Black Toad Ale Clone - Help

[JediJoel]

Hi All,

My wife recently found Black Toad ale at Trader Joe's and is asking me to brew something very similar. From my research and emailing the brewery there are no recipes available. Here are the stats I have

OG: 1.058
FG: 1.018
ABV: 5.2% (The bottle says 5.3% but I measured the FG and Brix to calculate the OG.)
Description: "We begin with a custom mixture of dark and roasted barley malts, then we add the choicest hops. The resulting ale has a dark chestnut color and a deep nutty flavor."
Draft Mag Review

My Attempt:
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Style: British Brown Ale (13B)
Style Guide: BJCP 2015
Color: 19.7 SRM
Bitterness: 13.4 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.058 (13.9° P)
Mash Profile: Single Infusion @ 154
Est FG: 1.018 SG (4.6° P)
ABV: 5.25%

Ingredients
Amount Name Type
9 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM)
1 lbs 8.00 oz Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM)
12.00 oz Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (60.0 SRM)
6.00 oz Pale Chocolate Malt (250.0 SRM)
4.00 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)
2.00 oz Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM)

0.75 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.0%] - Boil 60 min

1 pkgs British Ale (White Labs #WLP005)

Feedback? Who has had Black Toad before?

 

[aprichman]

I've had Black Toad, I always thought it was one of TJs more enjoyable offerings at the $6 price point. The oatmeal stout was pretty good as well and was also $6. I was actually drinking a lot of Black Toad when I first got into home brewing. I was looking to get 6 packs even cheaper. Looking back I started out trying to brew amber / brown beers kind of like Black Toad.

The recipe looks sound but if you're looking for a deep nutty flavor you should consider replacing some of the caramel malts with victory, special roast, or even brown malt.

WLP005 is an interesting choice. I don't have any experience with it but on paper it looks like a solid choice. WLP004 might be a good choice too for the flavor profile.

You might be the first person to try to clone this beer so good luck and keep everyone updated on your progress!

 

[aprichman]

Also I would probably add a small amount of flameout hops of noble heritage. I love a touch of hop spice and aroma in these types of beers.