Troeg's Mad Elf

[seckert]

my wife and I liked mine better...maybe it is because I brew my beer with love! and a high BAC as well! haha!

 

[IMXELITE]

Well just like the orig mad elf, easy to drink too many... Throbbing headache this morn like the real stuff. Mine must be pretty well on ha...

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How much cherries did you use? Canned or fresh? I can't wait to brew this one.

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[theck]

2 cans of tart Oregon and 2 bags of frozen sweet... Might step up the frozen slightly to another bag.... Taste is great but looking for a slight bit more.

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[Madsciontst]

I used two cans of sweet and two cans of tart. It turned out perfect.

 

[tbred]

I am getting ready to rack mine to secondary. I have fresh cherries to add. I plan to freeze then thaw the cherries. Do I need to take to pits out? Read other posts here and some said leave them in and others say take them out. Which way should I go for a good clone?

 

[ChefRex]

Had another taste to end the night, need to open a bottle of the original soon to compare soon.

 

[theck]

I am getting ready to rack mine to secondary. I have fresh cherries to add. I plan to freeze then thaw the cherries. Do I need to take to pits out? Read other posts here and some said leave them in and others say take them out. Which way should I go for a good clone?

I'd leave them... Doubt they would mess with the taste. Do you have tart fresh or using only sweet?

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[aslander]

To those of you that attempted the clone this year:

Which recipe did you wind up using?
How did it compare and what would you alter with the recipe you used?

I'm planning on making this sometime in the next month and letting it age until the fall. Any input in advance would be great.

 

[theck]

Here is mine and it turned out great IMO... I would maybe add one more bag of sweet cherries though. I used 2 cans of tart and 2 bags of sweet. Left in the primary for 3 weeks, added cherries/Orange Peel to secondary and sat for 12 days.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Mad Elf Clone
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Style: Fruit Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.74 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.089 SG
Estimated Color: 11.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 13.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.9 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 75.6 %
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 11.6 %
3.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3 1.1 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] - Boil Hop 4 11.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 5 2.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafBrew Specialty Ale (DCL/Fermentis #T- Yeast 6 -
2 lbs Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 7 11.6 %
2.50 lb Sweet and Sour Cherries (Secondary 5.0 d Flavor 8 -
1.50 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Secondary 5.0 days) Spice 9 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 17 lbs 3.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 5.18 gal of water at 162.7 F 152.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 4.82gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
Lid blew off bucket after a day... put into carboy!
SG 1.078 -> 1.75 weeks 1.028 -> 2 weeks 1.022

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[theck]

Gone for me... good stuff, probably be a while before I make it again, mostly due to cost but also the wife and I got the mad elf headaches often on it.

 

[seckert]

making another batch of this today...a buddy of mine really liked it when he had it over the holidays. he said he would buy the stuff to make it...so I figured why not. plus can change a couple things.
I used Belgian pale choc this time. still 3 oz. hoping that since the pale is lighter it will help it be more red. Fermenting at 19* C this time, which is a bit cooler than last time. Also I made a 1L starter...then decanted and added another 1.1-1.3L worth of wort to make a 1.5L stepped up starter. Since this is a bigger beer I think last time with just a regular starter I underpitched. Guess will find out if any of this changes final product!

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

Seckert I plan on trying the second bottle you sent me this week! I'll let you know when I try it.

 

[poptarts]

Going to be brewing this up really soon, just picked up the cherries

 

[seckert]

Seckert I plan on trying the second bottle you sent me this week! I'll let you know when I try it.

That would be great! I am curious to see how well it aged out since mine was gone before i could age any.

 

[seckert]

Going to be brewing this up really soon, just picked up the cherries

If you havent brewed this before...just remember 2 words "blowoff tube"!

 

[poptarts]

I have a 13 gallon vittle vault and I plan on making a 7 gallon batch so that's 6 gallons of head space, but yes I will do a blow off as well. Never can be to sure. I learned my lesson with my abyss clone This image is after the lid blew off for the 3rd time with the blowoff tube and fermcap.

 

[theck]

If you havent brewed this before...just remember 2 words "blowoff tube"!

Ha... Now to remember that next time.

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[seckert]

Ha... Now to remember that next time.

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I brewed this again on Sunday. Pitched yeast Monday early before heading to work. I knew i needed a blow off tube so i started with one. Came home Monday and it was chugging along. woke up tuesday to the same. I thought maybe it would be ok since i am fermenting at a lower temp this time. Well I got home last night from work to find my blow off tube clogged and the top of the bucket buldging. It also had overfilled the big mason jar i had tube going in. Im just glad i caught it before it exploded. I pulled off hose and got a face full of crap!

 

[seckert]

poptarts...I think you will be good with 6 gallons of head space...of course this is the most violent beer i have ever had ferment!

 

[IMXELITE]

I brewed this again on Sunday. Pitched yeast Monday early before heading to work. I knew i needed a blow off tube so i started with one. Came home Monday and it was chugging along. woke up tuesday to the same. I thought maybe it would be ok since i am fermenting at a lower temp this time. Well I got home last night from work to find my blow off tube clogged and the top of the bucket buldging. It also had overfilled the big mason jar i had tube going in. Im just glad i caught it before it exploded. I pulled off hose and got a face full of crap!

Seckert,

Which recipe did you use? Also I'm interested in how much mash water you used? I am new to all grain and I'm having issues reaching my efficiency. I think it's my mash volume.

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[poptarts]

Use a software like beersmith or an online equivalent. This is my AG Recipe I will be making.
RECIPE

 

[seckert]

Seckert,

Which recipe did you use? Also I'm interested in how much mash water you used? I am new to all grain and I'm having issues reaching my efficiency. I think it's my mash volume.

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This is the receipe is used this time

13 lbs Belgian Pils
2 lbs Belgian Munich
3 oz Belgian Pale Chocolate

Mash at 152* 60 min
Mashout 170* 10 min

1 oz Hallertau at 90 min
0.5 oz Saaz at 10 min
2 lbs Clover Honey at flame out

4 cans cherries in secondary (2 sweet, 2 sour)

Yeast : Wyeast 3787-1L starter after 24 hours chill. then decant and make 1.5Lstarter to step it up.

Fermenting at 19*C

I honestly do not know about mash volume for this recipe. I do BIAB with a quasi sparge technique. I always hit my numbers or exceed them though, so i have never changed how i do it.

 

[poptarts]

Cool thats pretty much my recipe scaled to 5 gallons

 

[IMXELITE]

Cool thats pretty much my recipe scaled to 5 gallons

Thanks for the info. I have beer smith but I'm having issues getting it setup properly.

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[seckert]

Cool thats pretty much my recipe scaled to 5 gallons

what is the difference you have from mine. I am curious...

 

[poptarts]

Its a few ounces here or there nothing big at all, same recipe. I posted it a few posts up or its currently in my sig as well.

 

[seckert]

i just checked it out. only big difference i see is that you are throwing in an extra oz of Saaz at the 25 min mark. I only added .5oz at 10 min. also i see there is another saaz addition, but it doesnt say how much..at the 1 min mark?
If you would want to do a bottle swap when both of ours are ready i would like to see the difference with your hop schedule.

 

[poptarts]

it will be 1 oz and I had to up the amount and push it to 25 so i could hit the 15IBU for the recipe. I would be down doing a swap down the line for sure.

 

[seckert]

Great! I will be moving to Cali here in June so if we could swap before that it would be great, if not then maybe after i am settled.

 

[poptarts]

Should be able to pull that off, SWMBO providing I will be brewing on up on the 8th.