I recently brewed a Pliny clone, which turned out pretty well. By fortunate coincidence, a local store (the amazingLiquorama) regularly has Russian River products, including Pliny. As an aside, if you are in the general Claremont/Upland/Rancho area, and if you are a beer (or liquor) geek, I absolutely encourage you to check out Liquorama. They have an amazing local and regional craft beer selection, and they properly store their beer at cold temperatures. They very consistently have fresh Pliny (and other great RR beers like Blind Pig and STS Pils), which is an incredible treat. I always end up walking out with waaaay more than I intended to purchase.
In any case, I thought it would be fun to do a head-to-head comparison of my Pliny versus the actual Pliny. The real Pliny was bottled on February 4, which is three weeks before this tasting. My beer was kegged on 21 January, so mine is slightly older, but not by much.
So, let’s do a direct comparison!
Pliny vs. Pliny — my clone version is on the left
Appearance
My version is very slightly darker, and clearer. The Russian River (RR) version had a slight bit of hop debris (a common issue with their bottled beer if it has been agitated, as happened when I transported it home). My version had a slightly more persistent head.
Appearance Winner: The Clone
Aroma
The RR version is absolutely better, with a more “fresh” orange/citrus hop aroma at the forefront. I definitely pick up the Simcoe hops, which I don’t get from my version.
Aroma Winner: RR
Flavor
Both beers are equally smooth. Mine has a touch more malt character, but the RR version has a touch more citrus/Simcoe flavor.
Flavor Winner: RR (but it’s very close)
Mouthfeel
Both are pretty equivalent, in terms of body, carbonation, and mouthfeel.
Mouthfeel Winner: A draw
Overall
RR’s authentic Pliny has just a touch better hop aroma and flavor, so I give a slight edge to the “real deal.” It’s most apparent in the aroma (and slightly in the flavor), where the Simcoe is more prominent. If I were to do mine again, I would swap the quantities of CTZ and Simcoe. My version had 1 oz. Simcoe, 3 oz. CTZ and 1 oz. Centennial; for a future version, I would do 3 oz. Simcoe, 1 oz. CTZ, and 1 oz. Centennial, to (hopefully) better match the original.
There is a reason why Pliny the Elder is a classic, and it’s super apparent when I do this tasting. It is just a nice beer! My clone comes close, but doesn’t quite hit the mark. Time to rebrew, I suppose!
I don’t often get beer kits, because I usually find it easier and cheaper to assemble a recipe on my own and also because kits tend to sit around on store shelves with pre-milled grains and old hops. However, I couldn’t resist getting the Pliny the Elder clone kit from MoreBeer, when it went on sale recently. I did a “homegrown” Pliny clone awhile back, and it was OK but not outstanding. So, I decided to give this recipe family another try.
I augmented the kit slightly, because the provided packages of Magnum were ridiculously low alpha–only 2.3% according to the package! I didn’t know that this variety even came so low, and I needed some “real” Magnum from my personal stash to augment things.
For this batch, I also decided to really pay attention to my handling of the beer. Every transfer was closed, and everything was kept either cool or cold, depending on the stage of the process. The end results were definitely worth it!
Pliny the Elder Clone: The MoreBeer Edition
13 lb. 2-row malt (Briess)
1 lb. Carapils malt (Briess)
4 oz. Caramel 40L malt (Briess)
2 oz. Cascade hop pellets (7.3% alpha), added to mash
2 oz. Magnum hop pellets (2.3% alpha), 90 minute boil
2 oz. Magnum hop pellets (10.1% alpha), 90 minute boil
1 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (12.9% alpha), 45 minute boil
1 oz. CTZ hop pellets (14.4% alpha), 30 minute boil
1 lb. corn sugar, 10 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
1 tsp. yeast nutrient (WLN1000), 50 minute boil
2 oz. Centennial hop pellets (9.9% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool
1 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (12.9% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool
2 pkg. American West Coast ale yeast BRY-97 (Lallemand)
3 oz. CTZ hop pellets (14.4% alpha), dry hop in keg
1 oz. Centennial hop pellets (9.9% alpha), dry hop in keg
1 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (12.9% alpha), dry hop in keg
Target Parameters
1.073 o.g., 1.011 f.g., 8.3% abv, 165 IBU
Claremont tap water, adjusted to achieve target water profile of 66 ppm Ca, 22 ppm Mg, 91 ppm Na, 204 ppm SO4, 85 ppm
Full volume mash, with 90 minutes at 151°.
Procedure
I mashed in with 7.1 gallons of water at 159°, to hit a mash temperature of 151°. I added 8 mL of 88% lactic acid, to adjust the pH. I held at 151° and recirculated for 90 minutes, before mashing out at 168° for 10 minutes. Then, I pulled the grain basket and sparged with 1 gallon of hot water.
In total, I collected 7 gallons of runnings at a gravity of 1.055, for 74% mash efficiency. For high gravity beers, a small sparge really makes a difference on the Anvil.
I added 5 g of gypsum and 5 g of epsom salts to the kettle, to hit my target water profile.
I boiled the runnings for 90 minutes, adding hops and finings and such per the recipe.
After 90 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled to 65°, before transferring to the fermenter.
I pitched the yeast, and set the beer to ferment at 66°.
I brewed the beer on 27 December 2021. I pulled it to ambient (58 to 60°) on 8 January 2022.
On 15 January 2022, I did a closed transfer of the beer into a purged keg for dry hopping quickly popping the lid to throw in the loose hops. I used a hop screen on the floating dip tube.
On 21 January 2022, I transferred from the dry hopping keg into a purged serving keg, and then carbonated. I lost probably close to a gallon of hop sludge.
The beer started out fairly hazy, but was reasonably clear within a few weeks.
Starting gravity was 1.070, and final gravity was 1.013, for 7.7% abv.
Tasting
Appearance
Pours with a creamy, off-white and persistent head with very nice lacing. The beer is gold, with a very slight haze.
Aroma
Citrus at the front, with a light herbal and grassy character behind that.
Flavor
Hops! Bitter! There is a real orange hop quality, with in-your-face bitterness. Hops are quite high (as expected), with not much for malt character against the hops. The yeast character is very clean; I’m happy with the fermentation on this one.
Mouthfeel
Medium body, off-dry extended finish with very slight astringency. Moderate carbonation.
Would I brew this again?
Yes! I am really pleased with this…it’s a great double IPA. The hop character is excellent. I could do without the slight chill haze, but otherwise the beer is awesome, and not a bad approximation of Pliny. I could probably reduce the dry hop length to only two or three days (rather than six), to hopefully reduce the slight astringency.
As part of a general interest in brewing session beers, I recently tried my hand at a dark mild. Thanks to Ron Pattinson’s excellent work on historic English brewing, I’ve learned that the original dark milds were in fact beyond session strength, and have evolved to be low alcohol. Either way, the modern take is supposed to be a style that is full of flavor and light on ethanol.
My particular version was formulated after looking at a few other recipes, with consideration of what supplies I had on hand. Conveniently, I had some Maris Otter to finish out, and a few other English malts. I had planned on using a packet of English ale yeast from Cellar Science, but it just so happened that I kegged an oatmeal stout right before brewing the mild. Because the stout used Nottingham yeast, I decided to pitch the mild directly onto the yeast cake (after removing a cup or two, to reduce the potential effects of overpitching). I’ll admit this strategy also served my laziness, because then I didn’t have to completely clean and sanitize a new fermenter right in the midst of the brewing process.
To go for a more “authentic” cask-like serving style, I carbonated the beer to only 2.0 volumes. My keezer is set a bit cooler than ideal (~40°), so flavors don’t really start to pop until the beer warms.
Dark Mild 2021
6.75 lb. Finest Maris Otter ale malt (Crisp)
0.5 lb. crystal 75 (Bairds)
0.25 lb. Carafa Special I (Weyermann)
0.25 lb. coffee malt (Simpsons)
2 oz. black malt (Briess)
0.75 oz. East Kent Goldings hop pellets (5.0% alpha), 60 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
Nottingham ale yeast (Lallemand), pitched onto partial yeast cake from previous batch
Target Parameters
1.036 o.g., 1.010 f.g., 3.3% abv, 20 IBU, 20 SRM
Mash held at 156° for 60 minutes, and 10 minute mash-out at 168°
Claremont tap water, treated with Campden tablet
Procedure
I heated 6.75 gallons of water to 161°, and mashed in with the grains to hit a temperature of 156°. I added 5 mL of 88% lactic acid to hit ~5.35 pH (estimated), and held at 156° with recirculation for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, I raised the mash temperature to 168° for 10 minutes, and then removed the grains.
In total, I collected 6.1 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.035, for 73% mash efficiency.
I boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled down to pitching temperature (~68°).
Starting gravity was 1.040, a bit higher than targeted.
I transferred the beer onto the yeast cake from my previous batch of Eagle Face Oatmeal Stout. Prior to transfer, I removed ~2 cups of yeast in order to avoid overpitching.
Once the yeast was pitched, I sealed up the fermenter and moved it indoors to ferment at ambient of around 65°.
I brewed the beer on 11 December 2021, and kegged it on 26 December 2021
Final gravity was 1.020, for 2.6% abv. I carbonated to around 2.0 volumes. Within about a week of kegging, the beer had dropped completely clear.
Tasting
Appearance
Pours with a light tan head that rapidly disperses; the beer itself is pretty clear and a deep mahogany in color.
Aroma
Light chocolate and coffee on the nose, and no major yeast character.
Flavor
Coffee and dark chocolate and some faint roasted notes, and a bit of biscuit character in the malt. There is faint dried stone fruit quality in the yeast. Bitterness is low, and the finish very much tips towards the malt.
Mouthfeel
Light body, low carbonation, off-dry finish with very slight astringency.
Would I brew this again?
I really like this beer! For such a low alcohol brew, it packs a really punch of malt character. It is eminently drinkable, but also very interesting in flavor. I wouldn’t mind a little more yeast character, perhaps some extra fruity notes, but that is a fairly minor critique. I may well try this recipe again, and will certainly brew a dark mild again. It is a style with a fair bit of latitude, which is worth exploring.
I often make a special, small-batch beer for Christmas, something that’s rich and high alcohol and perfect for cold (southern California) evenings next to the fire. For the 2021 edition, I threw together a Belgian-style winter warmer. I wanted a rich, sumptuous malt backbone, and to let the fermentation add any spice, rather than using actual species. I used up a few ingredients on-hand, which just happened to be perfect for my vision of the beer.
Winter Dream Ale
8 lb. Vienna malt (Weyermann)
1.25 lb. Munich light malt (Chateau)
11 oz. Special B malt (Dingemans)
4 oz. Crystal 120 malt (Great Western)
0.75 oz. Magnum hop pellets (10.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
1.5 g yeast nutrient (WLN1000, White Labs)
8 oz. honey, add to flameout
2 pkg. Abbay Belgian ale yeast (Lallemand)
Target Parameters
1.086 o.g., 1.018 f.g., 9.2% abv, 22 IBU, 22 SRM
Mash held at 150° for 60 minutes, and 10 minute mash-out at 168°, with ~0.75 gallon sparge
Claremont tap water
Procedure
I heated 4.5 gallons of water to 159°, and added the grains to hit a mash temperature of 150°. I held here (with recirculation) for 60 minutes, before raising the temperature to 168° and holding there for 10 minutes. Then, I removed the grain basket and sparged with 0.75 gallons of hot water.
I collected 4.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.060, for 71% mash efficiency.This was a good efficiency but too high of a volume. So, I boiled for an extra 30 minutes before adding hops.
After 30 minutes of boiling, I added the hops, honey, and finings per the recipe, boiling for an addition 60 minutes.
Starting gravity was 1.076; this was a bit short of the recipe, but I didn’t worry about it too much.
I chilled to 80°, transferred to the fermenter, and let the wort chill overnight before pitching the yeast.
I brewed the beer on 12 October 2021, and pitched the yeast on 13 October 2021.
I fermented at 65°, and raised the beer to 70° (free rise) on 20 October 2021, to help the yeast ferment out.
I kegged the beer on 5 November 2021. Final gravity was 1.020, for 7.5% abv.
Tasting
Appearance
Deep reddish amber and very clear; there is a persistent and creamy ivory head.
Aroma
Spicy aroma, with a bit of caramel and dried dark fruit.
Flavor
Wonderfully rich! There is a caramel and toffee malt character with a bit of dried fruit and sweet candy. A bready malt quality sneaks up behind that. Bitterness is moderate, and the yeast character has a slightly spicy quality. Fermentation quality is really nice, and I dodged any hot alcohol character.
Mouthfeel
Medium body, with medium-high carbonation and a smooth finish. The body is maybe a little thinner than I had envisioned.
Would I brew this again?
I am really, really happy with the results in this recipe. It absolutely hit the rich, complex qualities I wanted, and is highly drinkable. The fermentation quality is perfect too! The only minor ding is that starting gravity was a touch low, which decreases the body a little, but I think that worked out okay in the end. I would rather the body be somewhat thin, than the beer be too sweet and cloying.
I’m still working my way through the world of German beer, and there is no shortage of varieties to try. Although kellerbier isn’t necessarily a discrete style (just being vaguely young lager), I wanted to give it a go. I also wanted to use up some ingredients. How convenient!
I aimed for an amber kellerbier, with a rich and malty character. I had some Munich malt to finish, as well as Vienna malt. A little bit of melanoidin (Great Western’s Mela malt, in this case) went in to raise the maltiness bar, and I used some Carafa Special II for color adjustment. Spalt hops are apparently somewhat traditional; I had a little bit to use up, so in they went too.
The name of “Dimorphos Kellerbier” is after the smaller member of the 65803 Didymos asteroid system. Coincidentally, it’s also part of the root for the pterosaur Dimorphodon, which appealed to my paleontological side. In any case, Dimorphos is the planned target for the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, in which the orbit of the asteroid will be changed very slightly through impact by a satellite. It’s testing technology that may be used to save Earth from an asteroid impact someday, which I can definitely support as a paleontologist. The mission launched on November 24, and I was just a few miles from the launchpad to see the satellite head into the great beyond. It was a pretty incredible experience, and one worth commemorating with a beer batch!
The DART mission on its way to its rendevous with Dimorphos and Didymos, during its launch with a Falcon 9 rocket on November 24, 2022. The ring represents clouds pushed aside by the shock wave of the rocket’s passage; the rocket itself is the bright object in the middle of the photo, with the exhaust plume to the left of the image.
For many of my beers, I write up the tasting notes after a few weeks on tap. This gives the beer chance to mature, and allows me to figure out the character of the beer. This time, I wrote up the tasting on my very first glass out of the keg. Because the style is supposed to be served young, I figured I didn’t gain anything by waiting. It also gave me a chance to provide first impressions, before I’ve had a chance to talk myself into a particular opinion about the beer.
Dimorphos Kellerbier
5 lb. 1 oz. Vienna malt (Weyermann)
3 lb. 12 oz. pilsner malt (Viking)
15 oz. Munich I malt (Weyermann)
4 oz. Mela malt (Great Western)
2 oz. Carafa Special II malt (Weyermann)
0.5 oz. Magnum hop pellets (10.1% alpha), first wort hop and 60 minute boil
1 oz. Spalt hop pellets (3.0% alpha), 20 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
1 oz. Spalt hop pellets (3.0% alpha), 5 minute boil
2 pkg. Diamond lager dry yeast (Lallemand)
Target Parameters
1.049 o.g., 1.007 f.g., 5.5% abv, 28 IBU, 10 SRM
Full volume Hochkurz mash, held at 144° for 45 minutes, 160° for 45 minutes, and 10 minute mash-out at 168°
Claremont tap water
Procedure
I mashed in with 7 gallons of water at 149°, adding 6 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the pH. This hit an initial rest temperature of 144°, which I held for 45 minutes with recirculation.
Next, I raised the mash (while recirculating) to 160°, and held it here for 45 minutes.
Finally, I raised the mash temperature to 168°, and held it there for 10 minutes before removing the grain basket.
In total, I collected 6.4 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.045, for 77% mash efficiency. The Hochkurz mash protocol seems to do well for efficiency!
I brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe.
After a 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat and chilled to 70°, before transferring to the fermenter.
I brewed this beer on 22 November 2021, and let it sit overnight in the fermentation chamber to get down to my target temperature of 50°. I pitched the yeast on the morning of 23 November 2021.
Starting gravity was 1.050.
I raised the fermenter to 52° on 24 November 2021, to 54° on 28 November 2021, 56° on 1 December 2021, and let it free rise to 60° on 3 December 2021.
On 6 December 2021, I started to cycle down the temperature, lowering it by 5° to 10° daily (sometimes dropping 5° in the morning and 5° in the evening). It was down to 34° on 9 December.
I kegged the beer on 11 December 2021, and force carbonated it.
Final gravity was 1.013, which equates to 4.9% abv.
Tasting
Appearance
Deep copper beer with a slight haze; very persistent ivory head
Aroma
Bready, malty aroma with a slight bread crust character and a slight spicy hop character. Yeast character is very clean.
Flavor
Rich and very pleasant maltiness. Moderate bitterness with a spicy, slightly herbal quality. Clean yeast character.
Mouthfeel
Medium body, medium-low carbonation. Smooth, very slightly dry finish with extended bitterness.
Would I Brew This Again?
Yes! This is like tearing off a piece of warm, crusty bread pulled straight from the oven, and popping it into your mouth. There is so much awesome malt character, and the yeast quality is super clean. This is a perfect winter lager!
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