Samuel Adams Boston Lager Clone

Don5153

Hello, I have a strange request. I really enjoy drinking Samuel Adams Boston Lager and would like to make it at home.
The problems are, I don't have a place to make a lager, and I'm not really set up for all grain. So, is there a clone close-enough for a Samuel Adams Boston Lager (Ale), (extract or part-mash) clone?
I know this sounds weird, but if any of you can help, that would be GREAT !!!!

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Sumo

Here you go. I make this all the time. Its very tasty and easy enough to brew.
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated Color: 8.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 50.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
6 lbs 9.6 oz LME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Extract 86.84 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 13.16 %
1.50 oz Pearle [8.00 %] (60 min) Hops 41.3 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (45 min) Hops 7.6 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (5 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
0.28 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
----------------------------
I add about 1.5 gallon of water. Steep grains for 30 mins at 154. When its done I add another 1 gallon and bring it to a boil. Take pot off the flame Add your extract and mix it well. Put it back on the fire bring it to a boil, once the hot break occurs start the timer and do your hop additions. I use a wort chiller to chill it down and top it off with filtered tap water in the bucket. You can use any ale yeast you like. I have used Muntons, wyeast 1084, and notty. All of them are good, but obviously have different end flavors.
-Cheers!

impatient

I doubt this tastes like boston lager

Brew-boy

Here is what I have found:
From Clonebrews (extract + grains):
19L Batch
OG 1049-52
FG 1011-13
IBU 35
SRM 9.5
Steep 230g 60Lovi US Crystal in 1.9L @ 65.5deg for 20 mins
Sparge grains with another 1.9L
Top up with water to make 5.7L in brewpot
Bring to boil and add:
- 1.8kg light lme
- 1.1kg light dme
- 57g Tettnanger (4.5 AAU)
Increase volume in brewpot to 9L and boil for 45mins. Then add:
- 14g Hallertauer mittelfruh
- 1tsp irish moss
Boil for another 13mins. Then add:
- 14g Tettnanger
Boil for 2mins.
Cool wort. Add to fermenter and top up to 19L.
Yeast options:
Wy 2206 Bavarian lager
Wy 2124 Bohemian lager
Ferment at 8-11deg for 5-7 days.
Rack to secondary.
Dry hop:
- 7g Hallertauer mittelfruh.
All grain option:
2 step infusion (in place of decoction):
Mash 4.1kg US 2row pale malt with the above crystal malt at 50deg for 30mins,
then 65.5deg for 60mins. Decrease Tettnang bittering addition to 46g. Increase
boil to 90mins (still adding flavour hops and irish moss @15min and aroma hops at 2mins).
Hope this helps.

Sumo

When I originally posted this recipe, it was the closest I could find at the time. Till you brew it, you won't know. Unless you lager your not going to get the real deal however Nottingham yeast will get you as close to a lager as possible. Especially if you ferment it around 64 degree's or so.

impatient

Its not just the yeast. You cannot get the complex flavors from an extract process.
I drink Boston Lager alot. When you drink it you can taste the complexity as the flavors change from start to finish.
If you want it to taste "exactly" the same, you have to make it exactly the same, starting with the water. And, the water will be tough.
Think about it, if Jim Koch could cut corners and get the same result he would. The recipe is almost spelled out right on their website, which includes a four step mash which is spelled out on Palmers site.
I bet they would give you the recipe if you just send them an email. They don't care, you could never brew it as cheap as them anyway.
I send them an email about a bad six pack and they send me a check below.

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7 lbs 2-row
1 lbs Crystal 40L
.5 Tettnanger 60 minutes
.5 Hallertau 20 minutes
.5 Hallertau 10 minutes
1 Hallertau 0
1 Hallertau in Secondary
1.25 quarts per pound
acid rest @ 105 for 30
remove and boil 2 quarts to protein rest @ 122 for 30
remove and boil 9 pints to sacc rest @ 155 for 30
remove and boil 6 pints to reach mash out of 168
Sparge with 12 quarts @ 168 @ 1 quart/minute

Doc-Robinson

Order the kit from Austin Homebrew. I have tried a few from them that are VERY close. The entire recipe will come in the kit as well...
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_43_262&products_id=1122

Rushis

There is always something to be said for the effects of the mash temps/methods on the final flavor profile. But if we take a step back from all-grain elitism to help out the OP, Sumo's recipe is pretty close to what impatient posted for all-grain.
7 lbs 2-row
1 lbs Crystal 40L
.5 Tettnanger 60 minutes
.5 Hallertau 20 minutes
.5 Hallertau 10 minutes
1 Hallertau 0
1 Hallertau in Secondary
vs.
6 lbs 9.6 oz LME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Extract 86.84 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 13.16 %
1.50 oz Pearle [8.00 %] (60 min) Hops 41.3 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (45 min) Hops 7.6 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (5 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
0.28 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
Sumo, why are using Pearle instead of tettnang? It's seem's like your recipe is a little high on the IBU's unless you're doing a partial boil that is limiting the utilization.
Maybe you could get closer to original flavor profile through a partial mash following the same step-mash procedure, with 4lbs 2-row and 2 lbs light DME (I think that get's close to a 1.045ish OG)? With a stovetop partial mash it's pretty easy to execute a step mash.
A clean fermenting yeast like notty or US-05 fermented at the low end of the temperature will be the closest you can possibly get without lagering.
The end product won't be identical, but it should have enough similarities to remind you of the original. No matter what it will be a great beer.

Sumo

I used pearl because they were out of tennanger. Look I'm not getting in to a pissing contest. If your asking someone for an extract recipe you can't get the same effect as all grain. I lived in Boston my whole life, I live a mile from the brewery and I know a lot of the folks at the brewery too.
When I posted that recipe I had been only brewing for 2 months, and gave the best that I had at the time. I still stand by it. You know why? You can give 20 brewers the same beer kit, and you will get 18 different beers. Its not the kit or the ingredients, its the process. Now if the guy follows that recipe he will get something close. Not the real deal but close. Thats all we want right? Unless your doing "Can you brew this" from the Jamil show and can nail down your process you will always just be close to what the brewer intended.
Now if you have a Sam Adams recipe for Boston Lager why not start our own thread and post it as the real deal.
-Sumo

jdc2

I agree about the non-necessity of whole grain brewing. Most (all?) of the "complexity" in SA Lager comes from the types of hops they are using, and of course that is highlighted by removing the yeast flavor by filtering it out. So you can only get so close with home brew techniques. Sumo's recipe
wasn't that close because of the Perle hops and too much hopping overall.
Doesn't the label on the SA Lager spell out explicitly that they use
Tettnanger and Hallertau?
Jim

impatient

If anyone is interested, I have hyjacked this thread enough.
Boston Lager Clone

petep1980

I heard they used a double decoction mash and it'll be tough to get the grain bill to match the complexity with extract. O-fests are tough with extract too. If you go DD or even TD you could do your own recipe. Save yourself some trouble and just buy BL and brew something else. A DD mash day could take you 6-8 hours.

homebrewer_99

I used the recipe in Clone Brews, but used Nottingham yeast.
Another brewer tried it today. He said it tasted really good, but could tell it was an ale...not as clean as a lager. I agreed.  

impatient

It is actually more complex than that. But, it could be fun.
Boston Lager Clone (Decoction/Krausening AG recipe)
Ingredients:
9.5 lbs American 2-Row
0.5 lbs Crystal 60
1oz Tettnanger 60 minute addition
1oz Hallertau 20 minute addition
1oz Hallertau 10 minute addition
1oz Hallertau in Secondary
Wyeast 2035
OG 1.048
TG 1.009
Color 7.85
IBU 26
ABV 5.0

Heat 12.5 quarts of strike water to target 105 degrees
Hold mash at 105 for 30 minutes
Remove 5 pints of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of approx 122. After reaching 122 rest for 30 minutes.
Remove 11 pints of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of 155. 155 is very important for the body of the beer. After reaching 155 rest for 30 minutes.
Heat 15 quarts of water to 168.
Remove 7 pints of mash, boil and return to mash tun. Stir and verify temp of 168. Do not exceed 170.
Settle grain bed and clear runnings. Sparge with 15 quarts(above) at 1 quart minute.
Boil wort adding hops at intervals above and chill wort down to 50 degrees.
Remove 1/6 of final wort volume and refrigerate for krausening below.
Pitch the yeast and ferment for 10 days at 50 degrees. Save 1/6 of the yeast starter and refrigerate.
Move to secondary and dry hop. Check gravity and record for use below. Hold at 50 degrees.
Remove saved yeast and wort, mix and warm to 50 degrees. Take the secondary gravity above and add 0.015. Example 1.010 + 0.015 = 1.025. Record the gravity of this mixture each day until it reaches the calculated value. Once the value is reached add the mixture to the secondary and bottle immediately. Do not add priming sugar, this technique will create your carbonation.
Once bottled, store at 50 degrees for 2 weeks and then drop the temp by 1 degree each day until 30 degrees is met. Lager at 30 degrees for 3 weeks.
Enjoy.

BrianTheBrewer

Sumo's recipe looks fine to me...
Impatient, Michelob pale ale??? That sounds yummy  

2_gal_brewer

Here is another thread on the topic.
Vienna Lager - Boston Lager Clone (Decoction/Krausening AG recipe)Boston Lager Clone (Decoction/Krausening AG recipe) Ingredients: 9.5 lbs American 2-Row 0.5 lbs Crystal 60 1oz Tettnanger 60 minute addition 1oz Hallertau 20 minute addition 1oz Hallertau 10 minute addition 1oz Hallertau in Secondary Wyeast 2035 OG 1.048 TG 1.009 C 7.85 IBU 26...

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www.homebrewtalk.com

TheMadKing

Thank goodness - after 13 years this thread is finally on the right track
Definitely necro'd a few threads in my day