
I received an email this morning from her with these simple words: "All I'm saying is . . . My birthday is in May." followed by a link to a HBT thread on a Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale clone.
Hint taken, and challenge accepted.
I've never cloned a brew before, although I have brewed recipes offered by others as "clones" with varied results. From the discussion in the thread she linked, it sound like this recipe--while yielding a very good brown ale--does not produce an exact clone. Since this is a special request from a personal VIP, I am going to do my homework. I want a dead ringer.
In Sam Calagione's book "Extreme Brewing," a clone recipe is offered for Indian Brown. Since this recipe is not only extract, but also partial boil, I will not be using it. Still, straight from the "horse's mouth" seems like a good place to start, and there are definitely a few data points here that are useful:
OG: 1.070
FG: 1.015
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 50
The recipe in "Extreme" also provides hints toward an ingredient bill. The recipe lists "British" Amber Malt, Crystal 60L, Light Chocolate Malt, and Roasted Barley. Hops indicated are Warrior and Vanguard. Dark brown sugar and ringwood ale yeast round out the ingredient list here.
I picked up a 6-pack of DFH IBA this afternoon (hey, gotta be thorough in my research, right?) The bottle validates the 7.2% ABV and 50 IBUs. The "marketing" on the six pack yields three possible clues not found in "Extreme": "brewed with aromatic malt," "caramelized brown sugar," and "dry hopped." By aromatic malt, are they referring specifically to Belgian Aromatic, or just offering a description of the malts used? And how do they caramelize the sugar??
The DFH website offers little more in the way of information, but there are two subtle clues on their IBA page. DFH describes their IBA as having "characteristics of each style that inspired it: the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regimen of an India Pale Ale." Hmm... the caramel notes of Scotch Ale, one of the styles that inspired it? Could be a little kettle caramelization contributing to the flavor profile? Many home brew recipes for Scotch Ales call for a portion of the wort to be removed from the boil and reduced down in a separate pot to create that caramelization. Could play an important role in this recipe. Wonder if this might also provide the means to caramelize the brown sugar?
The website also mentions Aromatic barley (this time with a capital 'A'). Probably not just a descriptor, but reference to a specific malt. A quick Google search for "aromatic barley" leads me to this maltster's website. Looks like up to 5% Aromatic barley may be another missing link.
I think this is a good start. Tomorrow I'll begin playing around with it in BeerSmith. Tonight, I guess I should probably explore what clues I can find inside the bottle . . .
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