American Amber Ale Zach & Jack's African Amber

[GroosBrewz]

I just mashed in on this! I didn't have any crystal 80L, and it was a spur of the moment brewday, so I used 14 ounces of 40L and added 2 ounces of special B. Hopefully, it'll approximate the 80L somewhat, at least in color.

Hey Yoop-

Hows the brew going?? Have you had any samples yet?

I have made 4 batches of this beer up to this point and each has gotten a little better and a little closer to the original.... It is my all time favorite beer to brew and drink.. Have you ever been out to the northwest and tried the real Mac and Jacks African Amber Ale?? Or maybe they have it where you live?

 

[BrewMeister49]

this is my favorite brew. i grew up near the brewery and now that i brew, i keep it on tap alllll the time!!! I follow the AG version of the BYO and you cannot tell the difference at all! I even did a side by side!!

 

[TheAleMaster]

Kind of a newb question, but when you say:

1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)

What does the 0 min mean? Does it mean the hops are adding when the boil is done as the wort is cooling? Or do they go into primary and then the dry hopping is done in the secondary?

 

[humann_brewing]

Kind of a newb question, but when you say:

1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)

What does the 0 min mean? Does it mean the hops are adding when the boil is done as the wort is cooling? Or do they go into primary and then the dry hopping is done in the secondary?

This means when you turn off your burner or heat source for your boil just before you begin to cool your wort.

Some may do a little more by whirlpooling the hops in the hot wort for a few minutes before cooling too.

P.S. This is a great beer

 

[TheAleMaster]

Awesome. I figured as much. Thanks.

I can't wait to try it out.

Thanks again.

 

[GroosBrewz]

I just made my fourth batch of this stuff, tweaking a little here and there every time.. I am still dialing it in, but I believe this is the closest clone yet.. I would say that anyone that tries a different yeast besides a british liquid yeast, will be a little dissapointed.. It still makes great beer, but the yeast makes all the difference in this clone

 

[cjperisho]

Hey Brentk14,

I saw that you took a stab at making Serengeti Wheat. How'd it turn out? Care to share your recipe? I LOVE this beer but can't find it anywhere! GRRR.

Chris

 

[Palefire]

I just cracked this one open last night after 3 weeks primary, 1 week dry-hop, and 4 weeks in bottles. I must say, this is one mighty fine beer. I've never had the original, but based on the three bottles I drank last night, it must be pretty great! Front end is nice and malty and the back end is smooth and hoppy (sure there's a joke in there somewhere). My guess is that over time the malt will become a little more pronounced. It's satisfyingly complex, but easily drinkable ... really a top notch brew.

Only difference from the first recipe on the thread was that I used Galena for the bittering hop, and only dry hopped for a week, but I'm not imagining that those changes made much of a difference. I could see cutting down the hops a bit if that's not your thing, since this one's definitely hoppier than the average amber (though more on the aroma/flavor side than the bittering). But to my tastes it's great.

Going to bring a bunch of these to Thanksgiving dinner next week. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[GroosBrewz]

I just cracked this one open last night after 3 weeks primary, 1 week dry-hop, and 4 weeks in bottles. I must say, this is one mighty fine beer. I've never had the original, but based on the three bottles I drank last night, it must be pretty great! Front end is nice and malty and the back end is smooth and hoppy (sure there's a joke in there somewhere). My guess is that over time the malt will become a little more pronounced. It's satisfyingly complex, but easily drinkable ... really a top notch brew.

Only difference from the first recipe on the thread was that I used Galena for the bittering hop, and only dry hopped for a week, but I'm not imagining that those changes made much of a difference. I could see cutting down the hops a bit if that's not your thing, since this one's definitely hoppier than the average amber (though more on the aroma/flavor side than the bittering). But to my tastes it's great.

Going to bring a bunch of these to Thanksgiving dinner next week. Thanks for the recipe!

Hey Pale-

Your tasting notes sound just like mine.. Very accurate description. I made another batch of this a few months ago (5th attempt) but for some reason there was a lot of diacetyl taste and it wasnt very good... I am going to try attempt #6 this weekend.. Hoping it will be the best yet.. I may try galena in the boil like you did because I have some laying around..

Happy Brewing and thanks for the update!

 

[northernlad]

I must say, this is one mighty fine beer. I've never had the original, but based on the three bottles I drank last night, it must be pretty great!

For me its the best beer you can get on tap. I am 1 week into a clone of it from my LHBS. I cannot wait. It gets pretty old having to pay a premium for it.
Their other beers are good as well. SeaTac Airport has a couple Mac & Jack "Restaurants" that I go to everytime I fly.

 

[GroosBrewz]

For me its the best beer you can get on tap. I am 1 week into a clone of it from my LHBS. I cannot wait. It gets pretty old having to pay a premium for it.
Their other beers are good as well. SeaTac Airport has a couple Mac & Jack "Restaurants" that I go to everytime I fly.

+1 on the best beer available on tap... I LOVE this beer.. Had a couple pitchers with some friends last night at the bowling alley... I didnt even care that I bowled at 54 in the first game :cross:

 

[ReeseAllen]

I brewed it and hit the posted 1.055 OG exactly. I followed the OP recipe, with one exception. The hop schedule posted says:

1.00 oz Centennial (60 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (5 min)
1.50 oz Cascade (0 min)

Instead, I did:

1.00 oz Centennial (60 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (15 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (5 min)

I changed the last two hop additions to 15 and 5 minutes, because I use a hop strainer bag and 0 minutes is always when I pull all the hops out and drain them into the kettle for a minute before I start the chiller.

Also, I decided to dial down the last hop addition a bit, partly because I only wanted to buy one $8 two-ounce bag of Cascades for this brew (must start buying in bulk), and partly because I read some comments in this thread about this recipe turning out a bit hoppier than the real Mac and Jack's.

I may dry hop with 1 oz of amarillo instead of cascade, as well, since I have some fairly fresh amarillo in the fridge that's begging to be used, and I understand they are quite similar.

 

[ftlstrings]

Thanks for posting! Mac and Jacks is a memorably good beer. I was thinking the last time that i had it that there might be some sorgum in the mash...

 

[GroosBrewz]

I brewed it and hit the posted 1.055 OG exactly. I followed the OP recipe, with one exception. The hop schedule posted says:

1.00 oz Centennial (60 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (5 min)
1.50 oz Cascade (0 min)

Instead, I did:

1.00 oz Centennial (60 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (15 min)
1.00 oz Cascade (5 min)

I changed the last two hop additions to 15 and 5 minutes, because I use a hop strainer bag and 0 minutes is always when I pull all the hops out and drain them into the kettle for a minute before I start the chiller.

Also, I decided to dial down the last hop addition a bit, partly because I only wanted to buy one $8 two-ounce bag of Cascades for this brew (must start buying in bulk), and partly because I read some comments in this thread about this recipe turning out a bit hoppier than the real Mac and Jack's.

I may dry hop with 1 oz of amarillo instead of cascade, as well, since I have some fairly fresh amarillo in the fridge that's begging to be used, and I understand they are quite similar.

Sounds like it will be great! Be sure to post your tasting notes! Curious if the amarillos will be discernible from the cascades.. Nice job on the OG!! Wish I could hit my OG more regularly..

 

[ReeseAllen]

I dry-hopped my batch today with 1 oz of cascades after 12 days of fermentation. I plan to bottle at the three week mark, SG readings permitting.

 

[displacedyoop]

Brewing this recip right now I made a few minor changes. 2 lbs Munich and 3/4 pils. I am also going to use two packets of s-04. Only using 3 oz hops maybe dry hop in secondary, not sure I'll give it a taste test to decide. I also did a three step mash like I do for my other brown ales. 130-150-155. I'll post more later

 

[lower1310]

I just harvested yeast from a growler of Mac and Jacks and manny's pale ale, I am planing on trying this recipe with both yeast in 2 separate 5 gallon batches. Curious to see the differences.

 

[GroosBrewz]

I just harvested yeast from a growler of Mac and Jacks and manny's pale ale, I am planing on trying this recipe with both yeast in 2 separate 5 gallon batches. Curious to see the differences.

Sweet! I never thought about harvesting the yeast! Be sure to let us know how it turns out!

 

[lower1310]

working on my batch, with Mac and jacks yeast, it is being pitched this afternoon.

 

[GroosBrewz]

working on my batch, with Mac and jacks yeast, it is being pitched this afternoon.

Nice.. I am very curious how this turns out for you. Good luck!

 

[jjbrew]

I just brewed the second batch of the Mac and Jack and it turned out great! I switched up a few things this time and I think it turned out a little better. First I changed to Cailiforina Ale Yeast because i thought the Safale gave a little to dry taste at the end and the Cali gave more mouthful at the end. I also changed the Hop at the end of the boil. I went Cent. in a Hopburst of .5oz at 25,20,15,10,5 and no dry hop and it turned out great! This is a great beer that I will keep on tap alot.

 

[lower1310]

So, I am still in the middle of fermentation with the Mac and Jacks yeast. My basement was a little cooler than I thought at around 59 degrees, and after two and a half weeks my SG was still at 1.031, so I moved it to a warmer place and have had fermentation significantly pick up. The manny yeast has gone bezerk in the warmer temperatures. I have a second krausen, and expect it to be done in the next day or so. I'll let you now how it works out.

 

[lower1310]

So I have finally Kegged and finished my experiment with Mac and Jacks yeast. In the experiment I harvested both Mac and Jacks and manny's yeast.

Let me tell you the Mac and Jacks yeast is clearly one of the defining factors with this beer. I had fairly low fermentation temperatures, and it stalled around 1.030, so I hit it with some more yeast which brought it down to 1.019. And as my wife pointed out, in comparison to other beers, it is clearly Mac and Jacks. The yeast is the defining character here. I was able to fairly mimic Mac and Jacks and in a test it was clear they were almost exactly the same.

Since the initial brew, someone who claims they know so Mac and Jacks has some wheat in it, so I have redone the experiment using the same grain bill with a pound of flaked wheat to see what will happen. I'm curious to see if it changes, but I expect the character to be very similar. The yeast is the key to this one.

 

[GroosBrewz]

So I have finally Kegged and finished my experiment with Mac and Jacks yeast. In the experiment I harvested both Mac and Jacks and manny's yeast.

Let me tell you the Mac and Jacks yeast is clearly one of the defining factors with this beer. I had fairly low fermentation temperatures, and it stalled around 1.030, so I hit it with some more yeast which brought it down to 1.019. And as my wife pointed out, in comparison to other beers, it is clearly Mac and Jacks. The yeast is the defining character here. I was able to fairly mimic Mac and Jacks and in a test it was clear they were almost exactly the same.

Since the initial brew, someone who claims they know so Mac and Jacks has some wheat in it, so I have redone the experiment using the same grain bill with a pound of flaked wheat to see what will happen. I'm curious to see if it changes, but I expect the character to be very similar. The yeast is the key to this one.

thats great news! congrats on a brew well done! Guess I will have to learn some yeast harvesting techniques for my next batch of this one!

 

[ftlstrings]

does anybody know the strain of yeast that they use in the brewery? It's not too possible for me to go grab a growler to harvest yeast from, but I CAN go to my LHBS to get yeast!

 

[GroosBrewz]

does anybody know the strain of yeast that they use in the brewery? It's not too possible for me to go grab a growler to harvest yeast from, but I CAN go to my LHBS to get yeast!

I don't know what they use at the brewery (I wish I did) for sure.. It's probably some proprietary strain.. The BYO magazine clone for this brew calls for White Labs or Wyeast British Ale yeast..

 

[lower1310]

From what I have heard it is a mutated version of american ale, but I have also heard thames valley, so who knows. It is a proprietary strain, and with my limited experience I haven't found any that replicate the flavor well.

 

[Espi]

brewed this today... time will tell. This is my first brew crushing my own grain... my eff. went up. Way up!

been at 68% with the brew store crush... ended up about 77% with my mill.


I will report back in a month...

 

[GroosBrewz]

brewed this today... time will tell. This is my first brew crushing my own grain... my eff. went up. Way up!

been at 68% with the brew store crush... ended up about 77% with my mill.


I will report back in a month...

A little late in coming, but congrats with the increased efficiency! I know what an awesome feeling that is to all the sudden start hitting your targets, after missing them over and over. How did this beer turn out?

 

[GermanBlood]

Hi, I tried to make a partial mash based off of this receipe, with the following modifications:

2.5 lbs Gold LME

Partial Mash @148-160 degrees for 1 hr:
5 lbs Pale 2-row
1 lb Crystal 80L
0.5 lb CaraPils
1 lb Munich 10L

1 oz Chinook @ 45 min
0.5 oz Cascade @ 15 min
0.5 oz Cascade @ 5 min

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale


Followed all the typical process I have been doing for partial mashing before, but after a long wait time (over a month since brew day) the beer just isn't tasting "good". Seems "cloying", or a "bad bitter" not the hop-bitterness type of flavour. Could the type of yeast I used make this strange taste?

Only other thing I'm guessing is the Chinook Hop package was opened (in the freezer with a paperclip) for about 8 months, but I doubt that was really the factor. All grain was freshly ground before mashing.

Suggestions on where my receipe may have gone wrong?

Thanks...

PS - posted in main forum at:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/help-recipe-200402/#post2334990