Coors clone

[mengtx]

Yeah, I've had an old packet of the yeast (it's a seasonal) I bought as a novelty and just did a starter. Chugging away after a few days. That's why I looked into this thread. I'm just going to make an American Lager with it due to the heat, mixed adjuncts at this point.

 

[Brooothru]

Have a fiends who’s family grows Barley for Coors in Idaho. Highly highly doubt they’re importing European barley for their beer.

I believe Coors is fermented in the 60s with a bunch of head pressure. Then there’s all the enzymes they probably use.

Thinking some “recipe” will get your anywhere close is IMHO complete nonsense.

I can’t get over the isoamyl acetate in Coors personally.

That being said their yeast is phenomenal. It’s said to be the Andechs strain. It’s hands down the easiest lager yeast I’ve ever used. Ferments outs in 5-7 days at 50, drops like a rock, and is insanely clean. Cleaner right after fermentation than any lager yeast I’ve ever used. Blows me away that it’s not more readily available.

Totally agree on the yeast. My first choice for "works fast, drops clear, tastes clean" yeast has been Nottingham at 62F, but I must say this Wyeast 1217 PC did the best job of finishing clean and dry (although I cheated with amyloglucosidaise in the mash and corn sugar in the boil), and it conditioned to Near Brilliant clarity within two weeks using no finings. Glad I overbuilt the starter and farmed a clean liter from the fermenter.

The barley is North American-grown Metcalf IIRC, which I also believe may be what Weyermann uses (Metcalf) in their Floor Malted Bohemian, so it may be closer than otherwise might appear. The high temperature/under pressure fermentation tracks with what virtually all the high volume mega brewers are doing anymore. Do you suppose that might be the source of the isoamyl acetate? I'm not picking that up, but I might not be as sensitive to it.

Brooo Brother

 

[Wayne1]

All of Coors barley is proprietary.

Here is a link to some discussion of 2020 barley varieties: 2020 Malting Barley Varieties

When I was at Coors, 25 years ago, all the hops used in the Golden brewery were whole leaf. I guess with all the mergers, things have changed. At least back then, Coors malted all their barley.

Weyermann's Floor Malted Bohemian Barley is malted by Ferdinand Brewery Ferdinand Brewery in Benešov

 

[couchsending]

Totally agree on the yeast. My first choice for "works fast, drops clear, tastes clean" yeast has been Nottingham at 62F, but I must say this Wyeast 1217 PC did the best job of finishing clean and dry (although I cheated with amyloglucosidaise in the mash and corn sugar in the boil), and it conditioned to Near Brilliant clarity within two weeks using no finings.

1217 PC is Stone’s ale yeast.

You mean 2105? I believe wlp835 is also the same yeast. It act’s exactly the same and tastes pretty similar.

I just transferred my 2nd batch with 2105 that followed about 6 with 835. Best lagers I’ve ever made and I’m probably on 35 or so total. Actually drinking some of the beer that I didn’t transfer (gonna krausen it with the beer I’m brewing now) and it’s crazy how good it tastes at 11 days since pitch. Sure it’s gonna benefit from lagering but man is it crazy good already. Way faster maturation it seems than any other strain I’ve used.

Based on yeast calcs (if they’re even right) I shoot for around 2m/ml/*plato. Pitch at 46 set to 48, end of day 1 bump to 50 until 1* from terminal when I’ll up it to 53/54.

One thing I will say is you have do everything to dry a beer out with it. It definitely doesn’t attenuate quite as much as other strains.

 

[Brooothru]

1217 PC is Stone’s ale yeast.

You mean 2105? I believe wlp835 is also the same yeast. It act’s exactly the same and tastes pretty similar.

I just transferred my 2nd batch with 2105 that followed about 6 with 835. Best lagers I’ve ever made and I’m probably on 35 or so total. Actually drinking some of the beer that I didn’t transfer (gonna krausen it with the beer I’m brewing now) and it’s crazy how good it tastes at 11 days since pitch. Sure it’s gonna benefit from lagering but man is it crazy good already. Way faster maturation it seems than any other strain I’ve used.

Based on yeast calcs (if they’re even right) I shoot for around 2m/ml/*plato. Pitch at 46 set to 48, end of day 1 bump to 50 until 1* from terminal when I’ll up it to 53/54.

One thing I will say is you have do everything to dry a beer out with it. It definitely doesn’t attenuate quite as much as other strains.

You are precisely right, sir! Wyeast 1217 PC is the yeast I used the same week I brewed an IPA that is on my other tap, next to the Coors Light knock-off (with the Wyeast 2105) on the other tap beside it. I must be brewing too much during this pandemic. They're both quite nice, however.

I also was wrong about the Metcalf barley. Coors uses Moravian barley grown under contract by U.S. growers, that was imported for Coors in 1936 from the Bohemian region of what is now the Czech Republic. The major Bohemian barley malt is "Malz" (Bojos). What's unclear to me is whether "Moravian" is a proper noun or an adjective for Malz/Bojos. In any event, it one of those "M" words that is NOT Metcalf, which is a U.S. developed barley grown mostly in western states and Canada. So I guess my "Coors Light" is like a Pilsner Urquel brewed with an American lager yeast of questionable (secret, possibly German, once or twice removed) lineage made from US/Canadian grains with probably the wrong water chemistry.

But is DOES taste good.

 

[Brooothru]

All of Coors barley is proprietary.

Here is a link to some discussion of 2020 barley varieties: 2020 Malting Barley Varieties

When I was at Coors, 25 years ago, all the hops used in the Golden brewery were whole leaf. I guess with all the mergers, things have changed. At least back then, Coors malted all their barley.

Weyermann's Floor Malted Bohemian Barley is malted by Ferdinand Brewery Ferdinand Brewery in Benešov

Absolutely fascinating article Ferdinand Brewery. Thanks for posting. Also very much enjoyed your earlier post on your work at Coors. It's what motivated me to revisit some old recipes and brew my latest attempt at copying the original.

 

[David17]

When they started making Coors Light in Virginia instead of Golden, CO, they changes their advertising from "Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water" to "The Spirit of the Rockies." I had to laugh.

Even before that, they were brewing high gravity Coors Light in Golden and shipping it by rail car to Virginia to be blended with Virginia water and bottled/canned/kegged.

Coors was honest. See AB InBev for "Belgium Brewing Heritage" for Hoegaarden. Thankfully, the real H is still available in the miserly 11.2oz cans. For the craft beer aficionados, Sierra Nevada has a VA brewery. My very limited experience is no water chemistry duplicates the original. Miller did this in the late '70s with Lowenbrau and had to stop it. Then Hanneken's Red Stripe went through the same idiocy along with St. Pauli Girl (another ABINBEV mistake showing they know nothing about brewing and beer except the profits). As with wine, there is terroir.

I've tasted Coors Light in Ireland. It was a vastly better beer brewed in Burton-on-Trent. Did they do RO water there? Doubt it.

 

[bracconiere]

(another ABINBEV mistake showing they know nothing about brewing and beer except the profits)

 

[friarsmith]

I can’t vouch for what the big boys do, but some low mineral water, a grain bill of 85% Canadian or Idaho pilsner malt and 15% maize, with a big pinch of Liberty hops early and late kettle, fermented with WLP840 or 940 makes a helluva drinkable beer. And if it is a Coors-ish knockoff, so be it.