The Brewer

Recipe Design: How to Clone Famous Beers

Recipe Design: The Art of Cloning

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For homebrewers, cloning a commercial beer is the ultimate test of skill. It teaches you how ingredients interact to create the flavors you love. But you can’t just copy a list of ingredients. You have to understand the proportions.

1. The Detective Work

Start with what you know.

  • The Website: Many breweries (like Sierra Nevada or BrewDog) list the malts and hops on their website.
  • The Can: Check the ABV. This tells you the approximate amount of malt needed.
  • The Palate: Taste it. Is it dry or sweet? Bitter or floral? What color is it?

2. The Math: IBU / GU Ratio

This is the secret weapon of recipe designers. It measures the balance between Bitterness (IBU) and Sweetness (Gravity Units).

  • Formula: IBU divided by (Original Gravity - 1.000) * 1000.
    • Example: A beer with 40 IBU and OG 1.050.
    • ratio = 40 / 50 = 0.8.

Target Ratios:

  • 0.3 - 0.5: Malty / Sweet (Helles, Wheat Beer, Porter).
  • 0.5 - 0.7: Balanced (Pale Ale, Amber).
  • 0.8 - 1.0+: Bitter (West Coast IPA, Pilsner).

If you are cloning an IPA, aim for 0.8 to 1.0. If you are cloning a Stout, aim for 0.4.

3. Selecting the Yeast

Yeast contributes 50% of the flavor. Using the wrong yeast will ruin the clone.

  • Sierra Nevada / American Styles: Use the “Chico” strain (US-05, WLP001, Wyeast 1056). Clean, neutral.
  • Guinness / Irish Styles: Use an Irish Ale yeast (Wyeast 1084). Dry, slight roasted character.
  • Fuller’s / English Styles: Use London ESB (Wyeast 1968). Fruity, malty, low attenuation.

4. Reverse Engineering Example: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

  1. Specs: 5.6% ABV. 38 IBU. Pale Amber color.
  2. Malt: We know it needs Caramel malt for that color.
    • Base: 92% Pale Ale Malt (2-Row).
    • Specialty: 8% Crystal 60L (for the signature amber color and caramel taste).
  3. Hops: The bottle says “Cascade”.
    • Bittering: Magnum (clean bitterness) at 60 min to hit 30 IBU.
    • Flavor/Aroma: Massive Cascade additions at 15 min and 0 min to hit the remaining 8 IBU and aroma.
  4. Yeast: US-05 / WLP001.

Conclusion

Cloning isn’t about getting it 100% right on the first try. It’s about the process. Brew it, taste it side-by-side with the original, and take notes. “Needs more body.” “Too bitter.” “Wrong hop aroma.” Then, adjust the recipe and brew it again. That loop is how you become a master brewer.