Recipe opinions... Troegs Mad Elf

[J187]

What do you guys think of this?:

I've never done such a high gravity extract - should I lessen my boil volume? I normally boil about 3 gals in my 5 gal kettle... should I do 2.5 gals to have more working room? Also, would you guys split the extract and do half of it late?


Mad Elf Clone
American Amber Ale
Type: Extract Date: 9/24/2012
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal Brewer: Tibeerio Brewing Co.
Boil Size: 2.82 gal
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Pot ( 3 Gal/11.4 L) - Extract
End of Boil Volume 2.60


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU

Extract: 4 lbs Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 4 28.6 %
Extract: 6 lbs 9.6 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 5 47.2 %

Steeping: 1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 1 7.2 %
Steeping: 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 1.8 %
Steeping: 2.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 0.9 %

Bittering: 2.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 9.9 IBUs
Aroma : 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 2.2 IBUs

Addition: 2 lbs Honey - clover (1.0 SRM) Sugar 8 14.3 % - Boil 10 Min

In secondary: 2.5 lbs of sweet cherries and 2.5 lbs of sour cherries


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.098 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.6 %
Bitterness: 12.1 IBUs
Est Color: 14.0 SRM

 

[Ayoder82]

Did you brew this yet? If so how did it turn out? Mad elf is one of the best beers out there.

 

[joyceman]

I brewed a similar recipe last weekend, just a lower OG. Mine used 8lbs pale LME, 2 pounds of Munich & Pilsen mini mashed, 1/4 pound of choc, 2 pounds of honey, Hallertau (bittering), Saaz (aroma). I added the honey after the boil and dropped in two cinnamon sticks. I used a 1L starter of a Belgian yeast with a tolerance of 11% sitting at high 60s. Fermentation took off on day one. Recipe is here...http://hopville.com/recipe/1651317

Ive read this takes a while to age out nicely and Im worried that i might not be ready by xmas. Im really looking forward to this one and considering cellering a case for next year.

I did a full boil. I imagine color is a big issue with this beer and your want to keep it as light as light as possible for the cherry addition to get that ruby red color. Hop utilization is not a big deal with a beer like this, plus you have a good amount of bitering at 2 oz. Id go late addition on this one just because of the color.

 

[J187]

Did you brew this yet? If so how did it turn out? Mad elf is one of the best beers out there.

I have not yet. I am looking for feedback before firing it up.

I brewed a similar recipe last weekend, just a lower OG. Mine used 8lbs pale LME, 2 pounds of Munich & Pilsen mini mashed, 1/4 pound of choc, 2 pounds of honey, Hallertau (bittering), Saaz (aroma). I added the honey after the boil and dropped in two cinnamon sticks. I used a 1L starter of a Belgian yeast with a tolerance of 11% sitting at high 60s. Fermentation took off on day one. Recipe is here...http://hopville.com/recipe/1651317

Ive read this takes a while to age out nicely and Im worried that i might not be ready by xmas. Im really looking forward to this one and considering cellering a case for next year.

I did a full boil. I imagine color is a big issue with this beer and your want to keep it as light as light as possible for the cherry addition to get that ruby red color. Hop utilization is not a big deal with a beer like this, plus you have a good amount of bitering at 2 oz. Id go late addition on this one just because of the color.

Well, my 2oz is for a 3 gal boil. If you bitter with 1oz Hallertauer in a full boil and I bitter with 2oz in a 3 gallon boil, I'll believe you'll actually end up about 4 IBU higher than me.

 

[teachtim]

I brewed one last year. This is the link. It definitely got better as it aged. I have 12 left I'm saving for the this year.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/now-what-my-mad-elf-clone-281162/

 

[joyceman]

Teachtim:

any feel on the best aging time for this recipe? ive read its at its best at 6-12 months.

 

[Xantus954]

I love Mad elf but man is it expensive up here, almost 100 bucks a case.

What yeast do you plan on using? I was going to pickup a holiday ale kit this weekend, but brewing a mad elf clone sounds like a much better idea.

 

[J187]

Yeast will be Belgian Strong wyeast

 

[joyceman]

you brew this yet J187?

mines been in the fermenter for coming up on two weeks. had a blowout early on. thinking another 10-15 days before I rack on the cherries. i want to have these in bottles for a solid 2 months before xmas. fyi cherries are expensive as hell this time of year.

 

[Xantus954]

Joyceman,

I'm in Pittsburgh to. Were you able to find the sour cherries? If so where?

 

[joyceman]

I went to The Giant Eagle Market District in Wexford. The MD brand has both tart (which I interpret as sour) and sweet. Cost is 5.99 for 12 oz bag. They did not have alot of stock in either variety.

I wanted to edit to add that the local Targets have 12 oz bags of sweet cherries for 3.59. I visited 2 and neither carried tart or sour cherries.

 

[Xantus954]

Yeah I checked at Shop and Save in Mt Washington and they only had sweet cherries. I figured the tart/sour ones might be a little harder to find.

 

[joyceman]

If youre on the Mount drop down to the Strip tomorrow morning. You can find almost anything there.

I used to live next to Cestones, god I miss the Mount.

 

[Xantus954]

That's funny I live right down the street from Cestones not even a block. Just moved here a few months ago but I do like it much better than the South Side.

 

[J187]

I got my sours in WholeFoods in the pie section. IN a can. I like it in the can....

 

[UnderThePorchBrewing]

Live 10 mins from the brewery and have been a big fan. Lately though, I think I'm burned out on it. Recent thoughts are that it tastes too syrupy to me and the yeast character is overpowering.

But the Elf has served me well over the years... Here's a clone I made a few years back... Remarkably close!

15 lbs. Belgian Pils info
1 lbs. German Light Munich info
.125 lbs. Belgian Chocolate Malt info
3 lbs. Honey info
.5 oz. Saaz (Pellets, 5.00 %AA) boiled 60 min. info
.25 oz. Saaz (Pellets, 5.00 %AA) boiled 30 min. info
.5 oz. Hallertau (Whole, 4.50 %AA) boiled 10 min. info
5 lb. Cherries (fresh) (Bought these Bings in summer and froze. Thawed, pitted, and added to 2ndary.) (not included in calculations)
Yeast : White Labs WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale info

this recipe from another thread here is what i brewed in august have not tasted it yet as I wanted it to age.
looking forward to hear your results

 

[joyceman]

Anyone have any insight on how long to leave ir racked on the cherries? I was thinking about a week or until gravity was stable again. Id like to have this in bottles by 10/25.

 

[Xantus954]

I'd go for 2 weeks minimum, maybe 4 to make sure the cherries have given everything they got. Don't have a ton of experience with fruits in beers though.

I'm hitting up the LHBS for the ingredients to this one next week. Let us know how this one comes out. I'll update the thread when I get my batch going as well. Since i've read that this one can take 6 months to hit its peak, I'm going to a xmas ale going so I can have it ready for in time for xmas.

 

[UnderThePorchBrewing]

in another thread I was told a month. I let it go four weeks. the cherries I used where darker so the color is not bright red the cherry flavor is mild. bright red sour cherries woild be more toward reg mad elf then what mine turned out. mine is softer and more mellow. something I can drink more routinely

 

[Xantus954]

My LHBS store doesn't seem to carry Pale LME. Is there something else that I can use that will keep it similiar to the original recipe posted here?

 

[joyceman]

I'm sure light or extra light will work fine

 

[DocScott]

I made an all grain version of this a few weeks back (sorry, I know - extract brewing section) and I'm about ready to rack on the cherries in secondary. Only cherries I'm able to find this time of year are those in a can. I've read that blending them in sanitized blender is the best way to extract the most flavor. Anyone comment on the success of this method? Or an alternate way method that would be better?

 

[joyceman]

I was planning bottling mine sometime this week. I used a wine theif to check my color and was disappointed to see a reddish brown color, after almost three weeks on the cherries. I would like to give it another 2-3 weeks on the cherries, but I really want a solid 6 weeks in bottles prior to xmas.

DocScott - Sorry, no advice on the canned cherries other than ive heard you should avoid the pie filling cherries with the syrup. Theres alot of high fructose corn syrup in them which can mess up your expected results.

 

[joyceman]

I opened one last night to see if if this batch is going to be ready for christmas. My initial reaction was that it needs more time to age. The alcohol taste is strong. The cherries really come through, if it werent for the alcohol burn I would say they were almost overpowering. The cinnamon is undetectable and the honey is there but way in the background. I might consider using a couple of ounces of honey malt if I do this next year.

All that being said, I do like it. Its just that I think that this batch is way to young to get a good read. I think that in 6 -12 months in bottle this might be great. Im taking one case and leaving it in the basement to age till next christmas. Ill drink and share out the other case this year and try to get some other opinions.