Merry Monks Clone (ANYBODY?)

[balazs]

I've been searching on the web and on the HBT site and can't find a Weyerbacher Merry Monks clone or even a starting point anywhere. I feel it is probably the best tasting American made Belgian Golden I've had yet and would really like to try brewing it. Anybody know anything about the recipe? I actually don't even hear to much about Weyerbacher around here in the first place so don't know if I am chasing a ghost. Something about the flavor profile of this beer though that is just so freaking good. ANYBODY?????

 

[smokinghole]

It'll be tough to find a bunch of people that drank the beer. As you probably know Weyerbacher is a pretty small brewery. I only live two hours away and most of the distributors don't carry their beers. If they do it's one or two kinds. The distributor I frequent carries all their stuff though. Hmm I feel a tour in the future. The wife really wants to check the brewery out too.

You might try and email them I do believe they started out as homebrewers so they might give you some hints.

 

[Barc]

Just tried one.

I'd start with a tripel, add a couple of lbs or so of wheat malt, but probably not over about 4 lbs max (if you're looking to clone it, start low and work up), and culture the yeast from the bottle as that's where the majority of the character is coming from (a little banana, some pepper notes, some fruity esters). The alcohol was noticeable and I think the plain sugar is upwards of a golden strong type of beer so far as content, or else they don't let it lager for a period to smooth it out. I really think this beer would benefit to a period of time during fermentation where it is fermented cooler then warmed up slightly to ensure it is "finished," then lagered cold.

Just off the top of my head...

For 5.5 gallons:

13 lb Pils Malt
2 lb Wheat Malt
3+ lb sugar (Cane sugar should be fine)

You can add the sugar after the fermentation kicks off or at the end of the boil. Either would probably work.

Hops are subdued in flavor so I'd probably just use Northern Brewer for bittering and then a Mt. Hood, Styrian Goldings, or something similar at 15 mins (it has an earthy note I can't really pin down that may be from the hops or from the yeast so I'd have to have more of the beer to really determine what I was tasting). I wouldn't go much over 35 IBU, if that, with the vast majority of it coming from the bittering addition. The bitterness is noticeable.

If you can't get the yeast to culture from the bottle, WLP500 or similar would work but I don't think this is the yeast that is used. You may want to do a little research as to what each Belgian strain brings to the party and go from there. The yeast is quite important to the overall beer; flavor and aroma are very much from the yeast in this beer.

Don't know if that helps or is all that close but, from what I just tasted, it should be a good start.

Good luck and report back on what you find.

 

[TwoWheeler]

Just tried one.
Just off the top of my head...

For 5.5 gallons:

13 lb Pils Malt
2 lb Wheat Malt
3+ lb sugar (Cane sugar should be fine)

You can add the sugar after the fermentation kicks off or at the end of the boil. Either would probably work.

Hops are subdued in flavor so I'd probably just use Northern Brewer for bittering and then a Mt. Hood, Styrian Goldings, or something similar at 15 mins (it has an earthy note I can't really pin down that may be from the hops or from the yeast so I'd have to have more of the beer to really determine what I was tasting). I wouldn't go much over 35 IBU, if that, with the vast majority of it coming from the bittering addition. The bitterness is noticeable.

If you can't get the yeast to culture from the bottle, WLP500 or similar would work but I don't think this is the yeast that is used. You may want to do a little research as to what each Belgian strain brings to the party and go from there. The yeast is quite important to the overall beer; flavor and aroma are very much from the yeast in this beer.

.

Well, I'm not the OP, but I too am trying to clone MM as my "house" beer.

I tried something very similar to what you posted:

• 13.5 Lbs Belgian Pilsner
• 2lbs. Candi sugar,
• Saaz hops (1 oz @60, .5 oz at 15 and 5 min) and
• Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes.

Came out pretty lame. I ended up trying to "oak" it, just to give it SOME character. I'm inclined to agree that much of the character comes from the yeast. What does the wheat malt bring to the party? ( I ask because I thought maybe I should add at least a LITTLE specialty grain next time).

I think I'm going to try smaller batches until I get it right - sucks being stuck with five gallons of "bratwurst boiling beer"....

 

[Barc]

Bringing things back from the dead.

 

[Ramitt]

Bringing things back from the dead.

 

[MrOH]

Ok, so just toured the brewery on Saturday, and have this to report....

Didn't want to be the smartass of the tour and ask tons of geeky questions, so I don't know about percentages, yeast strain, or hops, but they only "base" malt sacks I saw lying around were Weyermann Vienna and Munich (didn't pay attention enough to see if I or II), and Munton's Pale Ale. My guess is that they use Munton's pale ale as their base malt, and then Vienna and Munich as needed to fill it out before using specialty malts (didn't want to start climbing around too much, but did see a sack of Gambrinus honey malt in there, as well as some Weyermann's Carafa in there, not that it applies to the topic).

 

[TwoWheeler]

Bringing things back from the dead.

So if I don't use the "search" function, I get flamed, but if I DO, I get flamed for thread dredging?

 

[TwoWheeler]

Didn't want to be the smartass of the tour and ask tons of geeky questions,

Aw c'mon, you should have taken one for the team!

(Actually, I live near Saranac, Middle Ages and Ommegang, and have asked a bunch of questions on their tours...and the tour guides always seemed happy to answer - sometimes, I think they're pleasantly surprised to have people on the tour who aren't just there for the tasting portion )

Some brewers are pretty forthcoming with their recipes, some give vague hints...

 

[Barc]

So if I don't use the "search" function, I get flamed, but if I DO, I get flamed for thread dredging?

That wasn't a flame, that was an observation.

Yet another reason I don't post here anymore...

 

[mjwitz]

Simple recipe: Wyeast 1214 and pilsner malt is all that is in this beer. No cyrstal malt at all. Cheers, CW

No info on hops

 

[chichum]

TTT - has anyone nailed down a good clone of this? I had this at a beerfest and damn, I spent 20 minutes sitting there refilling.

 

[irishrover32]

anybody got an update on this is any kind of sugar or candy used in this beer, wat kind of gravitys are we talking?? this beer is amazing would love to recreate it

 

[Bob]

80% Weyermann Pils
20% clear invert syrup

~1.075 OG

Single-infusion mash 150F

About 20IBU Saazer with a hint to finish

Trappist High Gravity at 72F

Bottle conditioned to 4 volumes

That's from memory, from when I brewed there many many moons ago. They may have changed things since.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[gifty74]

When in doubt, email the brewers. I was planning to brew a clone this weekend too and emailed them Wed. They replied in the nick of time this morning with all the details of the recipe in what appears to be a document straight from their files. Great guys there. The picture they sent me is attached. I put it into Beersmith and scaled it for my 5.5 gal batch size.

 

[irishrover32]

wow thats really cool of them. i made mine three weeks its still in the fermentor gonna bottle next week. i went a bit heavy with the saaz and got 25 ibu's but no biggie. iv tasted and smelled it and its amazing. cant say how close it is to merry monks as its been a long time since i had it and the beer isn done but it tastes amazing and thats what matters. i used belgian candi sugar instead of sucrose

 

[Poobah58]

Gifty74...Thanks for your efforts! My wife loves this stuff...

 

[ChefRex]

When in doubt, email the brewers. I was planning to brew a clone this weekend too and emailed them Wed. They replied in the nick of time this morning with all the details of the recipe in what appears to be a document straight from their files. Great guys there. The picture they sent me is attached. I put it into Beersmith and scaled it for my 5.5 gal batch size.

Could you post your scaled down version? Thanks.

 

[gifty74]

Recipe: Merry Monks prod clone
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.48 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.98 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.084 SG
Estimated Color: 4.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 71.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 89.6 %
1.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 2 23.1 IBUs
0.23 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 3 0.0 IBUs
1 lbs 12.0 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4 10.4 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 16 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 5.25 gal of water at 162.4 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.13 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:

 

[chichum]

Wow, they must have liked you better. I emailed them a while back and the sales rep responded saying sure and he CC'ed the brewmaster - I never got a response. Good work!

Did they give you a fermenting schedule?

When in doubt, email the brewers. I was planning to brew a clone this weekend too and emailed them Wed. They replied in the nick of time this morning with all the details of the recipe in what appears to be a document straight from their files. Great guys there. The picture they sent me is attached. I put it into Beersmith and scaled it for my 5.5 gal batch size.

 

[ChefRex]

Recipe: Merry Monks prod clone
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.48 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.98 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.084 SG
Estimated Color: 4.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 71.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 89.6 %
1.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 2 23.1 IBUs
0.23 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 3 0.0 IBUs
1 lbs 12.0 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4 10.4 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 16 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 5.25 gal of water at 162.4 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.13 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:

Thank you sir.

 

[gifty74]

Wow, they must have liked you better. I emailed them a while back and the sales rep responded saying sure and he CC'ed the brewmaster - I never got a response. Good work!

Did they give you a fermenting schedule?

Yes. If you take a look at the document they sent it says to pitch (with minimal to no O2) and hold at 70 for 4 days. Then free rise to 75 for a few days until it reaches terminal gravity at 3.0P (1.012). Cold crash. Mine is kicking good at day 2 now. Had to drop the chest freezer to 64 to keep the carboy temp at 70.

 

[irishrover32]

brewed this about 3 months ago, this is my first bottle and WOW its amazing this is also my first AG brew and im really proud of it, it turned out at 8% its got a fantastic fruity smell and taste. not sure how close it is to MM cause i live in Ireland and cant get it and the last time i had it i was pretty gonzo so cant remember.

 

[gifty74]

Drinking mine tonight too. Yours is just a little more dark/orange than mine, but pretty close. I get a very distinct sulfur smell from the yeast as soon as I tap I. It slowly fades as the glass empties. Mine is a good beer, but not very close to merry monks. Can't put my finger on it, but part of it might be my use of German Pils vs Belgian.

 

[chikincoop]

Soooo. I was having an awesome day brewing this recipe from gifty's notes from the brewer (thanks man). I even overshot my efficiency and got "bonus beer", when i went to chill and heard a "crack, wooosh" sound. Well my hose cracked, which caused me to loose my balance (in shock) and dump my mlt with 15# of spent onto my floor. Soooo, i had to let it slowly chill while cleaning the grain from EVERYWHERE! Dont know how bitter its going to end up now from the not-so-late hop addition, but still looks promising! Its still bubbling hard after 4 days of underpitched yeast (per recipe).

 

[gifty74]

Haven't actually done that yet, but I did brew this again last weekend. I made some tweaks based off more feedback from the brewer at Weyerbacher. Most of it centered around the yeast, and why I wasn't getting quite the same flavors as what's in Monks. I raised the fermentation temperature just a bit, and pitched a little more yeast. Last time I held the chest freezer at 64F, to try and keep peak fermentation temps below 70, but this time I put the carboy upstairs where the temp is around 68-70 and let it free rise per his instructions. I hope to get a little more spicey flavor, and less fruity. My first attempt wasn't bad, but not really Monks. I'll update when this next batch is sampled carbonated.

 

[chikincoop]

My batch is also at a room temp of 68 and self rising. The 70 in the instructions just seemed too low to me, and after reading your results, convinced me. Its still chugging away, so i havent sampled yet. I will post once i taste it. My yeast was at about 50% viability when i tossed it straight out of the smack pack. So it is def underpitched. I know it will be more bitter because of how long it took to cool, but im hoping everything else is in the ballpark. I'll prob take 1/3 and bourbon age it for a week or so.

 

[chikincoop]

well, it stalled at 1.03 (7%ABV). Going by beersmith, it needs to end around 1.012. Im going to try my best to get it going again, because the flavor profile is def in the ballpark, if not closer. I guess 50% viability w/ no starter was pushing it, but the yeast profile is dead on, even at 1.03.

 

[gifty74]

Hmm, odd. My second attempt just finished up at 1.012. About right on. Tastes a bit drier, but I'd think 030 is still a bit too high. Like you say, might as well try to get it going again.

 

[chikincoop]

Apparently, all the common sense and luck I have gained in my life has left me for this batch of beer. I used a refractometer I got for xmas for the first time ever and didnt know it cant measure FG. After going old school with the hyrdrometer, I'm at 1.012. Again, thanks for the brewers notes gifty, this is a keeper recipe.