Spotted Cow Clone

dpfowler · Post by **dpfowler** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:09 am

First time poster from DBQ.

Just started home brewing, after Jerry at Brew Haus set me up. My 3rd boil was last night which was an attempt at a Spotted Clone. I have been searching for a proven Spotted Cow recipe, and needless to say have found a lot of variations. However, I have found none where there is confirmation that it is acurate.

I am a little worried about this one, 6lbs of Malt total, with cane sugar and Belgian Candi together equaling a pound. This all for 5 gallons. The wort is dark and the beer is supposed to be light.

Anyone reading this know of a recipe that actually works?

Dan

brownbeard · Post by **brownbeard** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:29 am

Was this malt extract, or grain? If extract, did you boil the entire time? When trying to do light colored beers with extract, the extract should be added just before flame out, to avoid caramelizing. Boiling extract for an hour will darken it. I am surprised with the table sugar addition. I'm pretty sure they are not using cane sugar at New Glarus.

If you are using extract, that would put you at a standard gravity for a cream ale, which is what Spotted Cow is listed as by beer advocate.

dpfowler · Post by **dpfowler** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:47 pm

What you say makes sense.

Directions as I had them are:
20 minutes steep
bring to boil then remove from heat to add the malt extract , sugar, hops(mis-type on the cane sugar... it was jsut regular table sugar)
boil for 45 minutes then hops schedule.
(I could hear the rock candi rattling on the bottom as it heated to boil)
Then cooling period

OG was 1.56.

Color does not concern me at this point, more concerned about accuracy of the taste, if they don't necessarily go hand in hand.

I pitched at 2200 last night, temp was 79-79.5F. It was not active yet on lunch today.

brownbeard · Post by **brownbeard** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:02 pm

dpfowler wrote:What you say makes sense.

Directions as I had them are:
20 minutes steep
bring to boil then remove from heat to add the malt extract , sugar, hops(mis-type on the cane sugar... it was jsut regular table sugar)
boil for 45 minutes then hops schedule.
(I could hear the rock candi rattling on the bottom as it heated to boil)
Then cooling period

What grains did you steep? There shouldn't have been any crystal/caramel in this beer. Sugars should be added late in the boil, and I think extract as well. Hop schedule for a late extract addition should not change. So if you were hopping at 60-30-flameout, or whatever the schedule, you should do that, based on when it starts boiling. Just add the extract with like 15 minutes left in the boil (to assure sanitation). You will get beers closer to boil, and can get rid of that "extract twang" some people say they taste.