Dark Star Brewery Beers

[SiHoltye]

No way!

...and they call this a science??? There's hope for us all.

[tomU]

I know, I was pretty shocked when he told me, but I wasn't going to tell him he was wrong while stood with him drinking a pint of Hophead!

Surely one of the yeasts would take hold over the others, and presumably it would always be the same one? I'm tempted to try it out anyway...

[SiHoltye]

You, me, and a few others too I'd guess I wonder which yeast would get closest?

[scarer]

They surprisingly use dried yeast. Even more surprisingly its a mix of 3 - S-O4, US-05 and Nottingham. Just shows how good beer can be with pretty basic ingredients

I heard this just this week as well. Don't know why though, I might try and find out...

[Madbrewer]

For anyone interested in cloning Hophead and who doesn't already know, the recipe is all Maris Otter with a single hop, Cascade. I have made a few batches of this and thought it turned out very close to the real thing, fermented with White Labs WLP002. OG 1.040

Hop Heads an interestingly hoppy brew & it sounds like you have achieved what I am trying to with my beers i.e. hoppiness that isn't just bitterness. Could you clarify your recipe or even your hopping process Benjy? I assume it's around 40 IBU's and in a 23l brew length i'd need to do a steep at flame out of about 15g and a dry hop of another 10? Although not a hop head close, I am hoping for something around that level of hopineess with my Hound Dog APA (recipe post below).

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17861

[SiHoltye]

My next brew is a go at a Hophead-esque beer. I was drinking a pint today, and to me it really seemed like there was an elderflower addition. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm going to make sure with 5g boiled for 15 mins.

Ingredients
23L, 90min mash @ 67°C, 90min boil, liquor = Bitter
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.42 kg Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 100.00 %
55.00 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (90 min) Hops 25.9 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (15 min) Hops 3.3 IBU
30.00 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)
5.00 gm Elderflower (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
30.00 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (Dry Hop)
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.040 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.84 %
Bitterness: 29.2 IBU
Est Color: 7.2 EBC

Can taste it already

[tomU]

Not sure about elderflower - the brewer didn't mention it when when I spoke to him. He could have been withholding the secret I guess but he was pretty open about other stuff I asked him. Why not try pitching S-O4, Nottingham and US-05 like they do at the brewery? It wouldn't be that expensive an experiment and I for one would be keen to know how that works out in a small brew...

[Benjy Edwards]

Madbrewer, I'm happy to share my recipe. I have brewed this a few times now and it always turns out great. I use English units but I will try to convert to metric.

Hophead clone - 10 US gallons (38 litres)
OG 1.040
38 IBU
16 lbs. Maris Otter (7.2 kilos)
3.25 oz. Cascade at 60 mins. (91 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 30 mins. (49 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 15 mins. (49 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 0 mins or in hopback (49 grams)
1.5 oz. Cascade dry hop in firkin (42 grams)

I was fascinated to read that Dark Star uses dried yeast. When I toured the brewery the head brewer, Mark Tranter, was willing to share recipe information but he didn't want to talk about the yeast, he said it was his secret, but that he did something no one else does. I guess that unique thing is the use of a trio of dried yeasts! It seems to work well, I have to say.

[SiHoltye]

I'm knocking out the elderflower from my recipe now. I spoke to the brewery this avo and got the following info from the horses mouth:

OG 1.040
Low colour pale malt, and a touch of cara (damn it, didn't get him to elaborate on the 'cara' comment, what do you think it is? I'll phone tomorrow )
Cascade to low bittering
Majority of cascade last 5 mins of boil
No dry hop
Yeasts : 05, 04, Notts.

[boingy]

Heheh. "Yeast? Oh, we just chuck loads of different stuff in. Seems to work..."

[SiHoltye]

I'm knocking out the elderflower from my recipe now. I spoke to the brewery this avo and got the following info from the horses mouth:

OG 1.040
Low colour pale malt, and a touch of cara (damn it, didn't get him to elaborate on the 'cara' comment, what do you think it is? I'll phone tomorrow )
Cascade to low bittering
Majority of cascade last 5 mins of boil
No dry hop
Yeasts : 05, 04, Notts.

Looking at the Brupaks grains descriptions here I reckon it'll be a light Crystal by any other name. Hophead does have a body about it that smacks a bit of not just pale malt. I've only got in Crystal 55L (120EBC-ish) for Friday so I'll try 2% of that.

[tomU]

what about cara-pils? It seems too light even for light crystal...

[SiHoltye]

I think it's slighty darker than all Maris Otter. It is very light but comparing all MO brews from home to this then HH is a shade darker. Carapils is lighter than pale malt so I don't htink it's that.

[Madbrewer]

Madbrewer, I'm happy to share my recipe. I have brewed this a few times now and it always turns out great. I use English units but I will try to convert to metric.

Hophead clone - 10 US gallons (38 litres)
OG 1.040
38 IBU
16 lbs. Maris Otter (7.2 kilos)
3.25 oz. Cascade at 60 mins. (91 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 30 mins. (49 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 15 mins. (49 grams)
1.75 oz. Cascade at 0 mins or in hopback (49 grams)
1.5 oz. Cascade dry hop in firkin (42 grams)

I was fascinated to read that Dark Star uses dried yeast. When I toured the brewery the head brewer, Mark Tranter, was willing to share recipe information but he didn't want to talk about the yeast, he said it was his secret, but that he did something no one else does. I guess that unique thing is the use of a trio of dried yeasts! It seems to work well, I have to say.

Thanks for that Benjy ..... not sure If I will do it 'as is' as my cascade supply is limited. Was thinking of doing this one this week as it happend.

[SiHoltye]

Saw their 2009 tasting notes are out.