Wanted: Marstons Owd Rodger Recipe?

[DC]

Hi all, Came across Marstons Owd Roger in our local B&M’s at the weekend and decided to give it a try as I am found of the Higher Strength Beers (McEwans No1 Champion for example) and boy was I impressed So much so I am looking for an All Grain recipe to try and emulate Marstons Owd Rodger. just wondering if any of you guys know of a recipe

Cheers DC

[seymour]

The brewer's description tells us ABV= 7.6%, malted barley, whole hops, well-water. We get a few more clues from this site: http://www.shamburg.com/marstons.html, such as Maris Otter malt, Fuggles and Goldings whole hops, mineral-rich Burton water profile, some sulfur aroma. I didn't see any mention of unmalted roasted barley nor simple sugars. The recipe is supposedly 500 years old, so I doubt it calls for any fancy crystal, caramel or melanoidy type malts. The BJCP handbook lists Marstons Owd Rodger as a classic example of 19A English Strong Ale: Old Ale, which helps us dial in the missing stats. So, here's my all grain clone recipe:

6 US gallons = 5 Imperial gallons ≈ 27 Liters

14 lbs ≈ 6.4 kg ≈ 87.5% Maris Otter 2-row pale malt
2 lbs ≈ .9 kg ≈ 12.5% British brown malt 60-70L

1.5 oz ≈ 43 g Fuggles hops, boiled 60 minutes
1 oz ≈ 28 g Fuggles hops, boiled 30 minutes
1 oz ≈ 28 g Goldings hops, boiled 10 minutes

Single temp mash ≈ 65° C

OG ≈ 1.077, ABV ≈ 7.6, IBU ≈ 31, SRM ≈ 14

This is a classic big brown English ale, but should be pretty simple and inexpensive to brew. If you can't find (or don’t want to buy) Brown Malt, you can take 2 lbs of your base malt, soak it and bake it to make your own (this'll give you a wide range of bready, caramelly, toffee aromas, and will be caramelize unevenly similar to Old World practices.) You'll get best results if you know how to "Burtonize" your water (mainly by adding gypsum/calcium sulfate.) Optionally, add Irish moss near end of boil for clarity.

Yeast: 1st choice would be a historical strain linked to Burton, with low-medium attenuation but high alcohol tolerance, such as Brewlab Burton 1, Wyeast 1275, White Labs WLP023, BSI A-75 & BSI-23, among others. Since this beer is known for some sulfur aroma, Homebrew guru Charlie Papazian's yeast sold as White Labs WLP862 "Cry Havoc" might be perfect. You're striving for 7.6% alcohol, so use a healthy starter, aerate well, perhaps even utilize extra nutrients and rousing. Don't be afraid to ferment warm, fruity esters are desirable here.

At bottling, prime with ½ cup brown sugar from your kitchen, boiled with a little water to dissolve and sanitize.

Cheers!

[alfie09]

might have that recipe will have a look in my books tonight

[Capper20]

OR is a great drink. My old man bought a trolley full when it was on special. There were a few hangovers there.

[seymour]

Hi all, Came across Marstons Owd Roger in our local B&M’s at the weekend and decided to give it a try...

So, DC, did you end up brewing a clone? If so, how'd it turn out?

[DC]

Hi Seymour, I have not got around to it yet I am afraid but its on my to do list along with a Russian Imperial Stout just had to brew some session beer 1st so I have stock to drink whilst brewing the Owd Roger and waiting for it to condition. I will of course report back in the Brewday section when I finally make the Owd Rodger.

Cheers DC

[seymour]

Sounds good! Out of curiosity, what's your go-to session beer like?

[DC]

Hi Seymour, After making a Strong beer of 6.5% for my last brew and a stockpile of 7% Turbo Cider ! I decided to brew a stout to have as a sort of session beer ! Or something to drink that isn't too strong whilst planning another strong beer and maturing the McEwans No 1 Champion Clone I recently brewed ! But the stout a clone of Hopback Entire Stout will probably be about 5% so it's not really a session beer but it will still get drank !

Cheers DC