Sorachi Ace Brooklyn Clone

[HighPressure]

Ingredients 11 lbs. (5 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) corn sugar (probably sub this for honey)
6 AAU Sorachi Ace hops (60 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 12% alpha acids)
6 AAU Sorachi Ace hops (30 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g of 12% alpha acids)
5 oz. (140 g) Sorachi Ace (0 min.)
2 oz. (57 g) Sorachi Ace (dry hop)
Wyeast 1214 (Belgian Ale) or White Labs WLP500 (Trappist Ale)


Step by Step Mash in at 122 °F (50 °C), hold 10 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 146 °F (63 °C) and hold 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 152 °F (67 °C) and hold 15 minutes, then mash off at 168 °F (75 °C). To 5 gallons (19 L) of wort at 13.5 °P (1.054), add corn sugar. Boil ends at 60 minutes. Add hops at times indicated in ingredient list. Turn off heat and add 5 oz. (142 g) Sorachi Ace to the wort. After two minutes, begin cooling to 64 °F (18 °C), aerate well, and pitch yeast. Ferment at 71 °F (22 °C). After fermentation ends and yeast settles, dry hop with Sorachi Ace for 5–7 days.

I have some wyeast 3711 fermenting on a cottage saison right now. Was thinking of re-pitching with a portion of the slurry from that. Do you reckon that would do the trick?

Hey yall,

I have a pound of sorachi ace coming the mail and don't have much experience with them. They are from 2018. I found this clone recipe from a magazine online, with about six other brooklyn beer clones. I know that this beer seems to be the one that got sorachi ace back into the mainstream or at least out of obscurity. I've never drank it and I live in Canada. I've heard that you can overdo with sorachi, the 5 oz at flameout seems like a lot. I'm going to brew a couple lagers, bittered and lightly hopped with sorachi, at least that is my plan. But I kind of want to do a big boy as well.

What do you think of this recipe? Should I use less hops at flameout? Or should I just go for a classic single hop IPA to figure out what they are all about?

 

[fourfarthing]

That is a lot of hops. I remember this beer as having a bite but not a ton if hops so I would cut back the late additions and vaccuum seal for another batch to fine tune if this comes out solid.

 

[HighPressure]

That is a lot of hops. I remember this beer as having a bite but not a ton if hops so I would cut back the late additions and vaccuum seal for another batch to fine tune if this comes out solid.

Good call, dont actually have a vacuum sealer but might drop it down to 3oz in the whirlpool additions.

 

[Bramling Cross]

I think that's far too much.

When Sorachi Ace first became available, I did a SMASH with it and found it overwhelming. It was straight up Lemon Pine-Sol. This was back in the late 90's when the IBU wars were getting hot and heavy and nothing was ever bitter enough. That Sorachi Ace SMASH was bitter enough, and then some.

I enjoy beers that have been bludgeoned with rank hops. I'll happily guzzle a heavy-handed Simcoe, Chinook, or Columbus SMASH, but that Sorachi Ace SMASH got the better of me. I haven't used it since, although I've recently purchased a pound and am curious to give it another, more cautious, try.

I hope you found this useful.

 

[Andre3000]

Let me tell you, I made a Japanese lager with one, ONE oz of Sorachi Ace split between two additions with no other hops and it was an absolute lemon dill bomb for a few weeks until it mellowed out. That character remained in a more reasonable form until the keg kicked.

Based on that experience, no how, no way would I dream of using that hop bill you've proposed.

It is definitely one of the most polarizing hops for good reason and it's unbelievably potent.

I'd suggest really reducing the amount if you want to experience it as a single hop beer. Maybe 1 oz each bittering, flavor and aroma? Even that seems like a lot. Otherwise it may play well with other citrus hops, cascade?

On the other hand, hell, give it a go if you're feeling brave!

 

[TomRep]

I brewed a beer two years ago for my homebrew party that turned out pretty close to BB Sorachi Ace, in my opinion. Ill post the recipe is used in a bit. May help you for a descent starting point.

 

[palmtrees]

I've brewed their recipe from BYO a few times now. I love it! Well, I loved my first batch. The second, I had an issue with my inkbird and accidentally fermented it at 75. The yeast got weird and gave it a black pepper finish that was awful. But when fermented at the right temperature, I love 1214. I also didn't think it was too much hops. It seemed very balanced to me. And almost identical to the original, which is my wife's favorite beer. I also have never gotten dill from sorachi in this recipe. I'm actually planning to make this recipe again in a few weeks using Motueka to see how that turns out. So I say go for that recipe, if you like the original beer!

 

[TomRep]

Here is the recipe I made up. I wasn't trying a clone or anything, it just happened to be close from what I remember. Also, it looks like I was trying to use up some extra grains I had for this bill, so you could probably simplify that as well.

6.5 gallon boil
5.5 gallon batch
OG: 1.055
FG: 1.014 last I checked
Mash at 156

Yeast: T-58

4.25# 2 row
4.25# Golden Promise
3 oz flaked wheat
6 oz flaked barley
3 oz honey malt
3 oz acid malt
3 oz rye

1.5 oz Tradition (7% aa) 30 min
3 oz Sorachi Ace (9.1%aa) FO

I use Primo water due to being one city water, and I added 1.214 gr of gypsum and calcium chloride to the mash water, and 1.176 gr of each to the sparge water.