American Pale Ale Kona, Fire Rock Pale Ale (AG Clone)

[BierMuncher]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Kolsch

Yeast Starter

Slurry

Batch Size (Gallons)

11.25

Original Gravity

1.053

Final Gravity

1.014

Boiling Time (Minutes)

90

IBU

35.2

Color

6.7

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 at 68 degrees

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

Straigh to keg

Additional Fermentation

Cold conditioned for 10 days

I’m not one to pat myself on the back but this is one spot-on clone of Kona’s Fire Rock Pale Ale.

As APA’s go, it’s still malty enough to really stand out as a very flavorful beer without overdoing the bitterness. I substituted Centennial for the Galena and dry hopped this batch with 1/2 Oz of Centennial for 7 days. That really gave it a nice “Whoosh” I was looking for.

This is maltier and more robust in flavor than SNPA in my opinion. If you love the hop flavor / aroma without the high bitterness, this is perfect.

Anyway, whether you like or don’t like Kona Pale Ale, this clone will get you dangerously close.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 14.40 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 6.7 SRM

Estimated IBU: 35.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount
18.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Centennial [9.50%] (60 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (40 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (30 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (10 min)
0.50 oz Mt Hood [3.70%] (5 min)

1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) Yeast-Ale

Dry hop with ½ Oz of Centennial per 5-gallons for 5-7 days.

Mashed at 154.

Primary for two weeks then straight to keg.
Cold conditioned keg (in garage) for 10 days, then to gas
Crystal clear right out of the tap.



Extract With Steeping Grains

11.5# Extra Light DME
2.5# Amber Liquid Extract
1.75# Caramel/Crystal #20 for steeping

1.00 oz Centennial [9.50%] (60 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (40 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (30 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (10 min)
0.50 oz Mt Hood [3.70%] (5 min)

 

[WortMonger]

I had a Kona while in Oahu a couple years back. Very tasty beverage. i am going to have to try this one Biermuncher.

 

[Pirate Ale]

I’m not one to pat myself on the back but this is one spot-on clone of Kona’s Fire Rock Pale Ale.

As APA’s go, it’s still malty enough to really stand out as a very flavorful beer without overdoing the bitterness. I substituted Centennial for the Galena and dry hopped this batch with 1/2 Oz of Centennial for 7 days. That really gave it a nice “Whoosh” I was looking for.

This is maltier and more robust in flavor than SNPA in my opinion. If you love the hop flavor / aroma without the high bitterness, this is perfect.

Anyway, where you like or don’t like Kona Pale Ale, this clone will get you dangerously close.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 14.40 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 6.7 SRM
View attachment 4170
Estimated IBU: 35.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount
18.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)
2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
1.00 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Centennial [9.50%] (60 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (40 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (30 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.50 oz Cascade [7.80%] (10 min)
0.50 oz Mt Hood [3.70%] (5 min)

1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) Yeast-Ale

Dry hop with ½ Oz of Centennial per 5-gallons for 5-7 days.

Mashed at 154.

Primary for two weeks then straight to keg.
Cold conditioned keg (in garage) for 10 days, then to gas
Crystal clear right out of the tap.

View attachment 4171

Why the Kolsch yeast? how would it work with a s-04 or us56 ...is it for the extra maltiness?

 

[BierMuncher]

Why the Kolsch yeast? how would it work with a s-04 or us56 ...is it for the extra maltiness?

I happenned to have a yeast slurry from a local micro and that's what I had on hand. Generally, I'd like an -04 yeast...something that attenuates less and leaves a maltier profile. Especially since I tend to back off on the grain bill.

 

[BierMuncher]

If it's any indication, all 10-gallons of this beer are now gone.

Brewed on December 27th.
Kegged on January 11th.
Tapped on January 20th.
Floated on February 13th.

Talk about drinkability.

Thankfully I bottled off a 12-pack.

This beer had the smoothest, chewiest taste and a rocky head that wouldn't go away.

I know what I'm doing next weekend.

 

[ohiodad]

Wow that looks so tasty Biermuncher I'm going to brew a 5.5 gallon batch of this up this weekend. Even using kolsch yeast just like you did... Can't wait to give this one a try!

One question? Do you use pellet hops? Cause when I put this into beersmith with whole hops I come up with 26.2 IBU.

 

[ohiodad]

Wow that looks so tasty Biermuncher I'm going to brew a 5.5 gallon batch of this up this weekend. Even using kolsch yeast just like you did... Can't wait to give this one a try!

One question? Do you use pellet hops? Cause when I put this into beersmith with whole hops I come up with 26.2 IBU.

Hmm I think it is because in beersmith I have cascades at 5.5 alpha and you have them at 7.80. I really don't know the true alpha of my cascades. I forgot to look at the package when I got them from hopsdirect...

 

[that_ry_guy]

BierMuncher, thanks for this recipe. I have been looking all over for a good clone of this! I brewed it up yesterday. I even tried to use the Kolsch yeast but the homebrewing store was out so I settled for WY1056. Brew session went great and I can't wait to crack one of these in a few weeks. Firerock is one of my favourite beers and I am hoping that every sip brings me back to my vacation in Hawaii. Enjoying a great beer in an old plastic cup while soaking in a lava rock hot tub thinking about the golf round that was! Again, thanks for posting your recipe!

 

[BierMuncher]

BierMuncher, thanks for this recipe. I have been looking all over for a good clone of this! I brewed it up yesterday. I even tried to use the Kolsch yeast but the homebrewing store was out so I settled for WY1056. Brew session went great and I can't wait to crack one of these in a few weeks. Firerock is one of my favourite beers and I am hoping that every sip brings me back to my vacation in Hawaii. Enjoying a great beer in an old plastic cup while soaking in a lava rock hot tub thinking about the golf round that was! Again, thanks for posting your recipe!

It's a house favorite around here now.

I hope it turns out well.

 

[WortMonger]

It is already on my grain bill for my next HBS visit. Damn you BierMuncher , now I am wishing I didn't have my first lager planned this weekend, so I could fill my fermenter next weekend with Fire Rock. Oh well, I don't know why some recipes just consume me and others I walk away from eventually before trying. This one is a definite though for the same reason as before mentioned. I loved my trip to Hawaii. I've been following this since you posted and drooling with the pics. Now I have this and EdWort's haus to brew. Great thing is I will be drinking them before these silly lagers I have planned are ready. Again, thanks for the recipe.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Kona makes a chocolate coconut porter....I had it a few weeks ago in Hawaii. Very interesting...like drinking candy...anywho, I racked a choco-coco stout about 10 minutes ago onto 14 oz of roasted (sweetened) coconut...the chocolate grain (1 lb) is coming through quite heavily.

A couple of weeks on the coconut should prove interesting. I really liked this brew.

 

[WortMonger]

That does sound interesting homebrewer 99. That sounds like a beer I would give as gifts in my house.

 

[wehumble]

You might be thinking of Maui Brewing Company for the Coconut Porter. It's like a chocolate-coconut-coffee smoothie. I just got back from Kauai and brought a sixer in my suitcase. Awesome beer. They make a damn fine IPA as well.

 

[shildebr]

Tried this recipe, its almost a dead ringer! The only difference is that Kona's is hazy, mine is not. (and from what I see in your picture, yours too)

 

[BierMuncher]

Tried this recipe, its almost a dead ringer! The only difference is that Kona's is hazy, mine is not. (and from what I see in your picture, yours too)

Yep. Some co-workers and I went to a local pub and had some off the tap there. That Friday, I brought in 2 bottled version for them to enjoy over the weekend and they raved about the similarity.

 

[Ale to the Chief]

Would anyone be able to convert this to a partial mash recipe for me? I am ready to try my first PM and this sounds like something I would really like.

 

[BierMuncher]

Would anyone be able to convert this to a partial mash recipe for me? I am ready to try my first PM and this sounds like something I would really like.

This should get you close

4.5# Extra Light DME
2# Marris Otter
1.5# Munich
.75# Honey Malt

.50 Oz Centennial (60)
.25 Oz Cascade (40)
.25 Oz Cascade (30)
.25 Oz Cascade (20)
.25 Oz Cascade (10)
.25 Oz Mt Hood or Hallertau (5)

Dry hop secondary with .5 Oz Centennial for 7 days.

 

[AnonyBrew]

I'm bottling this today. My first ever dry hop. I used a 1 gallon paint strainer bag & a few marbles to help filter out.

 

[Displaced MassHole]

Just finished brewing this one, minus the mt hood hops which i couldnt get. Im a lil hammered so i apologize for the wording. I't looks like its gonna be a good one. I'll post my resuslts when i sover up a lilttle.

 

[AnonyBrew]

The results are in. This recipe is completely awesome! I think it tastes better than the original.

Tasted the first bottle on Friday and it's the best beer I've made to date. I followed the recipe exactly and can see this being my first 10g batch in the near future.

Kudos to BM on a fantastic recipe.

 

[homebrewer_99]

You might be thinking of Maui Brewing Company for the Coconut Porter. It's like a chocolate-coconut-coffee smoothie. I just got back from Kauai and brought a sixer in my suitcase. Awesome beer. They make a damn fine IPA as well.

You're probably right...it was on one of those danged islands...

 

[Alamo_Beer]

I've been wanting to brew this since you posted this.......now I have CAN'T WAIT! That 6er I bought was the fastest I've EVER been through

 

[Donner]

Would anyone be able to convert this to a partial mash recipe for me? I am ready to try my first PM and this sounds like something I would really like.

How did this partial mash turn out Ale to the Chief?

 

[BierMuncher]

I've been wanting to brew this since you posted this.......now I have CAN'T WAIT! That 6er I bought was the fastest I've EVER been through

The results are in. This recipe is completely awesome! I think it tastes better than the original.

Tasted the first bottle on Friday and it's the best beer I've made to date. I followed the recipe exactly and can see this being my first 10g batch in the near future.

Kudos to BM on a fantastic recipe.

Glad it turned out well. I just floated my last keg two nights ago and I've been too busy to brew much besides house ales lately.

I gotta get me some Kona going again...

 

[Saccharomyces]

Tried Soper's yesterday.. *MY GAWD* that's a FINE beer. Gotta do this one. Gotta gotta.

 

[Donner]

I finally was able to try the real thing and it makes me want to give this a shot. I want to start doing PMs, but i do have a question. I'm not really set up yet to do cold conditioning, unless i take over the extra fridge entirely. Would i be better served to wait until it gets cold outside to try to make this beer so that i can condition in the garage, or will i be okay just giving it a shot?

I should also ask Biermuncher, how many gallons does the PM recipe you suggested yield? Again, i'm not really set up for anything over 5 gallons right now and i am just trying to get all my facts before deciding between this beer and another.

 

[BierMuncher]

I finally was able to try the real thing and it makes me want to give this a shot. I want to start doing PMs, but i do have a question. I'm not really set up yet to do cold conditioning, unless i take over the extra fridge entirely. Would i be better served to wait until it gets cold outside to try to make this beer so that i can condition in the garage, or will i be okay just giving it a shot?

I should also ask Biermuncher, how many gallons does the PM recipe you suggested yield? Again, i'm not really set up for anything over 5 gallons right now and i am just trying to get all my facts before deciding between this beer and another.

That's for a five gallon batch.

If you can wrap a wet t-shirt around your carboy to keep the fermentation temps at around 67 degrees...you should be fine.

The cold conditioning (45ish degrees) is a luxury for any beer. But not being able to do that should not stop you. I wouldn't hesitate. :rockin:

 

[AnonyBrew]

I fermented mine around 68F and never cold conditioned it...turned out awesome.

I finally was able to try the real thing and it makes me want to give this a shot. I want to start doing PMs, but i do have a question. I'm not really set up yet to do cold conditioning, unless i take over the extra fridge entirely. Would i be better served to wait until it gets cold outside to try to make this beer so that i can condition in the garage, or will i be okay just giving it a shot?

I should also ask Biermuncher, how many gallons does the PM recipe you suggested yield? Again, i'm not really set up for anything over 5 gallons right now and i am just trying to get all my facts before deciding between this beer and another.

 

[Donner]

Okay, so i have a couple more questions and i hope no one minds. I didn't realize until just got back to mississippi from my trip to my home brew store (in Tulsa, okla.) that the cascade hops they handed me were from Argentina and have a much lower AA (3.2%).

A quick search turned up a little information about this variety, but the differences are well beyond my limited brewing experience. My question is, should i adjust the recipe or try to order the variety suggested in the recipe from someone online?

Second, i've been reading the BYO article about doing a PM with late addition and am curious about the process and was hoping that someone with some experience with this method could give me a hand putting together a rough brew schedule for this recipe using this method. I don't have the capacity yet to do the full boil so i want to make sure i add the hops at the right time and extract at the proper moments so that my brew comes out close to the recipe.

4.5# Extra Light DME
2# Marris Otter
1.5# Munich
.75# Honey Malt

.50 Oz Centennial (60)
.25 Oz Cascade (40)
.25 Oz Cascade (30)
.25 Oz Cascade (20)
.25 Oz Cascade (10)
.25 Oz Mt Hood or Hallertau (5)

Dry hop secondary with .5 Oz Centennial for 7 days.

These are the ingredients i purchased for this recipe as per Biermuncher's suggestion.

If anyone can help, i'd really appreciate it. If this belongs in another forum, my bad, just let me know and i'll post it there.

 

[BierMuncher]

...If this belongs in another forum, my bad, just let me know and i'll post it there.

This is the right forum.

If you have the patience and can get them...I'd go for the American Cascade. The flavor is distinctly different. You'd have a good beer, but not a Kona clone. I think if you take the tough route and wait for the right hops...months from now when you're still enjoying this beer...you'll be glad you did.

 

[Donner]

If you have the patience and can get them...I'd go for the American Cascade. The flavor is distinctly different. You'd have a good beer, but not a Kona clone. I think if you take the tough route and wait for the right hops...months from now when you're still enjoying this beer...you'll be glad you did.

I'll probably see what i can find online then. I still have to make my MLT anyway, so i can afford to be patient. I am still new enough to all of this that i'd rather take some time, do it right and get some firm experience before i go experiment with different ingredients.

Also, i meant to ask, for your suggested hop/schedule, were you referring to pellet hops or whole leaf? I assume it makes a difference, but i just thought of the question and i haven't done the proper research to answer the question yet.

 

[BierMuncher]

...Also, i meant to ask, for your suggested hop/schedule, were you referring to pellet hops or whole leaf? I assume it makes a difference, but i just thought of the question and i haven't done the proper research to answer the question yet.

I prefer pellets. The sludge is easier to wash down the shop sink when I'm done.

 

[Aubie Stout]

What does the late addition of Mnt Hood bring to this party? I love Kona and this is probably my next brew. Figure to FWH some of those Cascade, but everything else leave the same.


Thanks,

 

[BierMuncher]

What does the late addition of Mnt Hood bring to this party?

Just a little complexity. I liked the slight grassy notes of a low alpha late addition. Kind gets away from the all-citrus blends.

 

[Aubie Stout]

I got an ounce of Willamette lying around. I'll make an addition @ 5mins with it. Brewing tomorrow!

 

[Displaced MassHole]

This was by far my best brew since starting 4 years ago!! One question though, BM, what would using regular 2-row (rahr) do to this. Its much cheaper than the MO, I'd like to get the same flavor as before but for a little less cash.

 

[Aubie Stout]

PS: I have wlp002 lying around along with some s-04 and s-05. I've done pale ales with wlp001 and they are too dry for me. I was leaning toward the wlp002. Will that fit well?

 

[DylansDad]

Scratch that last comment. Oak Barrell had the hops.

I'm looking forward to making this.

 

[BierMuncher]

This was by far my best brew since starting 4 years ago!! One question though, BM, what would using regular 2-row (rahr) do to this. Its much cheaper than the MO, I'd like to get the same flavor as before but for a little less cash.

I've made this before using Rahr. No detectable difference.

The grain bill is just big enough and the hops additions flavorful enough to make any difference in flavor (if there really were any).

 

[Aubie Stout]

Also have wlp051. Maybe I need to try that!