Oakham Brewery's Inferno

[Muttley]

I experienced my first pint of Oakham's Inferno at my local last night and was blown away by it. It's amazingly dry, wonderfully hoppy and completely more-ish!

I'd love to be able to brew a clone of it myself and, having searched on JBK, I've seen that there has been some discussion about it before. However, I wasn't able to find a definitive recipe. Does anyone have a good recipe for it that they could share, please?

Many thanks, Muttley

[GrowlingDogBeer]

The Oakham Beers are quite impressive, I spent a couple of days in Peterborough a few years back and sampled a fair few of them in the Brewery Tap and on The Barge. They are really hoppy and fresh.

I too would love to replicate them but I think I've got a bit of practicing to do first

[Horatio]

Email the brewery and ask. I emailed them a while back for a recipe and the one of the directors answered and let me know what I wanted; it take 3 mobths to get a reply though!

[yashicamat]

Inferno will have a simple grain bill (extra pale malt with maybe a bit of wheat) and shedloads of hops (probably about 150g minimum late addition). I seem to recall about 5 different hops are used too, most (if not all) American. I'd suggest a clean and dry yeast such as US-05 or Nottingham.

My 2p's worth.

[jubby]

I have emailed John at the brewery a couple of times, never got a reply though.

I would agree with Yashicamat, loads of late American hops. A couple of us JBK members in Cambridge made an attempt at Inferno, we never managed to brew the real thing, but came out with a great beer that i still brew regularly. My tuppence worth would be pale malt, 5% wheat malt with maybe a bit of Munich or Vienna. Small amount of full wort hops and the rest in the last 20 mins of boil + a big handful to steep and a little dry hop.

[Muttley]

Guys, many thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Jubby - thanks for the info. Would you be happy to share the recipe for your version, if it's not too much to ask?

[jubby]

No problem Muttley, here's my recipe (actually it was more smp465's recipe than mine) It's not Inferno; just great beer, and judging by your signature list of brews, right up your street

Reverend's Ringpiece.



23 litres at 1.046 (about 4.5 %) and 41 IBU.

Fermentables

UK Pale Ale Malt (Low Color) 4.200 kg (normal pale MO is fine)
UK Wheat Malt 0.350 kg
German Munich Malt 0.350 kg


Hops

US Simcoe 12.3 % 6 g Loose Pellet Hops All Of Boil
US Simcoe 12.3 % 40 g Loose Pellet Hops 10 Min From End
US Amarillo 9.5 % 40 g Loose Whole Hops 10 Min From End
US Simcoe 12.3 % 55 g Loose Pellet Hops At turn off
US Amarillo 9.5 % 55 g Loose Whole Hops At turn off

I use WLP001 yeast. I have used US-05, but found that it left a bit of a taste. Wyeast 1098 would be good too, but it's your choice.

I have brewed five batches of this and this recipe is the fourth batch which was the best. My next batch will be with a little dry hop, 25g of each for that full-on slap in the face

[Muttley]

Jubby - thanks a lot for the recipe. I'll give it (or something very similar) a try next time I do a brew.

Sorry to say my list of brews is a bit out of date but, you're right, I certainly like a good hoppy brew. I'm currently enjoying Barley Bottom's Bitter & Twisted, which I can really recommend, and a Summer Lightning clone which has turned out a little sweeter than I would have liked. I find it quite difficult to get the SG of these stronger beers down as far as I'd like. I have thought of using sugar in place of some of the grain - perhaps that would work. It should give me the strength but without too much body.

Anyway, once again thanks for the help. Happy brewing!

[yashicamat]

. . . I certainly like a good hoppy brew. I'm currently enjoying Barley Bottom's Bitter & Twisted, which I can really recommend, and a Summer Lightning clone which has turned out a little sweeter than I would have liked . . .

I find that if I work out the IBUs and hop schedule for a hoppy beer, I'm best off if I then increase that figure by 25% again! There is a common 'rule' which appears suggesting that the IBUs of a beer shouldn't exceed the total original gravity points . . . I find that when the bitterness equals the OG, it is not 'hoppy bitter' but rather a gently bittered beer (obviously the hop schedule will dictate the hoppiness). I find that a slightly more bitter beer will seem more hoppy than a similar beer made with the same amount of aroma hops but less IBUs . . . maybe the extra bitterness adds a little bite to the beer, I'm not sure. That's just my findings anyway!

[jubby]

Jubby - thanks a lot for the recipe. I'll give it (or something very similar) a try next time I do a brew.

Sorry to say my list of brews is a bit out of date but, you're right, I certainly like a good hoppy brew. I'm currently enjoying Barley Bottom's Bitter & Twisted, which I can really recommend, and a Summer Lightning clone which has turned out a little sweeter than I would have liked. I find it quite difficult to get the SG of these stronger beers down as far as I'd like. I have thought of using sugar in place of some of the grain - perhaps that would work. It should give me the strength but without too much body.

Anyway, once again thanks for the help. Happy brewing!

Your welcome.

You could try using GW's water calculator set to Dry Pale Ale. I have found that when using this profile, my beer ferments to a lower FG. I have the opposite problem to you; I can brew very dry, thin beers, but have to treat my water carefully to get fuller maltier beers. I put this down to a high sulphate to chloride ratio, so i have to add Calcium Chloride. A friend from Essex (Elsenham) has high Chloride to Sulphate ratio and his beers are always full and malty, similar to yours i expect. You could go with your idea and add sugar, that will certainly thin your beers whilst keeping the gravity.