Samuel Smith Imperial Stout Clone

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Jmitchell3, Apr 16, 2014.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Jmitchell3

    Jmitchell3 Initiate (0) Apr 2, 2013 Arizona

    So I formulated a recipe for to clone Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout. Here's the original recipe (cues taken from the samuel smith website):

    Malt Bill:
    86% maris otter,
    11% roasted malt,
    3% table sugar

    Hops (Tinseth calcs):
    Fuggles @ 60 min for 28 IBU
    Goldings @ 30 min for 11 IBU
    Goldings @ 15 min for 7 IBU

    All grain, mash at 154, ferment at 66F with WLP002 in a starter.

    Carbonated at 2.0 volumes

    7% ABV, 46 IBU, 52 SRM. OG was 1.076, FG was 1.022, ADF 70%.

    Recently did a side by side comparison. Carbonation, head amount, etc seemed appropriately similar. In my clone, I sensed a bit of harshness. Not sure whether it came from the roasted malt or the hop bittering. The Sammy smith sample was (by comparison) quite fruity in the nose, a more effervescent body, resulting in a lighter, fuller mouthfeel. It also was less harsh by comparison and had overall a better balance. The samuel smith had a slightly lighter color tan head. Mine was a bit more brown. Color of the samuel smith was just a fraction lighter than mine.

    At the moment, I'm thinking I'll dial down the roasted barley and increase the table sugar addition from 3% to 5%, reduce the bittering hop addition probably by 50% to achieve 14 IBU, and ferment at a higher temp, maybe 68-69F to try to capture some of those delightful english esters from the yeast.

    I know I won't be able to get it perfect due to the open fermentation they do in Tadcaster square, but I think I can get a pretty close approximation.

    Any suggestions or recommendations?
     
    #1 Jmitchell3, Apr 16, 2014
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Fruity is going to come from the yeast. You'll have to play with ferm temp and pitch rate. Age can also be a big factor. Sit on this and see what you think in 2 months. It might give you more of what you're looking for.
     
    #2 inchrisin, Apr 17, 2014
  3. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    I once asked a white labs sales rep about making sam smith clones. I specifically asked if she thought WLP037 Yorkshire Square would be a good yeast for sam smith and she said yes, and recommended WLP 023 Burton Ale as an alternate, as the former was a platinum strain and not available at the immediate moment. I haven't followed up on trying either of these yeasts, yet.
     
    #3 pweis909, Apr 17, 2014
  4. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California

    Burton ale is incredibly sweet (honey) and fruity. I've tried two split batches with it and both were nearly cloying when compared side by side with WLP002 batches of the same wort.
     
    #4 barfdiggs, Apr 18, 2014
  5. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    Good information. It sounds like an Imperial Stout made with this strain might finish high and sweet. I keep telling myself I'm going to play with all those English yeast strains to learn more about them, but when I used the Wyeast West Yorkshire strain for my milds and bitters, I liked it so much that stopped experimenting. Haven't done a stout with it though. I've used the WL Dry English Ale yeast strain on my last couple stouts.
     
    #5 pweis909, Apr 19, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.