maximum flavor with smooth bitterness (hopefully).
 
I would say Foundation is using London Ale III for Epihany. It wasn't too long ago Bissell came out and said they have changed their house yeast. I think they went from the conan strain to London Ale III because that is what their "neighbors" were using.

I would think they are using some carapils as well. I have been brewing recently with malted oats. I feel it certainly helps in the mouthfeel department without mashing higher. Epiphany could be getting that color from some malted oats.
 
OK, so I have brewed slight variations of this recipe 3 times since my last post. I wholeheartedly agree with cutting the bittering hops in half. I'm now consistently making an amazing, and one-time award-winning Vermontian IPA that is about as close to Epiphany as I can remember.

So is the only thing you've changed from the OP's recipe is cutting the bittering hops in half?
 
OK, so I have brewed slight variations of this recipe 3 times since my last post. I wholeheartedly agree with cutting the bittering hops in half. I'm now consistently making an amazing, and one-time award-winning Vermontian IPA that is about as close to Epiphany as I can remember. The only exception is the color. My color looks more like orange juice. I need a little bit more red to match the original color however I'm nervous to modify the grain bill as it is spot-on to what I'm going for.

Bottom line, this recipe makes an amazing beer.

What were your slight variations and which one did you like the best?
 
I haven't even tried nor heard of this beer but I find this thread very exciting!
 
Try bissel brothers swish dipa- fantastic. Prefer it to heady topper and sip of sunshine

100% agree! Lucky for me I work a half-mile down the road from foundation/Bissell at the Harley shop I stop by every Thursday Friday and Saturday on my way home. Can't wait to try this recipe out for myself . Kinda sad for me that Bissell moved to the larger new location. Can't wait to brew some Epiphany for myself!!
 
I was at Foundation last weekend and got to sample Epiphany for the first time. Unfortunately, they had sold out of cans so I couldn't bring any home with me. The beer was amazingly good. I agree with the bulk of the hops being late addition. Judging by what I tasted, I'd say lots of whirlpool hops and dry hopping.

The visit to Foundation got me inspired and it looks like I'll be brewing a IIPA soon!
 
Oh man. I love those juicy New England style IPAs and DIPAs....
Has anyone given a shot at making a malt extract version of this recipe? Some of us don't have the setup or knowhow for making an all grain one. Anyone want to take pity on us extract brewers? :D
 
I would say Foundation is using London Ale III for Epihany. It wasn't too long ago Bissell came out and said they have changed their house yeast. I think they went from the conan strain to London Ale III because that is what their "neighbors" were using.

I would think they are using some carapils as well. I have been brewing recently with malted oats. I feel it certainly helps in the mouthfeel department without mashing higher. Epiphany could be getting that color from some malted oats.

Maybe the malted oats as a larger percentage of the grain bill to get the color...? If they're using Carapils or C10 or whatever, they aren't revealing it on the website. Only pilsner, pale, and oats are mentioned.

I'm using conan yeast just because it's what I have on hand. I would need to build up the London Ale (maybe next time).
 
The oats are being added by Foundation in small enough quantities that you really can't taste them.
 
sub'd to help out with my NEIPA mojo. I will say from my limited experience, the water profile seems off. Isn't the recommended recipe going to be higher in sulfates than chloride? I believe it should be reversed
 
sub'd to help out with my NEIPA mojo. I will say from my limited experience, the water profile seems off. Isn't the recommended recipe going to be higher in sulfates than chloride? I believe it should be reversed

I used those numbers very early in my experimentations with water chemistry and yes, you're right, it should be flip flopped. The higher sulfate gives a more pronounced sharp bitterness.

My last 5 gallon batch of IPA had 10g CaCl2 and 5g Gypsum and it has a much more rounded soft mouthfeel, giving much smoother perceived bitterness. I'll be using something similar next time I brew this. It's more aligned with the NEIPA style I think.

FYI I have pretty soft water to start with, so I think I ended with something in the region of 100ppm SO4 and 200ppm Cl, if that matters to anyone.
 
I'm in the midst of doing a loose interpretation of this in a partial mash recipe I pieced together through this thread. Here's what I pieced together:

3 lb Morris Otter Pale
1 lb Flaked Oats
11 lb Light Pale Extract Syrup

1 oz Citra (90 min)
1 oz Galaxy (10 min)
1 oz Cascade (10 min)
2 oz Mosaic (5 min)
1 oz Columbus (5 min)

Dry Hop (5 days)
1 oz Citra
1 oz Mosaic
1 oz Columbis

OG was 1.076, was reading 1.020 when I dry hopped.

Will be bottling this up on Saturday, won't be perfect but I suspect it'll be enjoyable. Any tips (other than going to all grain) are appreciated!

13507164_786795983985_1683620125473874173_n.jpg
 
London iii is what I use at 64 degrees. As far as hop schedule I only use 1/2 oz bittering 60min, 2 oz at flame out and whirlpool for 20min (remove), 4 to 6 oz at 170 for 20 to 30 more minutes, dry hop close to end of fermentation 3 to 6 oz for 4 to 5 days. Cold crash another 2 days and siphon into keg. I don't currently keg hop but heard some do with great results.
 
I've actually been wondering if it might be worth it to try adding nothing at all in the beginning and just add the columbus and cascade near the end of the boil and whirlpool the rest...

I've been pondering myself on whether or not something like this hopping schedule may have been the "Epiphany" they had to get such a smooth bitterness with this beer. This was going to be one of my major changes next time I got around to trying this again - bittering charge towards the end of the boil for maximum flavor with smooth bitterness (hopefully).

I did this a few weeks ago with a very similar beer and I was not satisfied with it. The beer turned out very smooth (dangerously smooth my wife says because it's so easy to drink and 7.5% alcohol... should come with a warning label :p ) But to me it was lacking the "pop" it should have had and I'm guessing that it's because the early addition bitterness was missing. I actually added ZERO hops until flameout for a long hop stand with more additions as the temp hit 170 and some more at 150 degrees...


Which brings me to this:

London iii is what I use at 64 degrees. As far as hop schedule I only use 1/2 oz bittering 60min, 2 oz at flame out and whirlpool for 20min (remove), 4 to 6 oz at 170 for 20 to 30 more minutes, dry hop close to end of fermentation 3 to 6 oz for 4 to 5 days. Cold crash another 2 days and siphon into keg. I don't currently keg hop but heard some do with great results.

I did a very similar thing, this time... An all out Epiphany clone brewed yesterday... But I started with 2 oz Columbus @ 60 min (This is a 10 gal batch) and then 2 oz Cascade at flameout and then LOTS of Ella, Citra, and Mosaic at 170 and 150 degrees and I'll be doing two dry hops with the latter varieties as well (don't have my notes in front of me but I'll post more details and pics when I actually taste it). My gravity hit 1.070 so hopefully I'll get down to 1.009 with the London III :mug:
 
So I kegged it a couple days ago and finally got to taste it fully carbed today. As you can see (mine is on the right, real deal on the left), the color is not quite right... But I must say that I have had cloudy cans of Epiphany in the past. The last two releases from them have been crystal clear so I don't know if they changed their recipe or what? Mine could very well clear out with more time in the keg also (and I have a bit of hop debris floating around still, that will clear also)... time will tell.

I didn't hit the FG that I wanted... Only got down to about 1.012 (started at 1.070). I'm not real sure what happened there, but that's what I got.

More importantly, the taste: To me this came out very similar as far as the hop flavors go. Mine is definitely a little dryer, a little sharper than the real thing. I didn't get the mouthfeel quite right, their's is definitely a little softer (perhaps more malty?) on the palate. Mine has a bit more of a bite to it that I don't necessarily consider a bad thing. My version seems a bit more towards a Bissell Brothers style... it definitely works, but there is surely something different in their grain bill that I'm missing and I would like to figure out what they're doing.

The aroma is pretty much identical, although mine is a bit more pronounced. I may have over done it a little on the late/dry hop additions, but it will probably fade as it ages and be a dead ringer.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with how this brew came out. I have ten gallons of it and that makes me a very happy man :mug: I am still interested in trying to tweak this some more and see how close we can get. Please help me with anything you see that could be potential problems and feel free to critique anything you see here. Also, please share if you're attempting this one.

Here's the details of what I did:

10 gallon batch (11.5-12 gallons into fermenters) BIAB full volume mash no sparge

Overall Water:
Ca+2 = 135.8
Mg+2 = 5.0
Na+ = 51.0
Cl- = 90
SO4-2 = 223.1
mash pH = 5.43

Grain Bill:
11.5 lbs 2-row
11.5 lbs Pilsner
2.5 lbs Golden Naked Oats
0.75 lbs Acid Malt
2 lbs. Dextrose

Mashed at 152

2 oz columbus FWH

Flameout:
2 oz Cascade

@200 degrees F:
2 oz Ella
2 oz Mosaic
3 oz Citra

@150 degrees F:
3 oz Ella
3 oz Mosaic
6 oz Citra

("slow chilled" allowed to cool on it's own overnight.)

Dry Hop #1 at slow ferment(per 5 gal):
0.7oz Ella
1 oz Mosaic
1.7 oz Citra

Dry Hop #2 few days before keg(per 5 gal):
0.7 oz Ella
1 oz Mosaic
1.7 oz Citra

(these dry hop amounts were based on what I had left out of the bags, split evenly)

Edit: London III Yeast

Epiphany.jpg
 
Is this an all grain recipe? I have no desire to brew all grain. Is there a way to brew this with an extract recipe?
 
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