Arrogant Bastard extract clone - results are in

[donosborn]

First of all, here are a couple old threads that document the recipe formulation.
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=14930
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=14104

Second of all, here is my hybrid recipe that I ended up using:
http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/Beer_Log2005.htm

I did my side-by-side taste test last night and I was very impressed (with both beers. ha).

Here are my notes:

Stone AB:
Color is a deep ruby red, almost brown, pretty clear.
Head pretty foamy, retains itself fairly well but eventually dissipates.
Fair grassy hop aroma. Whiffs of malt and sort of a hint of alcohol.
Somewhat oily mouthfeel, with a deep backbone of bitterness. Tastes like some pretty high alpha hops, and could very well be Chinook like my clone recipe uses. Bitter finish lingers. Full mouthfeel including solid, firm malt flavor. Balance leans slightly towards the bitter.


Homebrew:
Color is just about the same as Stone. In fact, I don't know if you could distinguish the two brews based on color alone.
About the same head retention. Around five minutes after pouring a generous head, both beers have only a couple millimeters left.
Not a lot of hop aroma. I would say perhaps slightly more attention to the aroma hop would make it closer to Stone's. Mine might have had more aroma earlier but it has been in the keg for coming up on 2 months.
A similar oily mouthfeel to Stone. Also, a deep, similar grassy bitterness. Based on a side by side comparison, I could believe that Stone uses Chinook hops. I would say mine is perhaps the slightest bit less bitter. If I could have boiled another gallon perhaps it would be slightly more bitter (I do about a 2.75 gallon boil).

As they warm, the homebrew gets a little smoother around the edges while the Stone retains it bitter edge.

Overall, I have to say, this is a very close approximation of the real thing. I'm drinking a 22 oz Stone bomber side by side with about 20 oz of my homebrew. (Yeah, I'll be feeling good pretty soon). This and the Three Floyd's Alpha King clone I've done are the closest to the original clone recipes that I have made.

[Cornelius]

Looks excellent! AB might have slightly darker head, but could just be the picture, and I only point it out because otherwise it looks perfect. Sounds like you've got a winner!

I shouldn't read these types of posts so early. Still hours to go until beer time...

[jjr0319]

as mentioned before, i use your homebrew log for a lot of my recipes. ive been anxiously waiting for the AB clone results. can't wait to make it.

thanks a lot.

[Gmku]

Dono, I also refer to your brew log quite a bit. I'm still strictly going with NB kits at this point, but I find it very helpful to refer to the kits you've made and see how your process and results match mine.

Way to go with the AB!

[Darth Brewer]

Dang Don? Did you drink all of that AB (real and hb) by yourself? I bet you were feeling pretty good after approx 40oz of an 8% beer.


***EDIT***
After reading the entire msg, I see that not only did you have the 22oz or the real AB, but you had 20oz of your own. Great Job! However, the question of how you felt after, is yet to be answered.

[HausFixr]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I can't wait to try it out...

Have you recovered from your hangover yet?

[dpippel]

Thanks a million for posting your recipe and results. I've been looking for a good extract/partial mash AB clone for a while and will give yours a shot on my next brewday.

Quick question for you - you list Special-B as 147L, but NB lists theirs (Dingeman's) as only 115L. Did you use a different variety?

[donosborn]

Quick question for you - you list Special-B as 147L, but NB lists theirs (Dingeman's) as only 115L. Did you use a different variety?

That's a good question. I try to record what I actually used, and then specify if it was different than what the recipe I was working from called for. NB might have kinds that they don't list(?) I think that whatever I listed is what I used. Otherwise what has happened sometimes is I work with an employee there to get the closest approximation as to what I am trying to get.

[donosborn]

Dang Don? Did you drink all of that AB (real and hb) by yourself? I bet you were feeling pretty good after approx 40oz of an 8% beer.

It was a dirty job but... yes. Actually, I spaced it out over nearly 3 hours so it was fairly leisurely. I kept some in the fridge for my 2nd dose.

No hangovers this time!

[bucko]

Not to hijack this, but did you pick up the AB locally?

[donosborn]

Not to hijack this, but did you pick up the AB locally?

No. It's not available around here.

http://stonebrew.com/about_us/distributors/index.html

[bucko]

Didn't think so, but it's always good to check.

[dpippel]

That's a good question. I try to record what I actually used, and then specify if it was different than what the recipe I was working from called for. NB might have kinds that they don't list(?) I think that whatever I listed is what I used. Otherwise what has happened sometimes is I work with an employee there to get the closest approximation as to what I am trying to get.

Thanks for the info Don. I'll have to mix and match a bit to get the right SRM, but that's no big deal. I can't wait to give this brew a try. AB is one of my staple beers and it'll be an accomplishment for me if I can get close.

[jjr0319]

hey don -
what time did you add your last addition of chinook? im assuming aroma means at flame out, but i just want to verify.
thanks again

[donosborn]

hey don -
what time did you add your last addition of chinook? im assuming aroma means at flame out, but i just want to verify.
thanks again

I probably boiled them for the last 2 min. That is usually what I do. You could add them at flame out too.