Why do people love clones?

[AnOldUR]

So, why the clone love?

Seem like a perfectly good question for someone to ask if they really wanted to know and couldn't understand someone else's motives. From most of the posters you got good responses and convincing arguments to clone. The only possibility for the negativity from a few is insecurity on their part and feeling unwarranted guilt about what they are doing. Good question and good responses.

 

[rico567]

I think that until a homebrewer is very experienced and has good knowledge of what ingredients produce what flavors, aromas or effects, clone brewing is an excellent way to learn these things.

 

[mikeysab]

Seem like a perfectly good question for someone to ask if they really wanted to know and couldn't understand someone elses motives. From most of the posters you got good responses and convincing arguments to clone. The only possibility for the negativity from a few is insecurity on their part and feeling unwarranted guilt about what they are doing. Good question and good responces.

you can't possibly be serious about that, can you? Insecurity and guilt about brewing a clone???? So by that, if I brew a clone, I should say"wow, I feel terrible about brewing that, since it's already been done"? Thats just bizarre, and sounds like you're kidding. I've brewed all kinds of beers, even beers I don't even drink, just to know what I'm doing and what to expect from ingredients. Either way, all recipes are clones, so get off the high horse people, you're no better for formulating "your own" recipe than others who bre someone elses

 

[AnOldUR]

you can't possibly be serious about that, can you? Insecurity and guilt about brewing a clone????

Apparently your paranoia is only matched by your lack of reading comprehension.

The only possibility for the negativity from a few is insecurity on their part and feeling unwarranted guilt about what they are doing.

 

[SkiSoloII]

So, why the clone love?

For me, two reasons.

1. The challenge of making a similar brew. Finding ways to get the flavors you love. Then you can combine known flavors for other brews that are not clones.

2. Can't always get the brew you want in the area that you are - Can't get Surly Furious or PTE here in Michigan.

Dave

 

[mikeysab]

yeah, but guilt, whether warranted or not. Don't try to pull that with me, I'm not one of those dummies that will go for it. Lets just say that we all brew what we want to brew and that's it. Saying "why brew a clone" is the same thing as saying "why brew a bavarian hefe". It's a type of beer, whether the type is clone, lager, wheat, or blonde. And don't even try to get THAT technical about it. Were all brewers in our own way. I happen to be one who doesn't always conform to styles and if I brew a batch that isn't a gold winner, I'll learn from it, like every other batch. In my opinion, the question posed is a silly one, and the OP's tone made it look like cloners were below other brewers. But that's what I took from it. Feel free to disagree, I'll just brew another clone and not think twice about it

 

[Livendadream]

One word "Seasonal releases". I am surprised nobody has mentioned this. I love drinking seasonals all year long . Before you know it they are gone. Example SN Celebration is a beer I love all the time. That is why I brew it and that is why I love clonessssssssssssss.

 

[munche]

One word "Seasonal releases". I am surprised nobody has mentioned this. I love drinking seasonals all year long . Before you know it they are gone. Example SN Celebration is a beer I love all the time. That is why I brew it and that is why I love clonessssssssssssss.

I would vote this, but I've still never found a Sam Adams White clone recipe. Curses!!!

 

[howabouttheiris]

The main reason I brewed a Guinness clone was that I could go to the beer store and buy a 6er to sit and compare/contrast... I probably would have preferred a different stout, but I really wanted to

1) test the AHS clone recipe accuracy and
2) to understand how my questionable steep process works compared to the "expected" results.

 

[PorterIdontknowher]

I have 9 or so finished batches under my belt. The biggest thing for me on a clone recipe is the "how did they do that?"

Where do you pile on the hops? How much crystal malt gets what effect?

I haven't brewed any explicit clones, but after my first couple of recipes had too much of something (Carafa III, not the debittered variety and Honey Malt in the second) I started looking at clone recipes to understand how to develop certain levels of effect.

My best tasting of the 8 batches that have been bottled isn't a clone, but I used clone recipes to understand how to hop an IPA and how much of various malts I might like. And that is why it kicks butt and my first IPA didn't...

 

[wedge421]

I really like clone recipes because I do not have a ton of time to brew. So I like knowing that what im getting is a tried and true recipe that I know I will enjoy.