Best Clone Beer You Have Made?

[johnnyplatt]

I used to be really into making clone beers - mostly with kits from a certain Hop Shop in Worcestershire.

I was wondering what the best clone beer anyone made was?

 

[Agentgonzo]

This one. https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/leffe-radieuse-clone.101807/

 

[johnnyplatt]

I can't get on with Leffe ...or rather, it doesn't get on with me!

 

[Clint]

My Tribute...I'm about 10 brews in and it's not bad.
I'm thinking of some micro tweaks.

 

[Appleton Brews]

Five Points Best
Sussex Best
Leffe Blonde

 

[Buffers brewery]

Five Points Best
Sussex Best
Leffe Blonde

Oooo. I’m looking for a Sussex Best (Harveys?) clone. Care to share your recipe please

 

[An Ankoù]

Five Points Best
Sussex Best
Leffe Blonde

Quite a few of you, on both forums make and like the Five-Points. I've tried it a couple of times and found it quite mediocre. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. Never tasted the original, though.
Hmmm, I think I see a pattern. My closest fellow-brewer swears by Sussex Best as nectar of the godless. Ive only tried the bottles and am far from blown away with it. Perhaps it's not my kind of beer.

 

[Appleton Brews]

Oooo. I’m looking for a Sussex Best (Harveys?) clone. Care to share your recipe please

Here it is but someone is bound to say it’s not correct lol.

Malts (3.85 kg)​

3.5 kg (90.9%) — Crisp Finest Maris Otter® Ale Malt — Grain — 3.3 SRM
200 g (5.2%) — Crisp Flaked Torrefied Maize — Grain — 0.3 SRM
150 g (3.9%) — Crisp Medium Crystal 240 — Grain — 135 SRM

Hops (79 g)​

24 g (25 IBU) — Progress 8.1% — Boil — 60 min
25 g (12 IBU) — Bramling Cross 6.5% — Boil — 15 min
15 g (2 IBU) — East Kent Goldings (EKG) 6% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand @ 85 °C
15 g (1 IBU) — Fuggles 4.2% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand @ 85 °C

CML Midland yeast

 

[MickDundee]

I’ve not done many. Summer Lightning from the Graham Wheeler book came out well, and I did the Guinness one too when I was fairly new to AG.

I spent a while trying to perfect my Steam Beer clone but haven’t done it again for about 5 years. I also did a couple of Hobgoblin Gold clones, from before it tasted like any other pale ale.

There are some interesting ones in the new Modern Homebrewer book and I think I’ll do Oakham Green Devil once I’ve done the 4 brews in my stocks.

 

[JockyBrewer]

My best ever clone was a clone of Houblon Chouffe, but if you’re more in to British beers then my ESB clone is dead on if you get the right yeast: https://londonamateurbrewers.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Epsom_Special_Bitter

Ideally find some fresh bottles of 1845 and grow yeast up from there, but otherwise use Brewlabs Thames Valley 3 or in a pinch Imperial A09 Pub.

Don’t use WLP002, Wyeast 1968, or Safale S04. They’re just not the same as the real thing.

 

[An Ankoù]

Here it is but someone is bound to say it’s not correct lol.

Malts (3.85 kg)​

3.5 kg (90.9%) — Crisp Finest Maris Otter® Ale Malt — Grain — 3.3 SRM
200 g (5.2%) — Crisp Flaked Torrefied Maize — Grain — 0.3 SRM
150 g (3.9%) — Crisp Medium Crystal 240 — Grain — 135 SRM

Hops (79 g)​

24 g (25 IBU) — Progress 8.1% — Boil — 60 min
25 g (12 IBU) — Bramling Cross 6.5% — Boil — 15 min
15 g (2 IBU) — East Kent Goldings (EKG) 6% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand @ 85 °C
15 g (1 IBU) — Fuggles 4.2% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand @ 85 °C

CML Midland yeast

It's identical to my recipe so it must be right, except that crisps medium is everyone else's dark crystal. I used 150 ebc. Tried it 3 times with a different yeasts it tasted ok to start with but didn't age well. I didn't like it.
Did you know that Harvey's infect their yeast with a candida strain to stop people harvesting it! Disgusting practice.

Why do you use SRM for grain colour, @Appleton Brews ? We tend to use ebc in these parts.

 

[Clint]

I have the ingredients and yeast in for an old recipe off the forum for Leffe blonde.

 

[Sandimas]

Old Peculier & London Pride are two I keep going back to, both recipes from the Graham Wheeler homebrew book.....which is what Worcs Hop Shop use.

 

[Appleton Brews]

It's identical to my recipe so it must be right, except that crisps medium is everyone else's dark crystal. I used 150 ebc. Tried it 3 times with a different yeasts it tasted ok to start with but didn't age well. I didn't like it.
Did you know that Harvey's infect their yeast with a candida strain to stop people harvesting it! Disgusting practice.

Why do you use SRM for grain colour, @Appleton Brews ? We tend to use ebc in these parts.

Brewfather uses SRM.

 

[Appleton Brews]

I’ve not done many. Summer Lightning from the Graham Wheeler book came out well, and I did the Guinness one too when I was fairly new to AG.

I spent a while trying to perfect my Steam Beer clone but haven’t done it again for about 5 years. I also did a couple of Hobgoblin Gold clones, from before it tasted like any other pale ale.

There are some interesting ones in the new Modern Homebrewer book and I think I’ll do Oakham Green Devil once I’ve done the 4 brews in my stocks.

Yes I forgot to add Summer Lightning wonderful beer.

 

[rybinss]

I used to be really into making clone beers - mostly with kits from a certain Hop Shop in Worcestershire.

I was wondering what the best clone beer anyone made was?

Bathams clone as per Graham Wheeler book brewed with Holdens Brewery yeast. Mirror image of original i.m.o.

 

[dlowe1992]

There are some interesting ones in the new Modern Homebrewer book and I think I’ll do Oakham Green Devil once I’ve done the 4 brews in my stocks

Santa sent me the ‘Modern Homebrewer’.
The recipes have some really good detail in them. The Oakham Green Devil is on my brew list. I want to have a crack at the Jarl recipe as well

 

[Brewshed]

It's identical to my recipe so it must be right, except that crisps medium is everyone else's dark crystal. I used 150 ebc. Tried it 3 times with a different yeasts it tasted ok to start with but didn't age well. I didn't like it.
Did you know that Harvey's infect their yeast with a candida strain to stop people harvesting it! Disgusting practice.

Why do you use SRM for grain colour, @Appleton Brews ? We tend to use ebc in these parts.

I would be very surprised if Harvey's infected their yeast. They used to let people have it for brewing but do not anymore. I used it once and the beer I brewed regularly was quite different, with a distinct Harvey's twang. The yeast is obviously a key to getting the Harvey's flavour.

 

[RichardM]

Bathams clone as per Graham Wheeler book brewed with Holdens Brewery yeast. Mirror image of original i.m.o.

The complete opposite then?

 

[An Ankoù]

I would be very surprised if Harvey's infected their yeast. They used to let people have it for brewing but do not anymore. I used it once and the beer I brewed regularly was quite different, with a distinct Harvey's twang. The yeast is obviously a key to getting the Harvey's flavour.

So would I. It's not clear from this account whether the "background" yeast is only present in the culture for the stout are whether it's part of the house strain. But either way, it's not something I would want to ingest.