Extract inspired Dark Truth?

[sablesurfer]

So I came across the Dark Truth clone thread and spent the next week trying to see if an extract come come anywhere close. Found out that Briess does have both an extra dark and dark LME. Mix that with a Porter and a Rye and a Golden and I get...in the ball park?

The only 'non' extract will be some flaked oats to steep. I know there is controversy over this as oats need a base malt to convert, but I think I am going more for flavor/mouthfeel than for fermentables at this point.

3.5 gallon recipe puts me around 8.5% with medium (72%) attentuation.

Planning to use either Nottingham (just cause it's what I am used to) or the Safbrew Abbaye. (Ordered packet of both.)

Here is what I have come up with:

		Special Dark	Dark	Rye	Golden	Porter	Totals	Percent
2-Row		24		30	70	99	81	81.28	59.76%
Victory							8	3.84	2.82%
Wheat		25						6	4.41%
Munich				54				17.28	12.71%
Caramel Pils					1	2	1.12	0.82%
Rye					20			3.2	2.35%
Cara40					10			1.6	1.18%
Cryst/Cara60	29		13				11.12	8.18%
Caramel 	80					5	2.4	1.76%
Chocolate 	19					4	6.48	4.76%
Black malt			3				0.96	0.71%
Roasted barley	3						0.72	0.53%
									
Measure (oz)	24		32	16	16	48	136	
LB's		1.5		2	1	1	3	8.5

Hops will follow the original clone of Magnum, Perle,Columbus, Citra

Am I crazy or does anyone have thoughts on how to maybe tweak this closer to the original percentages?

 

[sablesurfer]

Bumping this. Not sure if its just to crazy for people to think about, but probably going to make an attempt this weekend.

 

[sablesurfer]

So, breaking this down I have the following Briess malts. Making a 3.5gal batch to fermenter, about 3gal after secondary.

Special Dark - 48oz (3lb)
Traditional Dark - 40oz (2.5lb)
Porter - 48oz (3lb)
Rye - 24oz (1.5lb)
Golden - 8oz (.5lb)

I entered all the estimated grains into brewer's friend. It kinda looks super complicated that way, but it gets a decent SRM 39 and ABV of 9.9% (Boulevard lists their EBC at 225? Mine comes in at 79.) Since this time around I am not going to steep any chocolate rye I guess my black is going to be less black than their black.

Now, looking up their Cara300 it seems to match up with Special B? I like the flavor of special b and it would match the original Belgian focus, anyone think cara 300 is kinda really special B? I can steep that with the oats.

Also, the brown sugars are changing to belgian candi sugar.

Hops will be Magum, CTZ, and Perle. (CTZ because Boulevard lists Zeus and clones have Columbus and, well 'cause.) Kinda shooting for bittering, 2min, flame out, whirlpool 200f, and whirlpool 170f. Then a dry hop. I might have to get a couple bottles before the dry hop to test aroma.

 

[tahoehomebrewer]

From their website I know they use a pretty complicated grain bill so the extract recipe you are proposing sounds like a good idea to me. I emailed their head brewers not too long ago about the yeast strain for another one of their beers and was told that the closest approximation you could get from commercial strains would be Wyeast 3787. They said their house strain has characteristics most similar to the strain and they use it for many of their beers, which makes sense to me given the flavor profile of many of their different smokestack series beers. I can dig up the text of the email if you are interested. Very nice and helpful guys. If you go to their website and email them I'm sure they would give you guidance on how well your recipe would line up with theirs.

 

[tahoehomebrewer]

Also, I'd skip dry hopping for a beer like that. Seems unnecessary and not a major player in the flavor profile. You want more of the grain complexity and yeast character. Given the plum notes of Dark Truth I might consider blending 3787 and 1214 yeasts.

 

[sablesurfer]

So I got a four pack of the original, and I am getting why I stopped drinking this. Thinner mouthfeel, esters are much lower, bitterness seems to be up (but maybe because of mouthfeel?) and really lacking in belgian fruit that I remember back about 5-6 years ago.

Decent coffee and chocolate notes (probably needs to warm up a bit).

So then my not-a-clone will be going for a bit more than this. I want more raisin, plum, cherry and I definitely want that oats/wheat mouthfeel.

Unfortunately, this bottle actually has signs of oxidation. No idea how, that is something I would NEVER have expected. But that cardboard is right there in the finish.

Love the lacing on the glass, I assume that is the carapils.

Aroma is low, not as hop forward I had imagined. Will let it warm up a bit, so maybe I will not dry hop? Not sure, saving a couple bottles for when I get around to that stage, do a comparison then.

 

[sablesurfer]

Got this brewed up on Sunday. Blew WAY over my OG, instead of a 1.094 it was up in the 1.120's. Added half gallon water, so up to 4gal batch and it is around 1.105 now. This is going to be a beast.

I think, 'think', this happened for one of two reasons:
- because I worked out the recipe in brewer's friend with estimated grain weights from the 'percentages' that Briess provided.
or
- because brewers friend assumes an efficiency and I have no idea what to really set it for on extracts?

Now there is one outside reason, would steeping the oats (not mashing) have added fake gravity?

The day went fine, the wort actually frikken tasted great. Then I went to pitch my rehydrated yeast and a buncha fruit flies come out from under the cover...damn. So got two new packets yesterday, re-shook, and pitched. Was some activity already this morning, but I will still re-shake tonight and pour from bucket to carboy to let it get going on fermentation.