Sorry to necro this thread, but I did a lot of digging on this. Here are my findings:
First source is this article:
Brews that built San Diego Beer which surprisely contains a photograph of the original Swami's 1992 recipe. This isn't the recipe we know today, but some of you may remember it. It's incredibly difficult to read, but after spending a good two hours, here is what I deciphered:
Row 1 | Row 1 Notes | Row 2 | Row 2 Notes |
? ???: 1 | I presume this is batch number. | Date Brewed: 10/14/92 | Not sure which date is which. Presumably one is the brew date. Thanks fuzzybee! |
Name: IPA | Looks like they didn't have a name yet. | Date Conditioned: 11/4 | |
2 Row ???: 575 | Hard to make out the last word, but "Pale" or "Malt" works here. | Date ???: | |
Crystal: 75 | This is likely 80L crystal malt (see below). | | |
Dextrin(?): 75 | This is likely Carapils (see below). | | |
Chocolate: | | | |
Other: | | | |
Strike Temp: 172 | | ??? Time: 45 min | Maybe someone can figure this one out? |
Mash Temp: 153 | | Time: 60 min | Presumably this is the mashing time. |
Sparge Temp: 167 | | Mash Volume: 240 | Likely gallons based on their system size. |
??? Volume: 300 g | I think the ??? is "Kettle" but I can't be sure. | | |
Hop 1: 3.75 # Galena | This one is clear... (# means lbs) | Add Time: At Boil | Boil time is likely 60 minutes. |
Hop 2: 2.75 ? Centennial | This one less so... | Add Time: 30 min | |
Hop 3: 3.?? Cascade | And this is nearly indecipherable. My best guess is 3.75 or 3.15 | Add Time: Whirlpool | |
Pitching Temp: 75 | | Oxygen: 13ml/min | Maybe someone can figure this one out? Thanks fuzzybee! |
| | Original Gravity: 1062 | |
In summary, the '92 Swami's Recipe is roughly:
OG: 1.062
FG: ~1.009 (7% ABV)
Mash: 153F for 60 min
79.3% 2-Row
10.3% Carapils
10.3% Crystal 80L
Rough IBU Range: 60 - 80
Galena @ 60 min
Centennial @ 30 min
Cascade @ Whirlpool
Now, this isn't the recipe most of you are probably familiar with. What's in the can today is quite different. We get some really valuable hints from this interview:
Riding the Party Wave — Pizza Port Brewing Company’s Swami’s IPA — Good Beer Hunting when the recipe was tweaked in 1997. Excerpt:
From this, we can sketch the following recipe of the '97 Swami's:
OG: 1.062
FG: ~1.009 (7% ABV)
Mash: 153F for 60 min
79.3% 2-Row
10.3% Carapils
10.3% Crystal 60L
Rough IBU Range: 60 - 80
Galena @ 60 min
Centennial @ 30 min
Cascade @ Whirlpool
Centennial @ Whirlpool
Lastly, we come to more subtle hints about the modern version. Excerpt:
From this, we know the following about the 2013 Swami's recipe:
OG: 1.060
FG: ~1.009 (6.8% ABV)
Mash: 149 - 151F for 60 min
88.5% 2-Row
11.5% Carapils
Rough IBU Range: 55 - 70
Chinook @ ? (my guess is 60 min)
CTZ @ ? (my guess is 60 min)
Simcoe @ ? (my guess is between 30 min and whirlpool)
Centennial @ ? (my guess is between 30 min and whirlpool, possibly both)
Cascade @ ? (my guess is between 30 min and whirlpool, possibly both)
My guesstimates for the hop schedule was aided by this interview:
Can You Brew It: Pizza Port Shark Bite Red - The Jamil Show 09-12-11 | The Brewing Network where the Pizza Port Shark Bite Red recipe was discussed in detail. There seems to be a theme where the head brewer liked whirlpooling both Cascade and Centennial.
When I find some time to brew these, I'll post my results. But until then, maybe someone else can try these out side-by-side with Swami's and provide feedback on a proper clone.