Help me clone Victory Hop Ranch

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I think the optimal range is like 65-70F. I started mine at 62F and let it get up to 68F over a few days. I was planning on doing a gravity reading tonight to see if we're ready for dry hopping. The activity in the airlock has all but stopped.
 
Brewed this this morning. Somehow, my efficiency was slightly higher than usual - 77%. I'd accounted for 71%, so I wound up with an OG of 1.093. I decided to do a 10% topoff so as not to underpitch. All in all, I have 2.7 gallons of 1.082 wort sitting at 65... I pitched 2.5 hours ago, so I should see some activity soon.

I did a hop stand for the first time. I added .60 oz each of Azacca and Mosaic at flameout. I let that sit for 30 minutes and then added another .60 oz of each at 175 degrees and let that sit for 30 minutes before chilling in an ice bath. I also did an addition of .60 oz each in the boil at five minutes.

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Took the first gravity tonight, 11 days in. From 1.082 it's down to 1.014. Pretty good, although I wouldn't mind if it dropped another point or two. Sample tasted great. Hop flavor galore, not too bitter, just a tiny bit boozy. I'll be dry hopping on Sunday. This one will be ready to drink on my daughter's 2nd birthday.

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OP, how much longer until your clone is ready to try? I have 2# of both Azacca and Mosaic and I'm eagerly awaiting to try to make this beer.

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Unfortunately, I had some issues with my electric setup and I seem to have scorched this batch. It tastes like it was aged with firewood in it. I have since resolved the issues with my setup and will be trying it again soon. Hopefully someone else who
tried the recipe can comment.
 
Sorry OP, that sucks! Better luck with your next batch!

I just posted my recipe and the HBT app ate it, so I'll post it again later.

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Snicklefritz said:
Unfortunately, I had some issues with my electric setup and I seem to have scorched this batch. It tastes like it was aged with firewood in it. I have since resolved the issues with my setup and will be trying it again soon. Hopefully someone else who
tried the recipe can comment.
Click to expand...

I'm curious as to what caused the scorched wort? I'm in the pre-planning stages of an electric setup and would like prevent such things from happening.

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y2jrock60 said:
I'm curious as to what caused the scorched wort? I'm in the pre-planning stages of an electric setup and would like prevent such things from happening.

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Click to expand...

I was completely new to BIAB. In doing my research prior to my first few batches I read that double-milling the grain will help offset some of the efficiency you lose by doing BIAB. Apparently, double-milling the grain is a bad idea with an electric element. The extra fine flour got through the bag and severely burnt on to the element. I had to scrub the **** out of it to get it clean. I have brewed two successful batches on it since figuring out where I went wrong. Just purchased the grain to give this another go (still had some hops left)
 
Ilan34 said:
Sorry OP, that sucks! Better luck with your next batch!

I just posted my recipe and the HBT app ate it, so I'll post it again later.

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Click to expand...


Can you post the recipe? How'd it turn out?
 
I brewed my 10 gallon test batch last weekend. I'll definitely let everyone know how it turned out in about 3 more weeks.

28lbs Pilsner
1lb Flaked Wheat
.5lbs Carapils

I did even additions of Mosaic and Azacca throughout the boil.
3oz 60min
2oz 15min
2oz 5min
1oz Flameout
3oz Whirlpool

I pitched a 4.5L starter of White Labs San diego Super Yeast.

It definitely smelled good going into the fermenter. I'll keep you guys updated.
 
krs0123 said:
Can you post the recipe? How'd it turn out?
Click to expand...

Sure, sorry for the delay!

2.5 gallon batch, BIAB, 77% efficiency

Pilsner - 9 lbs
White Wheat malt - .50 lbs

Mashed @ 149 for 90 minutes.

Pre-boil OG: 1.057

90 minute boil

Magnum - .25 oz - 60 min
Azacca & Mosaic - .60 oz each - 5 min
Azacca & Mosaic - .60 oz each - flameout and hopstand for an hour
Azacca & Mosaic - .60 oz each - 30 min hopstand at 175 degrees -> 165 degrees

Azacca & Mosaic - 1.2 oz each - 7 day dry hop

Whirlfloc & yeast nutrient @ 10 minutes

WLP007 Dry English yeast - stir plate 1 liter starter, cold crashed and decanted

I don't have my water profile on me, but I can post that later if anyone is interested.

OG came out to 1.092. Topped off with a quart of distilled water and brought it down to 1.082.

Pitched at 64. Fermented at 65 degrees.

FG was 1.014. I was a little late bottling because of a week long vacation, so I won't be cracking one open until the 18th. However, it smelled and tasted incredible at bottling.... Smelled just like fresh squeezed citrus and mango juice.

Could be just a little bit more bitter, but it's hard to tell flat. Maybe I would up the Magnum by 20% or perhaps add a 15 minute addition next time.

Then again, it might be just fine.

I hope this helps!


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Look at that, two recipes within an hour of each other! Cheers!

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This is also next up in my pipeline too. Been itching to try it again. Maybe next weekend. Hopefully I'll finally be able to enjoy the recipe I created.... lol
 
Snicklefritz said:
This is also next up in my pipeline too. Been itching to try it again. Maybe next weekend. Hopefully I'll finally be able to enjoy the recipe I created.... lol
Click to expand...

Of course, thank you for coming up with the meat and bones of this recipe. Mine is heavily based on yours, so I'll be sure to post some tasting notes.



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I kegged my Hop Ranch closne last night and oh boy, it smelled delicious! I'll post a pic and tasting notes in a week or two when its done carbonating. I sampled it after I finished kegging and it tasted and smelled pretty damn close to what I remember the actual Hop Ranch.
 
So I did brew this on Saturday as planned. My garage smelled like heaven during the hop stand. If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'll be happy.

Hit 70% efficiency for a 1.084 SG.
 
Snicklefritz said:
So I did brew this on Saturday as planned. My garage smelled like heaven during the hop stand. If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'll be happy.

Hit 70% efficiency for a 1.084 SG.
Click to expand...

Nice! Good luck.

I opened all of mine last night and dropped in priming tablets. It's my last resort, but I think it could work. Won't be as fresh unfortunately, but it's better than a wasted batch!

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Mine was sitting at 1.018 last night. Pretty sure that's all I am going to get out of it. I think I will be dry hopping tomorrow. The hydro sample tasted and smelled amazing, I can't imagine what 10 days of dry hopping is going to add to it. Definitely pleased with this so far although I feel mine came out slightly more bitter than I anticipated I think due to the hop stand.
 
Kegged last night. Finished at 1.017 for a final ABV of 8.7%. May mash at 148 next time to eek out some more fermentables. Although I'm not sure how close I came to actually cloning Hop Ranch, it definitely has the same aroma and is pretty damn tasty.
 
Snicklefritz said:
Kegged last night. Finished at 1.017 for a final ABV of 8.7%. May mash at 148 next time to eek out some more fermentables. Although I'm not sure how close I came to actually cloning Hop Ranch, it definitely has the same aroma and is pretty damn tasty.
Click to expand...

Awesome! How is your bitterness?

I finally had a carbed up version last night - it's been in the bottle for 7 weeks at this point! I had major issues with carbonation and potential oxidation.

Mine finished at 1.014. It smells and tastes just like mango juice. The one I tried last night had been chilled for just over 24 hours - I was impatient! I normally wait three days. Anyway, it's still hoppy, but not the hop bomb it would have been a month ago. It seemed a bit too sweet - it's a little more like a tropical barleywine at this point. However, it's possible that as more CO2 gets absorbed into solution this week, it will mask some of that malt sweetness.

In general, it tasted good, but I can't even recall what Hop Ranch tasted like! Damn seasonal. If I do this one over, I think I'll increase my 60 min addition by at least 15 ibu.

On the plus side, it's very quaffable for a 9% beer - no hint of booziness.

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Ilan34 said:
Awesome! How is your bitterness?

I finally had a carbed up version last night - it's been in the bottle for 7 weeks at this point! I had major issues with carbonation and potential oxidation.

Mine finished at 1.014. It smells and tastes just like mango juice. The one I tried last night had been chilled for just over 24 hours - I was impatient! I normally wait three days. Anyway, it's still hoppy, but not the hop bomb it would have been a month ago. It seemed a bit too sweet - it's a little more like a tropical barleywine at this point. However, it's possible that as more CO2 gets absorbed into solution this week, it will mask some of that malt sweetness.

In general, it tasted good, but I can't even recall what Hop Ranch tasted like! Damn seasonal. If I do this one over, I think I'll increase my 60 min addition by at least 15 ibu.

On the plus side, it's very quaffable for a 9% beer - no hint of booziness.

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Click to expand...

Funny you mention mango juice. That was the exact same first reaction I had and I don't recall Hop Ranch having that. My bitterness actually turned out a little higher than I expected. Could be due to the extended hopstand or me not using the hopshot properly.
 
Mine is all carbed and has been getting gulped up quickly. I can't believe how tasty this is. I've had multiple people comment to me that this is the best beer that I have ever made (some of whom know good beer). I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. I think I am going to try this hop combo with different grain bills as well.
 
I just purchased some Azacca hops and I wanted to see what I was in for, so I bought a pack of Hop Ranch. Dang, this stuff is good. I already have had mosaic so I can somewhat tell what it is bringing to the party. I'm really excited to brew with this hop now.
 
I have been dying to brew this again but was not able to get my hands on Azacca hops until this year's crop came out. I snagged 4lbs of Azacca so I'll be brewing this plenty this year. Just brewed it again today. Skipped the hopshot and added 1oz of each at 10 minutes. Then another 2oz of each at flameout and whirlpooled for 30 minutes. This should bump the IBUs to about 77 according to BeerSmith. I've also dubbed the beer 'Hop Corral' its definitely not an exact clone of the original but its really good.
 
I went on the brew tour at Victory a month or so ago. The tour guide said that in the high alcohol ipa's like dirt wolf and hop ranch they use sugar to up the ABV's.
I was disapointed to hear that but it probably lowers costs and keeps the body light.
so I guess u want to make grain bill 20% sugar to up it 1.5 to 2% abv?
 
Last edited:
Time for an update. I got my hands on a lot of Azacca and Mosaic this year and have brewed this beer about 7 times now. Here is my latest (and I think greatest) attempt:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Estimated OG: 1.082 SG
Estimated Color: 6.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 77.6 IBUs
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
12 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger 80.0 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 20L 6.7 %
8.0 oz Wheat, Torrified 3.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) 10.0 %


1.00 oz Azacca [15.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min
1.00 oz Mosaic [12.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min
1.00 oz Azacca [15.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 40.0 min
1.00 oz Mosaic [12.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 40.0 min
1.00 oz Azacca [15.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 min
1.00 oz Mosaic [12.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 min
1.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007)
1.00 oz Azacca [15.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days
1.00 oz Mosaic [12.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days
1.00 oz Azacca [15.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days
1.00 oz Mosaic [12.50 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days


Mash @ 150 for 75 mins

I've brewed this variation 3 times now and its the one im sticking with. I split the whirlpool and dry hoppings into 2 sessions. Seems to really amp up the aroma.
 
I found this recipe while looking for a brew to use my free Azacca hops I got from my AHBA renwal. I sub'ed Conan for the yeast as I had a 5th gen I'd ranched in the beer fridge. The Conan is behaving very differently on this recipe from other DIPAs I've used it on. My OG into fermenter was 1.079. My ferment profile is drop temp to 62F once ferment starts and raise it to 68F over 2 days and then hold at 68F for 5 days then raise to 72F for 7 days for yeast cleanup and dry hopping. On my other DIPAs this works great and fermentation has always completed in this time frame. The fermentation for this recipe went strong for 3 days as usual and then appeared to stall until temp controller started ramping up to 72F when blow off started bubbling at a rate of a bubble a second. I decided to give it another week before dry hopping. I started checking gravity at day 10 and again at 14 to verify if primary fermentation was finished so I could DH. Both readings were 1.024, a bit shy of what I expected so dry hopped on day 14 even though still bubbling. Its now day 20 so checked gravity again. This reading came in at 1.015 and still airlock activity! My 5th gen Conan is really drying this beer out. I now fear I dry hopped too soon and am considering dropping more hops in and give it another week for a total of 4 weeks in fermenter.
 
youngdh said:
I found this recipe while looking for a brew to use my free Azacca hops I got from my AHBA renwal. I sub'ed Conan for the yeast as I had a 5th gen I'd ranched in the beer fridge. The Conan is behaving very differently on this recipe from other DIPAs I've used it on. My OG into fermenter was 1.079. My ferment profile is drop temp to 62F once ferment starts and raise it to 68F over 2 days and then hold at 68F for 5 days then raise to 72F for 7 days for yeast cleanup and dry hopping. On my other DIPAs this works great and fermentation has always completed in this time frame. The fermentation for this recipe went strong for 3 days as usual and then appeared to stall until temp controller started ramping up to 72F when blow off started bubbling at a rate of a bubble a second. I decided to give it another week before dry hopping. I started checking gravity at day 10 and again at 14 to verify if primary fermentation was finished so I could DH. Both readings were 1.024, a bit shy of what I expected so dry hopped on day 14 even though still bubbling. Its now day 20 so checked gravity again. This reading came in at 1.015 and still airlock activity! My 5th gen Conan is really drying this beer out. I now fear I dry hopped too soon and am considering dropping more hops in and give it another week for a total of 4 weeks in fermenter.
Click to expand...


I think you'll be fine. It probably wont drop too much more than 1.010 so you are really close. I've been doing 2 rounds of dry hopping on this one. 2oz for 5 days and then another 2 oz for 5 days leaving the original 2oz in. The last time I brewed this it was magical. I cant even imagine how good it would have been if the hops were fresher and not the last of my poundage. Im picking up 2-3 pounds of each (Mosaic and Azacca) this year now that I have a vacuum sealer.
 
I bottled it tonight. The remaining "Brewers share" tasted like an alcoholic grapefruit juice. It finished at 8.6% ABV and was a very pale cloudy opaque light straw color. The Conan yeast has yet to clear. After a couple weeks bottle conditioning followed by 2 or 3 weeks in the beer fridge hopefully the Conan yeast will drop out of suspension.
 
Anyone looking to make this HopsDirect has 1lb 2015 Azacca pellets and whole for like $12/lb right now. That's like 1/2 what I paid for a lb last year. I picked up a pound of each. I would have done more but they had a 1lb limit. Good luck finding the mosaic cheap though :)
 

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