Hill Farmstead Everett Clone

I homebrewed a clone of Everett based upon the article that Dave Green (@telejunkie) wrote. That batch turned out AWESOME. Brewing beer is based upon the list of ingredients but just as importantly the brewing process as well. The aspect of brewing process is where Shaun Hill excels. I would highly encourage you to brew a beer like Everett.

Cheers!

 

So how did the almonds come out in the beer? I know that what Jeppe does with one of his stouts.

 

Ahh yes I meant the walnuts. It's interesting to try to use them. I'm going to give it a go on the next porter I do and am also going to do a long boil on it. So is that the best way to add walnut/almond flavor into the beer without using extracts? I haven't done a lot of research but from what I've read the fat in the oils is a head killer.

 

I definitely plan on doing so! Do you mean the recipe telejunkie posted on the first page of this thread? Have heard process is quite key. There was an interview with him making the point that everyone has the same suppliers of ingredients, how you handle them is definitely a huge factor.

I have never brewed a really dark beer and have heard a few different things about the process of using really dark malts. I have read that one can add dark malts late in the mash but can anyone recommend how to manage the fluctuation in pH accordingly? Or should I simply mash all the malts together?

Also, has anyone stuck a pH meter in Everett? It must play a part in how it finishes dry but still has an FG of 1.031! (which is crazy)

 

“Do you mean the recipe telejunkie posted on the first page of this thread?” Yes, but I actually purchased the issue of BYO (October 2103) to obtain the recipe.

“Have heard process is quite key. There was an interview with him making the point that everyone has the same suppliers of ingredients, how you handle them is definitely a huge factor.” IMO, process is indeed key here. In all fairness, process is key for almost all homebrew batches.

“I have never brewed a really dark beer and have heard a few different things about the process of using really dark malts. I have read that one can add dark malts late in the mash but can anyone recommend how to manage the fluctuation in pH accordingly? Or should I simply mash all the malts together?” Yup, there are lots of various views on how ‘best’ to utilize dark malts including a process advocated by Gordon Strong of cold steeping dark grains. Which process is ‘best’ in a matter of personal opinion.

Cheers!

 

Jack...as always, thanks for the kind words!

I remember my first time brewing an imperial stout...I wanted to try to get the beer as dry as possible, so mashed low, added a ton of chico yeast and the beer went from like 1095 to 1020 or so...The beer was harsh, soy sauce without enough backbone. (that was also back when I though a high fg didn't have any place in an IPA either). Anyway, I didn't brew an imperial stout again for a couple years when I saw a recipe that Jamil Z put up that finished at like 1.037 (december '09 issue). I tried it out, it had buttloads of roasted grains in it...and it came out fantastic.

That recipe was the basis for my start for the Everett clone (plus Koopa definitely helped). I definitely find that mashing high has its place in just about every style if done properly and not to be scared to add lots of dark roasted grains. A beer can still come out with a smooth edge if used properly. Adding the dark grains at the beginning of lautering is a great technique...also watching your water's RA (residual alkalinity) and balancing with hops helps too.

Best of luck!

 

Some nice tips there! Do you have any insight on milling dark grains? Is the amount of dark malts you went with in that recipe assuming a very coarse grind? I imagine, like coffee, a very fine grind could be over doing it. Also, is it worth experimenting with not grinding at all???

 

Actually since i'm adding the dark grains late in the mash I go with fine grind since your really just looking just for extraction which is obviously different than base malts. I've use my burr grinder (generally used for coffee) set at coarser crush. The burr grinder is several degrees finer than my grain mill though. I don't want to burn out my burr grinder through, so generally have done this slowly. But if your planning a cold extraction for like a week or more, than you could experiment without crushing...but I've never really heard of anyone trying that.

 

It looks like they took the BYO recipe down from the site. By any chance can anyone send it to me?

 

It was posted on the first page of this thread by Dave Green (@telejunkie )

my clone attempt was:
73% 2-row
6.8% caramalt
6.8% roasted barley
5.4% dextrine
5.4% chocolate malt
2.7% english dark crystal
Columbus @60mins to 38ibus. Mashed at 159F, OG was 1092, FG was 1029 with 2pkts nottingham. Not bad...haven't been able to try it against the real deal, but doesn't quite have the silky body of the real deal...tastes more like a Impy Stout than what I remember Everett tasting like. I could even up the hops too, with the sweetness getting a little too overwhelming after a pint. Maybe up hops to mid-40s.

Cheers!

 

Thanks. I wasnt 100% sure that was it. Really appreciate it.

 

@JackHorzempa, do you have your recipe listed on this thread?

 

Since you asked, below is something I composed for a conversation (beermail):

FWIW, Below is my list of ingredients and process decisions I made in homebrewing my version of Dave Green’s Everett clone. I do not claim that this is the ‘best’ way to brew this beer but I am very pleased with the results.

Dave Green was of great help to me; he answered numerous questions that I had as I formulated my plan to brew this batch.

I decided to brew a 5 gallon partial mash batch:

· Briess Pilsner DME: 6 lbs.

· Rahr 2-row Pale malt: 4 lbs.

· Carapils: 1 lb.

· Simpsons Chocolate Malt: 1 lb.

· Dingemans 45L Crystal: 1 lb.

· Simpsons Dark Crystal: 0.5 lb.

· Roasted Barley: 12 ounces

· Black Malt: 2 ounces

· Columbus hops (12.9%): 1 ounce

· Danstar Windsor yeast (1 packet)

I decided to conduct a steep of the dark malts and a partial mash of the non-dark malts:

· Steeped the Roasted Barley, Black Malt, Chocolate Malt and Dark Crystal for 20 minutes; 2 gallons of water at around 150 degrees F.

· Mash Rahr 2-row, Carapils, and Dingemans 45L crystal in 9 quarts of water at 154 degrees F for 1 hour

I decided to conduct a separate dark crystal steep in order to minimize/mitigate the astringency that dark malts sometimes introduce to the wort/beer. I do not know for a fact this was necessary. What I do know is that my version of the Everett clone did not have perceptible astringency for my palate.

I purposefully chose to use Danstar Windsor since it not a high attenuating yeast and I wanted to achieve a high(er) final gravity. You could achieve similar results using a yeast like Nottingham if you mash higher (e.g., 159°F) for an all grain batch.

I fermented in the upper 60’s (e.g., 68°F) for 13 days.

My OG was 1.084 and my FG was 1.033 (just a tad higher than the target of 1.031).

Again, I am not claiming that the above represents the ‘best’ way to brew an Everett clone but it sure worked great for me in my homebrewery.

Cheers!

 

This is perfect. Thank you very much.

 

At what point did you add the Columbus, Jack? Still at 60 minutes as your previous recipe post mentioned?

 

Yes, I added the Columbus hops at the beginning of boil and boiled for 60 minutes.

Cheers!

 

I brewed the Zymurgy clone about a month ago and bottled it last night. FG was a spot on 1.031, but surprisingly, there was little perceivable sweetness in the hydro sample. Lots of roast, a hint of coffee, and a slightly umami finish.

It'll be interesting to see how this evolves after a few weeks in the bottle, so far it seems like it'll be a really solid porter.

 

I brewed Jack's version back in the winter, but I added around a pound of cacao nibs and a little less than a pound of toasted coconut and it came out as one of the BEST porters I've ever brewed! The keg didn't last long Took it to some small local mini-competition and it won overall gold twice. Didn't find a single soul that didn't like it! If you're looking for a good imperial porter recipe...give Jack's a try!!!

 

It sounds like you brewed an outstanding beer. Cheers to you!

I posted recently in a New Beer Sunday thread a blind taste testing I conducted on my homebrewed Robust Porter vs. Hill Farmstead Everett. I did not 100% replicate Everett but IMO I came pretty close: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-580.402889/#post-4657907

Cheers!