1554 Clone?

I know there have been threads about a 1554 clone, but there never seems to be a definitive "nailed it" recipe. Just wanted to see if anyone has been able to get the recipe right? From most of the recipes out there, it seems like it could be a pretty hefty grain bill. So would like to make sure it's a good one before I shell out the cash for it.

I am interested in this too. 1554 is hands-down my favorite NB beer.

Vary nice beer. I am also interested to see what people come up with.

From NB site:
Birthdate: July, 1999
Body: Light - Medium
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 21
Calories: 198
Hops: Target
Malts: Pale, Carapils, Black, Munich, Chocolate
Yeast: Lager Yeast
Aroma: Slightly fruity, herbal, spicy, rooty, coffee, chocolate, toffee
Mouthfeel: Due to the lager yeast ferm at high temps and the chocolate and black malt- this beer starts and finishes dry yet the middle is round and malt rich. session!
Flavor: Starts bitter chocolate with bright acidity, roasty and toasty, sweetness to round it out sweet/spicy, rooty, peppery undertones, lingering fruit acidity,
Visual: Brilliant/clear, mahogany

1554 is one of my wife's favorite beers. I have a recipe the is amazingly close that I've perfected over the past year, but it's not technically a clone, since I don't use lager yeast and the grains are just a little bit different than what NB states that they use. I'm not home right now so I don't have access to my recipe, but I will post it later tonight in case anybody is interested.

Update: Recipe posted directly below

All right, here is my recipe. I've brewed this 3 times and made minor tweaks each time. I think it is pretty darn close, even though NBB uses a bit of a different grain bill and different yeast. Brew it up and let me know what you think.


BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: 1776 Black Ale
Brewer: Kevin S
Asst Brewer:
Style: Belgian Specialty Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 31.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 85.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name %/IBU
1.00 Items Campden Tablet (Mash 0.0 mins) -
4 lbs 8.4 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.5 SRM) 53.3 %
1 lbs 11.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 20.0 %
13.6 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) 10.0 %
11.3 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 8.3 %
2.3 oz Black Malt, De-Bittered (450.0 SRM) 1.7 %
0.75 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 15.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min 8.0 IBUs
9.1 oz Brown Sugar, Light [Boil for 10 min](8.0 SRM) 6.7 %
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) -
0.25 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min 1.0 IBUs
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 0.0 mins) -
1.0 pkg Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004) -


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 7.8 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 28.0 qt of water at 155.2 F 152.0 F 75 min
Mash Out Add 0.0 qt of water and heat to 168.0 F 168.0 F 15 min

Sparge: Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Notes:
------

Great recipe, thanks. I wonder if replacing your crystal/oats with carapils and munich (and pribably more chocolate) from the website would hit it, and still keep the sweetness/body.

Yeah, that's would be the way to go if trying to get the grain bill in line with NBB's specs. My guess is this one will get you close with those ingredients...

http://chrismreynolds.com/GRABASS/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=183


A little history on my recipe: This was the 3rd batch that I ever brewed. When I started brewing, my wife asked me to brew up some 1554, so I set off scouring the interwebs trying to find a recipe. I can't even remember where I found the original recipe that I used. It may have been from an HBT thread, but I'm not sure. At any rate, I brewed a recipe that somebody said was a dead-ringer and I found it to be a nice beer, but not quite 1554. Looking to improve it for the second attempt, I subbed M.O. for the U.S. 2-row, de-bittered black for the black patent, and added the brown sugar. That brought it real close, but I felt it was still lacking the creamy mouthfeel of 1554, so for the 3rd try I added the oats. I wouldn't say that it's a spot-on copy, but it's very, very close, and I'm extremely happy with it. My family of 1554 lovers was pretty pleased as well.

I think ill give the recipe a try with the updated grain bill. Then hey...since we are so close, maybe we could swap a botle or two?

ColoHox said:

I think ill give the recipe a try with the updated grain bill. Then hey...since we are so close, maybe we could swap a botle or two?

Click to expand...

Sounds great. I'm about 6 weeks out from brewing this one up again.

I am going to try it on sunday. NBB website says lager yeast at warm temps, so ill use either belgian bastogne or san fran lager (two strains that can handle the warmth and retain lager character).

OP, I will report back with some results when it is drinkable.

aschupner said:

I know there have been threads about a 1554 clone, but there never seems to be a definitive "nailed it" recipe. Just wanted to see if anyone has been able to get the recipe right? From most of the recipes out there, it seems like it could be a pretty hefty grain bill. So would like to make sure it's a good one before I shell out the cash for it.

Click to expand...

aschupner, this is the recipe I am going to use. Besides the one posted, I found another email communication posted from a NB brewer, listing the same grains and magnum as the hop.

I will use either Belgian Lager, Bohemian Lager, or San Fran Lager, not sure which yet. More to come...

Edit: here's the BeerSmith file just in case.

View attachment Publication2.pdf

View attachment NBB1554clone.bsmx

Thanks guys....I appreciate the responses. I am working on an amber right now, but I will give one of these a shot on my next brew day.

......bump......

I'm a fan of 1554 and wanting to try this recipe. How did everyone else's attempts pan out?

I brewed my ale recipe back in June, kegged it in early July, but have not yet gotten around to tapping it. It'll prolly be after the first of the year before it makes it to the kegerator.

I also developed a recipe using the New Belgium grain bill and brewed it as a true lager back in September. Same story though. It's been kegged for a while, but haven't had the opportunity to tap it yet.

I made a good black lager, but it was no 1554. Next time I will mash higher for more body and skip any smoked or black malts, and probably up the munich and chocolate.

LLBeanJ said:

All right, here is my recipe. I've brewed this 3 times and made minor tweaks each time. I think it is pretty darn close, even though NBB uses a bit of a different grain bill and different yeast. Brew it up and let me know what you think.


BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - BeerSmith™ Home Brewing Software, Recipes, Blog, Podcast and Discussion Forum
Recipe: 1776 Black Ale
Brewer: Kevin S
Asst Brewer:
Style: Belgian Specialty Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 31.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 85.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name %/IBU
1.00 Items Campden Tablet (Mash 0.0 mins) -
4 lbs 8.4 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.5 SRM) 53.3 %
1 lbs 11.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 20.0 %
13.6 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) 10.0 %
11.3 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 8.3 %
2.3 oz Black Malt, De-Bittered (450.0 SRM) 1.7 %
0.75 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 15.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min 8.0 IBUs
9.1 oz Brown Sugar, Light [Boil for 10 min](8.0 SRM) 6.7 %
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) -
0.25 oz Cascade [5.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min 1.0 IBUs
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 0.0 mins) -
1.0 pkg Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004) -


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 7.8 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 28.0 qt of water at 155.2 F 152.0 F 75 min
Mash Out Add 0.0 qt of water and heat to 168.0 F 168.0 F 15 min

Sparge: Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Notes:
------

Click to expand...

I’m digging this clone recipe up from years ago haha. LLbeanJ, have you made any tweaks to this or you feel it’s pretty spot on? Going to do this with the bohemian lager strain.

Losborne5412 said:

LLbeanJ, have you made any tweaks to this or you feel it’s pretty spot on?

Click to expand...

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