American Pale Ale Russian River Row 2 Hill 56 Clone

[ricardo]

Can I ask if you are using a specific water profile and also if you do a mash out?

 

[Jukas]

I rarely do a mash out a straight ale these days, cause lazy. I will do one if I'm expecting a thicker mash from a big beer, or am brewing a beer with wheat or oatmeal though. Since I live in Santa Rosa I'm lucky enough to share the same water profile that RRBC does. All I do to it is add some Campden tablets for the Chloramine and a little gypsum.

 

[ricardo]

Thanks for the reply,

I was lucky enough to try this beer on a trip to San Diego last year and am going to attempt your recipe this weekend

I live in Sydney and have very soft water so will need to make additions. I have so far managed to track down the water profile for RR Pliny the Elder which is

CA - 76
MG - 13
NA - 9
HC03 - 26
SO4 - 133
CL - 56

Would this be roughly what you use? The reason i ask is that i'm not sure if they would alter the profile per style

 

[Jukas]

Here is the latest published water quality report for the city of Santa Rosa so you can get a baseline of our water profile.

http://srcity.org/doclib/Documents/2012ConsumerConfidenceReport_Online.pdf

I remember Vinnie saying they pretty much just use the local SR water. A quick web search turned up this page http://www.brew-monkey.com/articles/interview.php?id=16 where you can find the following quote. Keep in mind this is dated back in 2007 so it's possible they've changed since then.

Do you adjust the water (use water modifiers) for the different styles or just go with the local water source? What is your water profile like?

We pretty much just use local water with the chlorine removed. I add gypsum to some of the hoppy beers.

 

[dishdoc]

Hi. I just joined and want to make this beer but I have a question about the dry hoping. Do you dry hop for 10 days @ 68F and then condition for 14 and just leave the hops in the whole time?
Thanks.

 

[kagythings]

Hi. I just joined and want to make this beer but I have a question about the dry hoping. Do you dry hop for 10 days @ 68F and then condition for 14 and just leave the hops in the whole time?
Thanks.

The first 10 days allows the yeast to work their magic and there is no addition of hops at this stage. After fermentation is complete you may dry hop according to what your plan is: keg or bottle. The quantity of hops and duration of dry hopping is stated in the original post for reference since it's a bit different between bottling and keging.

 

[Jukas]

Hi. I just joined and want to make this beer but I have a question about the dry hoping. Do you dry hop for 10 days @ 68F and then condition for 14 and just leave the hops in the whole time?
Thanks.

I dry hop in the keg, and leave them in until the keg kicks. If you plan on bottling that of course wouldn't be practical. In that case I personally would up the volume of the dry hop addition, but dry hop for no longer than 4-6 days. My own unscientific testing has shown that I much prefer a higher qty of hops for a much shorter time in a dry hop when doing so in primary, than a smaller quantity with a longer contact time.

 

[dishdoc]

Thanks for the reply, but I guess my question really should have been...When you dry hop in the keg for 10 days after fermenting for 10 days, do you do it at room temp or in the fridge while carbing/conditioning?

Thanks.
I'm making this right now!

 

[Jukas]

Thanks for the reply, but I guess my question really should have been...When you dry hop in the keg for 10 days after fermenting for 10 days, do you do it at room temp or in the fridge while carbing/conditioning?

Thanks.
I'm making this right now!

I toss the hop bag in the keg right before I rack the beer and the dry hop additions stay in the keg, at serving temps until the keg is empty. The ten days referenced in the original post was for the initial fermentation and to allow for the yeast to clean up after themselves.

 

[dishdoc]

So when you say dry hop 2 oz Simcoe 10 days, that means after the 10 day fermentation not dry hop for 10 days. I got it. Thanks

 

[Jukas]

So when you say dry hop 2 oz Simcoe 10 days, that means after the 10 day fermentation not dry hop for 10 days. I got it. Thanks

I've edited the original post to break dry hop into it's own section to remove any confusion.

 

[dishdoc]

I made this today and hit 1.057 OG. I gave it a 90 sec shot of O2 and a 1.5L starter of WL090 (because that's what I had). I'll use your recommended dry hop schedule in a secondary before crashing and kegging. Sample color was same as your picture. Can't wait! Thanks again for the help.

 

[bguzz]

I made this last week and was bummed because I relied on Brewmasterswarehouse crush...normally I crush my own, but accidentally left the 'crush' option on my order. oh well...I won't do that again. My efficiency sucked. So I came up short on my OG and added 1.5lbs of light DME to get my OG to 1.053. I'm figuring that may mess up my FG, but we'll see. I pitched 1 packet of rehydrated US05 and did 30 seconds of pure O2 (even though I know you don't need to with dry yeast). Do you think the 1.5lbs of DME will mess this up? I know it will still be good beer, but the whole pilsners/MO balance?

 

[Jukas]

I made this last week and was bummed because I relied on Brewmasterswarehouse crush...normally I crush my own, but accidentally left the 'crush' option on my order. oh well...I won't do that again. My efficiency sucked. So I came up short on my OG and added 1.5lbs of light DME to get my OG to 1.053. I'm figuring that may mess up my FG, but we'll see. I pitched 1 packet of rehydrated US05 and did 30 seconds of pure O2 (even though I know you don't need to with dry yeast). Do you think the 1.5lbs of DME will mess this up? I know it will still be good beer, but the whole pilsners/MO balance?

I don't do much with extract, so assuming my napkin math is correct, you raised it 11 gravity points from 1.042 to 1.053? I think you may end up a bit darker on the SRM scale and the flavor profile will be a bit different but it will definitely still be beer and tasty beer at that.

 

[GrowlerMonkey]

Do you use any phosphoric or lactic acid in the mash? I'm getting a pretty high PH on the bru'n water spreadsheet (around 5.6 at room temp) unless I add some acid. Just trying to get in the ballpark before I dump everything in, I know I can always adjust after the fact.

 

[kosmokramer]

I tried this in a flight with the younger and elder about six months ago and it was my favorite. Can't wait to give this recipe a try

 

[Jukas]

Do you use any phosphoric or lactic acid in the mash? I'm getting a pretty high PH on the bru'n water spreadsheet (around 5.6 at room temp) unless I add some acid. Just trying to get in the ballpark before I dump everything in, I know I can always adjust after the fact.

I don't add any lactic acid or acid malt when I brew this. I have the same source water as Russian River, so the only additions I make are gypsum and campden tablets to deal with the chloramine.

I tried this in a flight with the younger and elder about six months ago and it was my favorite. Can't wait to give this recipe a try

It's one of my favorites too, and invariably what I order first when I'm at the brewpub.

 

[tmm0f5]

Has anyone tried this exact recipe with Mosaic? I have a bunch of mosaic around and understand it is similar in some respects to Simcoe. Will probably brew it next week, but just wanted some feedback.

 

[Xpertskir]

Do you use any phosphoric or lactic acid in the mash? I'm getting a pretty high PH on the bru'n water spreadsheet (around 5.6 at room temp) unless I add some acid. Just trying to get in the ballpark before I dump everything in, I know I can always adjust after the fact.

Depending on your input water this recipe should not require any acid additions, there is a relatively high percentage of crystal to bring it down.

5.5-5.6 room temp PH is what I typically shoot for, as it will drop down to the 5.3-5.4 range at mash temps.

That is the only thing I dislike about that spreadsheet that 5.3-5.4 room temp PH is "green". Somewhat misleading IMO

 

[Xpertskir]

Has anyone tried this exact recipe with Mosaic? I have a bunch of mosaic around and understand it is similar in some respects to Simcoe. Will probably brew it next week, but just wanted some feedback.

This malt bill has become my single hop maltbill. Its' simple, and really lets the hop shine through, but there is still some body and maltiness in the finish.


Im sure it would be great with mosaic.


So far Ive done it with Simcoe, Centennial, and Kohatu is dry hopping now.

I anticipate many more single hop versions of this as well.

Thanks for the legwork with this recipe OP.

 

[mrcastellino]

Has anyone tried this exact recipe with Mosaic? I have a bunch of mosaic around and understand it is similar in some respects to Simcoe. Will probably brew it next week, but just wanted some feedback.

I brewed this recipe with each hop addition equally split between Simcoe and Mosaic. The beer turned out fantastic (i'll try and post a picture soon) which is saying a lot as the bar has been set so high for me when it comes to hop-forward beers. I'm relatively new to Mosaic but know Simcoe very well so even though it was not a single hop beer, it was a great way to see Mosaic's influence. The use of these two hops together seemed to have a synergistic effect. I was blown away by the aroma of this beer. Signature Simcoe nose but with an intense pink grapefruit aroma. Seriously the aroma has rivaled that of my IPAs which baffles me considering I only used the recipe's 2oz. of dry hop (typically use upwards of 3-4oz for IPAs). Mosaic seems to be a potent hop...im certainly a fan

This malt bill has become my single hop maltbill. Its' simple, and really lets the hop shine through, but there is still some body and maltiness in the finish.


Im sure it would be great with mosaic.


So far Ive done it with Simcoe, Centennial, and Kohatu is dry hopping now.

I anticipate many more single hop versions of this as well.

Thanks for the legwork with this recipe OP.

I agree you would be hard pressed to find a better grain bill for a hop forward beer. I plan to continue to use this for both single and combination hop beers. The recipe is very similar to Vinnie's 'Hop - 2 It' grain bill which he used/uses for single hopped beers:

74% 2-Row
13% Maris Otter
10% Crystal 20L
3% Acidulated Malt

Cheers again to the OP for getting this recipe on the map!

 

[Jukas]

This malt bill has become my single hop maltbill. Its' simple, and really lets the hop shine through, but there is still some body and maltiness in the finish.

Thanks for the legwork with this recipe OP.

Glad you like it. I too have started using this as my go to maltbill for a single hop beer.

I brewed this recipe with each hop addition equally split between Simcoe and Mosaic. The beer turned out fantastic (i'll try and post a picture soon) which is saying a lot as the bar has been set so high for me when it comes to hop-forward beers. I'm relatively new to Mosaic but know Simcoe very well so even though it was not a single hop beer, it was a great way to see Mosaic's influence. The use of these two hops together seemed to have a synergistic effect. I was blown away by the aroma of this beer. Signature Simcoe nose but with an intense pink grapefruit aroma. Seriously the aroma has rivaled that of my IPAs which baffles me considering I only used the recipe's 2oz. of dry hop (typically use upwards of 3-4oz for IPAs). Mosaic seems to be a potent hop...im certainly a fan



I agree you would be hard pressed to find a better grain bill for a hop forward beer. I plan to continue to use this for both single and combination hop beers. The recipe is very similar to Vinnie's 'Hop - 2 It' grain bill which he used/uses for single hopped beers:

74% 2-Row
13% Maris Otter
10% Crystal 20L
3% Acidulated Malt

Cheers again to the OP for getting this recipe on the map!

I have a lb of 2012 Mosaic that I was going to use for an IPA but never got around to. Maybe next time I brew this I'll split additions as well and see what I think. I'm such a fan of Simcoe though, it's a bit hard to convince myself to let another hop share the spotlight in this beer

Glad you like it!

 

[GrowlerMonkey]

Couldn't be happier with the way this turned out! It was my first all grain batch and from what I can remember from the RH56 I had at the brewery several months ago, it is dead on! Awesome work Jukas (alright, and Vinnie) Nice citrus, pine, cat piss in the aroma and flavor. The Malt background is nice and clean/light, with the maris otter coming through just enough to know it's there. I love this beer!

The problem is, it also prompted me to pre order 12 lbs of this years hops to start my single hop series (education) as I loved the light malt bill so much. I ordered some mosaic, amarillo, Citra, falconers flight, Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy (and 2 lbs of Simcoe of course) to name a few. I plan to use either the R2H56 malt bill or the Hop2it one you mentioned above.

If you had to pick, would you prefer either of those malt bills over the other for single hop beers? I know it's all personal prefference so I will probably try both regardless, but what do you think the difference in flavor might be? I see the R2H56 uses a larger % of MO which I absolutely love. I guess I'm just wondering why vinnie chose the other for his hop2it series.

Anyway, thanks for sharing this Jukas. It's got me pretty fired up about brewing at the moment.

 

[crusader1612]

After quaffing large quantities of Russian River R2H56 at the brewery I set out to make a homebrew clone. Vinnie Cilurzo was a huge help and is incredibly generous with information!

This is an awesome APA, bright yellow/gold in color with firm hop bitterness, white head and lacing and massive signature Simcoe aroma - Citrus, grapefruit, pine, resin and cat piss.

After 5 revisions, I've finally settled on what I believe is the closest clone I'm going to get. In side by side tastings

Batch Information:
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 5.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 40.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs 4.3 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (1.5 SRM) Grain 1 60.5 %
3 lbs 14.4 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.5 SRM) Grain 2 32.4 %
13.6 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.1 %
0.55 oz Simcoe [12.20 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 4 23.5 IBUs
0.55 oz Simcoe [12.20 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 5 16.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 6 -
1.0 oz Simcoe [12.20 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast 8 -
2.00 oz Simcoe [12.20 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs

Mash:
60 min at 154F

Fermentation:
10 days at 68F. I've hit FG in as little as 4 days, but seem to average 6. I like to do a gravity check at 7 days and again at 10 and assuming I'm at 1.010 on both I keg.

Dry Hop:
I dry hop in the keg and have tried dry hop additions between 1.25oz - 3oz. For my personal tastes 1.75 - 2oz is the sweet spot and seemed closest to the draft R2H56 when it was hitting it's stride. For scaling the batch size up or down, note that the dry hop ratio is 0.3 - 0.5oz per gallon.

If dry hopping in primary/secondary, I'd dry hop for no longer than 7-10 days. I personally would bump the amount of dry hops by 15% and cut it down to 5 days dry hopping to try and avoid the vegetal flavor you can get when doing longer dry hop at warmer temps.

Notes:
The above recipe is designed to exactly hit the numbers Russian River delivers and what I use in my batches.

This should finish at 2.5 Plato (1.010) so I tend to use a 1.25L (if using a fresh vial) starter to overpitch just slightly as I find if I pitch the appropriate # of cells or underpitch I tend to under attenuate and only get to about 1.012. I try and pitch approximately 240-250B cells, with required being 230B (figures taken from Yeastcalc). You can also mash slight lower if you are having problems reaching FG.

When scaling volumes base malts are split 70% Pils 30% MO. Crystal 20 should makeup 8% of less of total grain bill.

I keg to 2.3 - 2.5 vol and let the beer condition for 14 days at 40F before pouring my first pint.

Here's a pint I was enjoying today (1/19/13) from my sixth batch kegged on 12/23/12. It's coming up on four weeks and the keg is at least half gone

this sounds really tasty, might have to be my Summer Xmas brew...

 

[mrcastellino]

here is a pic of my brew as per this recipe:

 

[Pilori]

I can't get easily get Pilsner/2-row malt where I am in Ireland, do you think it would hurt to use all Maris Otter as the base malt?

 

[Jukas]

I can't get easily get Pilsner/2-row malt where I am in Ireland, do you think it would hurt to use all Maris Otter as the base malt?

I think it would be a totally different beer if you used 92% MO and 8% C20, at that point it would be a much more English style pale which stylistically pairs with noble hops. I think this would also be too highly hopped for a English style pale ale, as most of those are in the low - mid 30's IBU range.

 

[Pilori]

Is there a suitable substitute for 2-row in this beer then?

 

[jbaysurfer]

I think it would be a totally different beer if you used 92% MO and 8% C20, at that point it would be a much more English style pale which stylistically pairs with noble hops. I think this would also be too highly hopped for a English style pale ale, as most of those are in the low - mid 30's IBU range.

All of that said, if brewing to style isn't your primary goal, and merely brewing a delicious beer is, I'd say it'd be delicious. I started winning gold medals with my barleywine recipe last year when switched it up from 2-row to M.O. Now I use MO (though not exclusively) as a base grain for nearly all my ales.

 

[pm5k00]

I can't get easily get Pilsner/2-row malt where I am in Ireland, do you think it would hurt to use all Maris Otter as the base malt?

How about pilsner extract, and just mash the MO and crystal?