Real Guinness Clone

[esclavosoy]

About 10 years ago I was in Ireland for a few weeks and had lots of good Guinness. I even had a factory tour and had one at their sky bar. It was a heavenly experience. When I came home, I realize Guinness and Heineken in Europe taste an AMAZINGLY better there than here.

So based on that, do you guys know of a clone that tastes as good as Guinness in Ireland than a Guinness here.

BTW I’ve had all versions of Guinness here but nothing compares.

Looking for extract version but i guess i could convert it.

Thanks,

Gabriel

[harpdog]

THE SECRET IS HERE:

The Simpsons

[dmtaylo2]

I haven’t brewed this one yet, but based on research it should come really really close.

Dave’s Guinness Clone
5 gallons

OG=1.044
ABV=4.2%
IBU=36
SRM=33

6.5 lb Maris Otter
1 lb flaked barley
1 lb roasted barley
1.75 oz E. Kent Goldings (5% alpha, 60 minutes)
Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

Smack your yeast pack a couple days before you brew. Mash crushed grains and flakes at 150 F for 1 hour. Boil with hops for 1 hour. Ferment ~10 days at 65 F or until finished. Carbonate on the low end – prime with just 1/2 cup cane sugar for 5 gallons. Pour straight down the glass to get a big head on it.

For an extract version, you probably can just throw out the flaked barley (don’t use it or the beer will turn out starchy and milky), and substitute the Maris Otter malt for 3.3 lb light LME and 1.5 lb light DME. Then just steep the 1 lb roasted barley (crushed) while bringing 6 gallons water up to a boil – when the temperature hits about 170 F, remove the grain bag, then boil and add hops as normal. You could also do a concentrated boil if you wish, adding maybe just the DME up front then the LME in the last 15 minutes of the boil. Carbonation instructions stay the same – carbonate low. Guinness is actually a very flat beer – all the carbonation leaves the beer and goes straight into making the creamy head.

Best of luck to you. If you try this recipe, either all-grain or extract, please let me know how it turns out.

[brew_meister_smith]

[quote=“dmtaylo2”]I haven’t brewed this one yet, but based on research it should come really really close.

Dave’s Guinness Clone
5 gallons

OG=1.044
ABV=4.2%
IBU=36
SRM=33

6.5 lb Maris Otter
1 lb flaked barley
1 lb roasted barley
1.75 oz E. Kent Goldings (5% alpha, 60 minutes)
Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

.[/quote]

This looks like it would give you what you are looking for. I think the true Guiness grist is 10% roast / 20% Flaked / 70% Pale Ale malt (I use Marris Otter). Will never be exactly Guiness, but it will be much more like the Irish version. One of the easiest beer styles to produce at a high level. 10% flaked should work fine, but I usually go at least 15%. Went 25% once and found it a little hard to work with.

[the_professor]

First thing to do is decide is which Guinness you’d like to replicate. I’m guessing by your story that you’re shooting for the “draught” version (sometimes folks do forget that the Guinness served on draught is by design a lighter version of ‘real’ Guinness).

But you won’t authentically get the flavor of any of the Guinness stouts unless you add some soured, vatted brew to the finished product, or at the very least, a touch of lactic acid. The resulting slightly sour ‘tang’ is one of the most important characteristics of Guinness which, as far as I’m concerned, is still the definitive and best benchmark example of ‘stout’ in general.

[pietro]

[quote=“The Professor”]

But you won’t authentically get the flavor of any of the Guinness stouts unless you add some soured, vatted brew to the finished product, or at the very least, a touch of lactic acid. The resulting slightly sour ‘tang’ is one of the most important characteristics of Guinness which, as far as I’m concerned, is still the definitive and best benchmark example of ‘stout’ in general.[/quote]

I’ve heard the same thing, but wouldn’t a low percentage of acid malt work? I can’t imagine that Guinness is actually still blending soured/vatted brew to the beer.

[the_professor]

[quote=“Pietro”][quote=“The Professor”]

But you won’t authentically get the flavor of any of the Guinness stouts unless you add some soured, vatted brew to the finished product, or at the very least, a touch of lactic acid. The resulting slightly sour ‘tang’ is one of the most important characteristics of Guinness which, as far as I’m concerned, is still the definitive and best benchmark example of ‘stout’ in general.[/quote]

I’ve heard the same thing, but wouldn’t a low percentage of acid malt work? I can’t imagine that Guinness is actually still blending soured/vatted brew to the beer.[/quote]

Right…no definitive answer about continuation of the soured addition at St James’ Gate. They may have abandoned that practice and use another method of achieving that distinctive characteristic. I only mention it because that’s how it was traditionally done and at was the original source of the subtle sour tang that Guinness still has. The percentage of soured beer added would be fairly small, so while I share your doubts about Guinness continuing that process, it would likely still be possible even on the massive scale on which the company brews.

For a while, I had a keg of soured ale that I was using for blending into my stout. These days, I find that a bit of lactic acid added to the brew (post ferment) pretty much does the same trick.

[pkrone]

How much is “a bit”?

[2me]

i have a guinness clone i have been making for years. Similar to Dave’s except up the amount of Kent Goldings to 4oz, add 4 oz of saur malt to the mash, and i use S-04. Comes out pretty good with just a slight tang to it.

[esclavosoy]

For your help, I’ll give this a shot. I’ll probably brew this in Oct.

BTW I had it on tap at their factory skybar so I’m guessing it was draught?

[sa_brew]

I have read that they add 3% soured ale. I have kept 4% out of the main fermenter, but left it in a bowl covered with cheese cloth to keep out bugs. I did pitch yeast into the bowl. This beer did develop a Brett character and was very tangy. At bottling time, I heated the soured beer to 170 for about 20 min and added it to the bottling bucket with the clean, fermented stout. It made a nice stout, but I don’t know that it added that much character. I have not done that for many years.

I like to add 5% crystal and 15% flaked. I think the crystal adds a bit of complexity and drinkability. An English, pro-brewer friend tasted my stout without it and suggested adding the crystal. I tried it and liked it better. Also, go with English roasted barley. The Briess RB is too light. It tastes good. It just looks like porter.