American Pale Ale Three Floyds Zombie Dust Clone

[blackonblack]

I started dryhopping mine on Monday in a Big Mouth and yep, the pellet hops formed about a 1/2" thick layer on top. There is still movement in the fermenter with hop particles going up and down but I think I may rouse the surface up a little with a spoon tonight to get more hop exposure.

There is no movement in mine. It fermented out insanely quickly. I tried swirling the carboy until the co2 pushed hop particles in to the airlock

 

[skeezerpleezer]

There is no movement in mine. It fermented out insanely quickly. I tried swirling the carboy until the co2 pushed hop particles in to the airlock

Hopefully that did not oxidize the beer.

 

[blackonblack]

I checked the carboy last night and it sprang back to life! Lots of movement and bubbling in the airlock. Does the yeast actually eat the dry hops? I can't believe how just transferring the beer off the yeast cake would fire it up again! The bucket was totally dead when I transferred it to the secondary

 

[blackonblack]

Still bubbling any tomorrow it'll be 2 weeks!

 

[olotti]

Still bubbling any tomorrow it'll be 2 weeks!

What are the gravity readings. Did you take one before you dry hopped? What about now? You may drop a few more points on the FG.

 

[blackonblack]

What are the gravity readings. Did you take one before you dry hopped? What about now? You may drop a few more points on the FG.

Beer did not taste sweet when I sampled it 5 days ago but tomorrow is going on 17 days and it's still bubbling! I moved the carboy so I'll check it tomorrow of the bubbles was just excess co2 coming out of solution

 

[stonebrewer]

Beer did not taste sweet when I sampled it 5 days ago but tomorrow is going on 17 days and it's still bubbling! I moved the carboy so I'll check it tomorrow of the bubbles was just excess co2 coming out of solution

So this is not unusual. I have this happen often. If you dry hop with yeast in suspension, it will often kick into a more active state. Yeast WILL eat some of the compounds that the hops bring into play and the hops yield nucleation sites for the yeast to become more active. I also experience times when WLP002 and WLP007 both go sorta dormant and then kick back in. I just wait longer, monitor my specific gravity, and when I hit my expected terminal gravity, keg the beer. It really is that simple!

 

[beernbourbon]

So I've been reading on here how great this brew is, and my skepticism has been high. How can a beer have this much of a following, can it really be that good. Can't get this in Cincy, so opportunity for work presented a trip to Chicago. Once work was done, did a search for who had the real thing close by. Local 22 (Blue Frog) on Hubbard had it for $10 a bottle. Who the hell pays that kind of $ for a 12oz brew? Well I did. (research has a high cost right?). Holy crap. Probably one if the smoothest, most easy drinking IPA's I have ever come across. I will definitely be making this one of my standards in my brewing rotation. This $h!t is amazing! Thanks to all of those that have worked so hard to perfect the clone.



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[blackonblack]

$10 a 12 oz beer. Jesus

 

[blackonblack]

I've never had the original but from my sampling of this clone it's excellent. I bottled a batch 2 days ago and I brewed a second batch last week. 10 gallons of this clone

 

[milldoggy]

Brewing this today. The next few weeks can't go fast enough

 

[beernbourbon]

$10 a 12 oz beer. Jesus

'Zackly lol. But, one of those 'eh, what the hey' moments. This will now be the next brew on the docket, even tho I have others ready to go. I want to get this one rollin'


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[blackonblack]

It's funny this recipe is listed under IPA's but isn't it an American pale ale according to 3 floyds? All this time I thought it was an IPA until I sampled it and it didn't have the bitterness I was expecting. Then of course I found it's actually an APA.

Very excited to try this beer. Hopefully
It carbs up fast.

 

[skeezerpleezer]

It's funny this recipe is listed under IPA's but isn't it an American pale ale according to 3 floyds? All this time I thought it was an IPA until I sampled it and it didn't have the bitterness I was expecting. Then of course I found it's actually an APA.

Very excited to try this beer. Hopefully
It carbs up fast.

FFF calls it an APA, but it exceeds the IBUs of an APA per BJCP (fits IPA). Then again, they also call Permanent Funeral a pale ale.

 

[TallDan]

FFF calls it an APA, but it exceeds the IBUs of an APA per BJCP (fits IPA). Then again, they also call Permanent Funeral a pale ale.

I think it's a smart move on FFF's part to sell it as an APA. Yes, the IBUs put it in IPA territory, but it doesn't drink like an IPA to me. My wife who does not like IPAs LOVES this beer. Compare it to other FFF IPAs and it does not fit in at all.

It's really something of a gateway IPA, people who won't normally drink IPA could easily start getting into the style with this beer.

 

[skeezerpleezer]

Stat wise, it compares to Alpha King, which is another delicious "APA". A brewer can call a beer whatever they want to. But classification by style guidelines (which I could care less about) may not reflect that.

See also: Firestone Walker "Imperial Special Bitter, Double DBA. What is an ISB?

 

[olotti]

Pulled the first gravity sample. 1.010 which should be right on as I had to add .5Gal of water after chilling to bring final volume to 5.5 Gal so that diluted the OG from 1.068 to 1.064. Final abv is 7%. Sample smelled dank but the taste was all Citra, a little sweet, and super clear, turned out a lot clearer than I thought it would but I've never had the real thing so I have no idea what color it really is. Two more days and 3oz of Citra go in for dry hop.

 

[blackonblack]

My first batch which is bottle conditioning now had a final gravity of around 1.014. I mashed it at 152 and used s04 yeast. How long did it take to drop to that number? Mine did 10 days primary and 8 day secondary and dry hop

 

[olotti]

My first batch which is bottle conditioning now had a final gravity of around 1.014. I mashed it at 152 and used s04 yeast. How long did it take to drop to that number? Mine did 10 days primary and 8 day secondary and dry hop

This is day 10 when I pulled the first gravity sample. I'm gonna retest it on day 14, even though I'm pretty sure it's done, and then dry hop which will include 4 days at ambient temp and 3 days cold crashing. I mashed in at 152 also but I didn't have time to make a starter so I used 1.5 packs of rehydrated 04, took maybe 6hrs before it started doing its thing.

 

[user 165400]

Just made this today. Living in Chicago I can't even find zombie dust any more so if I can make something close that would be great.

One question tho. For the dry hopping would you pull this off the yeast cake and secondary or just dry hop in the primary. There are so many threads out there about why you should or shouldn't secondary but just curious as to what others have done as I have not used this yeast before.

 

[milldoggy]

My plan, rack into keg after 3 weeks, then dry hop. simple and easy especially with the stainless dry hopper tube thing

 

[user 165400]

Not a bad plan. I just don't want to blow down past the goal fg by letting the it sit too long on the yeast. I would how ever like a nice clean beer. The toss up. ZD isn't a super dry beer so id like to keep FG around that 15 - 18 range

 

[skeezerpleezer]

Just made this today. Living in Chicago I can't even find zombie dust any more so if I can make something close that would be great.

One question tho. For the dry hopping would you pull this off the yeast cake and secondary or just dry hop in the primary. There are so many threads out there about why you should or shouldn't secondary but just curious as to what others have done as I have not used this yeast before.

It's all personal preference. I usually primary, dry hop there, rack to keg, and dryhop again..

 

[bowlersp]

$10 a 12 oz beer. Jesus

Welcome to Chicago!

 

[user 165400]

Welcome to Chicago!

Indeed. One expensive place to live.

 

[Roadie]

Indeed. One expensive place to live.

If you cross the border to the East things get more reasonable.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[mtnagel]

Can't get this in Cincy

Just to let you know it is out there every once in awhile. I know Cappy's in Loveland has sold it and I got it on draft at Neon's once.

I'm actually drinking my last one right now. Bottled off the keg. I know I'm in the minority, but I still think I may try not doing FWH, but normal 60 minute boil hops. I think it's too smooth. I'd rather have more hop bite. But maybe this is closer to the real thing, but I don't care about cloning it, I'd rather have a beer I like better.

 

[Agher32]

Bottled my second attempt at the elusive Zombie Dust. OG at 1.071, FG at 1.016. 2 weeks in primary. Racked to carboy for a week of dry hopping. This all grain is looking AWESOME

 

[olotti]

Bottled my second attempt at the elusive Zombie Dust. OG at 1.071, FG at 1.016. 2 weeks in primary. Racked to carboy for a week of dry hopping. This all grain is looking AWESOME

What yeast did you use? How did the sample taste? Were you aiming for a higher gravity? Talked to my buddy who gets ZD and he said it actually 7.8%abv while the original recipe here is only 6.5%. So were you shooting for a abv closer to the real thing?

 

[aStoutObserver]

Where is he getting his information? The website says 6.2%