Szamatulski books

[apisgallus]

I have copies of Clone brews and beer captured and have relied on them for brewing a Brains clone. SW1 clone and am about to try a saison dupont clone.
My question is this, they were published a few years ago and many of the malts they mention don't seem to be widely available.
Has anyone (or the authors) every researched and printed a 2020's update to malts (and yeasts) or do people just make a guess and hope for the best?

 

[passedpawn]

I have copies of Clone brews and beer captured and have relied on them for brewing a Brains clone. SW1 clone and am about to try a saison dupont clone.
My question is this, they were published a few years ago and many of the malts they mention don't seem to be widely available.
Has anyone (or the authors) every researched and printed a 2020's update to malts (and yeasts) or do people just make a guess and hope for the best?

I had that book. Bought it 10+ yrs ago. I tried to brew some of those beers, but had the same experience as you - exotic malts. The beers I did make were not even close to clones - but I was fairly new to it and maybe it was me, dunno. No idea if it's been updated.

I suggest getting a different book. If you want a book with great recipes, Brewing Classic Styles is the one.

 

[apisgallus]

Thanks. Since I can't remember what Brains tasted like (I now live in the USA but did my undergrad at Cardiff), no clue how close it is. At least my friends like it. I have a lot of Randy Mosher books as well as John Palmer's classic. Guess if I continue to brew obscure english bitters doesn't matter does it.

 

[DuncB]

I use a malt comparison chart or the gladfield malts app which " translates " different malts to their malts for colour etc and then also make sure the numbers are corrected in brewfather. That being said I'm not sure the recipes are great copies, when you look at breweries websites that do show their ingredients including hops you often find it differs a lot from the clone brews recipe.
Long distance travel and old beer being cloned is not the same as the real deal near home. But that said I still have enjoyed the beers I made from the book but found it fiddly adjusting for different volumes, IBU and also water profiles.

 

[apisgallus]

Thanks. I suspected as much. So long as its drinkable and I call it a British bitter, American's won't notice.

 

[DuncB]

Thanks. Since I can't remember what Brains tasted like (I now live in the USA but did my undergrad at Cardiff), no clue how close it is. At least my friends like it. I have a lot of Randy Mosher books as well as John Palmer's classic. Guess if I continue to brew obscure english bitters doesn't matter does it.

And most of those bitters are pale malt crystal malt and fuggles, ekg with a different yeast and different water. But as you say very drinkable.

 

[Cameronl]

There was a second edition of Clone Brews published in 2010. I don't know if they updated anything, or just added 50 more recipes. (If you have the 200 recipe version, that's the 2nd edition).

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... or do people just make a guess and hope for the best?

For many older extract-based recipes the guesses are easy (and accurate). Some style specific extracts may be a little harder. For those recipes, one alternative would be to find a similar current recipe.

(Unfortunately?) there appears to be little value in publishing recipe books in the 2020s.