Trying Shiner Bock clone - question about hops

[anduin]

Can anyone tell me what hops the Spoetzl Brewery uses in its Shiner Bock?

I am trying a Shiner Bock clone recipe, but haven't settled on a type of hops to use. I have found several recipes and I see Centennial, Liberty, Brewery Gold, and Nugget used throughout. But I think I read some one saying somewhere in this forum that Spoetzl uses Cluster in their Bock.

I tried to verify on their website and on the net, but found nothing conclusive. I'd like to get as close as possible to what Spoetzl really uses. Does anyone know (for sure)? Or have any suggestions based on experience?

Thanks!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I'll venture that the reason you can't find a good clone recipe is that Shiner Bock isn't very popular among homebrewers (nor is it very true to style). However, I'm not going to try and dissuade you from attempting a clone.

I get almost zero hop flavor from Shiner Bock, so a single bittering addition is likely all you need. The specific hop variety is fairly inconsequential. Use a German noble variety like Hallertau or Tettnang. Shoot for about 20 IBU.

 

[anduin]

Yes the recipes I've found don't seem too confident. And yes, looking at recipes for a traditional Bock I knew this beer couldn't even be close (I've only tried real Bock several times...)

When you say "single bittering addition" do you mean like one unit/amount of hops for the entire boil and nothing else? And how would I get to 20 IBUs? Would 1 ounce of Hallertau or Tettnang for 60 minute boil in a 5 gallon batch do the trick?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Bittering hops are added early in the boil. About 1.25 oz of either variety, boiled for 60 minutes, will net ~20 IBU in a 5 gallon batch.

 

[LibertyBrewer]

Shiner Bock is made by adding dark malt extract to the regular Shiner beer recipe. Find a recipe for regular Shiner beer (yuck) and use the hops that are listed.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I know for a fact they use Brewers Gold.

Forrest

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Shiner Bock is made by adding dark malt extract to the regular Shiner beer recipe. Find a recipe for regular Shiner beer (yuck) and use the hops that are listed.

Citation, please? And what, exactly is "regular Shiner beer?" They introduced Shiner Light after the Bock. I'd be VERY surprised if they simply add some dark extract to the Blonde recipe to create Bock.

On a different note, from the Spoetzl website:

4.4% ABV
13 IBU
18 SRM

 

[DeathBrewer]

i like shiner bock. i don't care if it's not to style and i don't care how much other brewer's talk **** about it. i think it's tasty.

you should use some munich malt, i'd think. and like someone mentioned above, one bittering addition is it for hops.

 

[LibertyBrewer]

Bittering hops are added early in the boil. About 1.25 oz of either variety, boiled for 60 minutes, will net ~20 IBU in a 5 gallon batch.

Read Mad Scientist post about 1/3 the way down the page here: Shiner Bock Clone [Archive] - Realbeer.com Beer Community

And this is not the first person I have heard this from.

 

[944play]

i don't care if it's not to style

Oh, but it is! It's the #2 example for Cat 4A:
BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 04

 

[Heineken]

I'll venture that the reason you can't find a good clone recipe is that Shiner Bock isn't very popular among homebrewers (nor is it very true to style).

just curious why it isn't true to syle?

 

[Heineken]

I know for a fact they use Brewers Gold.

Forrest

so does the Austin Shiner clone use Brewers Gold?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

We use Brewer's Gold hops. We also use a special ingredient that they use: Briess Maltoferm. Maltoferm is a beer colorant used to change a beers color to the SRM you want. You are supposed to use it very sparingly because it has a lovibond rating of approximately 7000! Yes, 7000. If you use 1.5 ounces of Maltoferm per 5 gallons (more than normal amount to just color) it is an very inexpensive way to give some roasted flavor and color.

Now that is what you call a Cheap Trick.

Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright.... (sorry)

Forrest

 

[Austin_]

i like shiner bock. i don't care if it's not to style and i don't care how much other brewer's talk **** about it. i think it's tasty.

And it's cheap, too.

 

[llazy_llama]

Cue the 6-neck guitar. :rockin:

 

[Heineken]

We use Brewer's Gold hops. We also use a special ingredient that they use: Briess Maltoferm. Maltoferm is a beer colorant used to change a beers color to the SRM you want. You are supposed to use it very sparingly because it has a lovibond rating of approximately 7000! Yes, 7000. If you use 1.5 ounces of Maltoferm per 5 gallons (more than normal amount to just color) it is an very inexpensive way to give some roasted flavor and color.

Now that is what you call a Cheap Trick.

Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright.... (sorry)

Forrest

I bought your clone a few days ago so looking forward to making it. We use to live in the Dallas area and Shiner was my wife's favorite beer. Now we are in New Hampshire and can't get it around here. We were able to get some last November in Indiana but that has been it for the past 4 years. So found your clone and thought we'd try it out. Thanks for the reply.

 

[ChefMichael01]

Same here, I bought the AHS clone and brewed it a couple of months ago. I lagered it for a couple months and now have it conditioning (hanging out until I have the time/bottles to bottle it) at room temp (couldn't justify taking over the whole fridge for another month).

Hope it turns out well. I don't care if it isn't true to the style guide, I grew up in San Antonio on this stuff and you cannot find it in NYC (on a regular basis). Closest place is the first truck stop into PA. Last year for a chili competition in the city I judged we gave out 2 cases of Shiner to the winner, had to drive to Philly.

 

[Jaysus]

Same here, I bought the AHS clone and brewed it a couple of months ago. I lagered it for a couple months and now have it conditioning (hanging out until I have the time/bottles to bottle it) at room temp (couldn't justify taking over the whole fridge for another month).

Hope it turns out well. I don't care if it isn't true to the style guide, I grew up in San Antonio on this stuff and you cannot find it in NYC (on a regular basis). Closest place is the first truck stop into PA. Last year for a chili competition in the city I judged we gave out 2 cases of Shiner to the winner, had to drive to Philly.

Interesting, I live in PA, and have to drive to MD for it - lol.

Anyway - anybody care to share their results from the AHS clone?

 

[user 30639]

Anyway - anybody care to share their results from the AHS clone?

I did the AHS Shiner Bock clone as my very first beer. I gave it to a bunch of native Texans and they said they couldn't tell the difference between my beer and real Shiner Bock. I took that as a compliment.

 

[Jaguar10301]

Shiner Bock is made by adding dark malt extract to the regular Shiner beer recipe. Find a recipe for regular Shiner beer (yuck) and use the hops that are listed.

I'm not sure I buy this, what is regular Shiner beer? Shiner Bock is their main beer, I had to double check on the website because this sounded so wrong with everything I knew.

How can they just add dark malt extract to a recipe of a beer that doesn't exist?

 

[Austinhomebrew]

It is rumored that they take the Shiner Blonde beer recipe and add Maltoferm. So that is what we do and it is a very popular kit.

Forrest

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Oh, but it is! It's the #2 example for Cat 4A:
BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 04

Category 4A: Dark American Lager

NOT very close to anything from Category 5: Bock

...and yes, I do concede that Maltoferm is a key ingredient in Shiner Bock. Maltoferm is not dark LME, though, it is a malt derived coloring agent.

 

[dbals]

I made the Shiner Bock kit from Austin recently, I called mine "Shriner Bach". The family was by for my birthday and I expected about 10 or so bottles to be had. Everyone loved it and I was down 24 bottles when they finished for the day. It turned out to be a close clone but not 100% but then again I'm new at brewing.

 

[EvilBrewing]

Do a blind taste test with Shiner Blonde and Shiner Bock.

 

[Tutsbrew]

i like shiner bock. i don't care if it's not to style and i don't care how much other brewer's talk **** about it. i think it's tasty.

you should use some munich malt, i'd think. and like someone mentioned above, one bittering addition is it for hops.

Old threads are great threads, and as for this post above I AGREE. Yum, great beer. ...I'm drinking one now as my "Infidel" Irish Red Ale is bubbling away in the ferment chamber.

 

[Roundhouse]

Shiner Blond has been renamed to Shiner Premium. It came out before Bock. They both have 4.4% abv and 11 IBU so the added maltoferm is plausible.

 

[dcbc]

No matter the Shiner beer, I can always taste that minerally water. Practically grew up on the stuff. Still enjoy it from time to time, but I can almost smell that central Texas water from across the room.

Drop a half pound chunk of limestone in the boil and you're good.