After a successful showing that did not result in any awards in 2023, the 2024 Ales over ALS competition snuck up on me. By snuck up I mean I thought I was judging instead of brewing this year until I saw an email with my name listed as a brewer. I had to fire up my kettle for the first time in a couple of months and brew something.
I had no idea what I wanted to brew. The easy thing would’ve been a re-brew of Broken Fist which went over so well last year. I felt like I needed to bring something different. That, and I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on hops. Instead I chose to brew a beer I already purchased the hops for.
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| Color and clarity on point. |
The idea for this beer came to me several years ago when I was in Portland, Maine. I was visiting the Shipyard Brewery and browsing their excellent gift shop when a particular item caught my eye. They were selling tap handles of one of their legacy beers for only $10.
Seeing a tap handle of a beer that had been presumably been discontinued made me think about the changing craft beer landscape (although the beer does appear to still be available in the UK). Fuggles IPA was one of several Shipyard beers I used to enjoy such as Chamberlain Pale Ale, Bluefin Stout, and even Applehead. For $10 I bought the tap handle and thought it would be fun to clone the beer someday.
Then sometime later I found US Fuggle hops on sale and bought a pound. The tap handle sat in its box and hops sat in a fridge as I never made time to brew the beer until now.
The hops were already paid for. To made a true Shipyard clone, I would have to buy a pitch of 1187 Ringwood Ale yeast. Last time I spoke with one of the brewers at Shipyard, they started giving their Ringwood beers a thorough diacetyl rest. The last time I drank a Shipyard Export the difference was noticeable, so I’ll be doing that here.
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| A clone needs to have the correct base malt and yeast! |
For years, when I was still working for Muntons an English base malt for an English style was a no-brainer. Unfortunately my inventory of Muntons base malt is almost gone. Having no English Pale malt on hand, I bought some Crisp Best Ale malt from my local homebrew shop: Beer and Wine Hobby. Shipyard has used Crisp as their main base-malt since the early 2000s. According to a description I found online the two other malts used are Crystal and Wheat. I added enough 40L Crystal malt to match the color, and had just enough Torrefied Wheat on hand for a 5% inclusion to help with body and head retention.
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| Racking to secondary to help with clarity. |
Brewing for a big event, taking the risk of open fermentation was out of the question. I let the beer ferment in the primary for six days at, before racking to a secondary and dry hopping. After six days in the secondary I cold crashed for a day, kegged and fined with gelatin. Brewing for competition, I wanted the beer to be clear.
I kegged and carbonated the beer five days before the event. My one sample pint quickly turned into multiple pints. I wasn't sure how an English IPA would go over with attendees, but I was confident the beer was technically sound.
My beer scored quite well with the judging panel with scores of 39 and 38, both in the "Excellent" range and another score of 35 in the "Very Good" range. The judges thought the hop aroma could have been a little higher; I don't disagree. Fuggle far from the most aromatic hop varietal, and the hops I weren't the freshest. The judge who scored the beer the lowest thought the hop bitterness was a little harsh. When I took my first sips I thought that as well, but my as my palate became accustomed to the bitterness the beer became quite drinkable. This is a beer best enjoyed by the pint and not a four ounce sample.
As always several local breweries were also pouring at the event. Rockport Brewing Company was pouring for the first time, with True North Ales and Ipswich Ale showing up with their tap trucks. I was able to snag a can of Ipswich India Pale Ale, Ipswich's legacy English IPA they have never stopped brewing, and do a side-by-side at the event:
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| Homebrew on the left, Ipswich on the right. |
Aroma
Homebrew (HB): Grassy w/lots of fruity esters
Ipswich India Pale Ale (Ipswich): Cleaner fermentation w/more hop aroma coming thru
Appearance
HB: Light copper, brilliantly clear, bubbly white head. Surprisingly brighter and clearer than the Ipswich.
Ipswich: A shade lighter and hazier, head foamier with better lacing.
Flavor
HB: Super complex with malt hops and yeast all contributing to the overall impression. Out of the jockey box it’s a little too cold.
Ipswich: A little brighter and more hop forward than the homebrew. There is a citrusy American hop flavor that livens it up.
Mouthfeel
HB: Med body and med low carb. Finish slightly dry.
Ipswich: Med body and card, more than homebrew. Finishes dryer.
Overall
The homebrew was more complex with its English malt and more characterful yeast. The Ipswich India Pale Ale probably showcases the hop flavor a little more with its cleaner fermentation and lighter grist.
If I was brewing for competition, or not trying to clone a specific beer, I would certainly change the hops to some extent. Overall I was very pleased with how the beer came out even though I left the competition empty-handed again. After this batch and Broken Fist, I am starting to think making clear IPAs is my specialty!
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Recipe: Fuggles IPA Clone Brewer: Jason Chalifour Style: English IPA TYPE: All Grain Taste: (37.5) Recipe Specifications -------------------------- Boil Size: 6.68 gal Post Boil Volume: 5.68 gal Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal Estimated OG: 1.060 SG Estimated Color: 8.8 SRM Estimated IBU: 52.2 IBUs Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Est Mash Efficiency: 77.9 % Boil Time: 90 Minutes Ingredients: ------------ Amt Name Type # %/IBU Volume 7.80 gal Amber Dry (7-17 SRM) Water 1 - - 5.11 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) Water Agent 2 - - 3.07 g Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash) Water Agent 3 - - 1.06 g Baking Soda (Mash) Water Agent 4 - - 0.50 tsp Lactic Acid (Mash) Water Agent 5 - - 10 lbs Best Ale (Crisp) (3.0 SRM) Grain 6 88.9 % 0.78 gal 12.0 oz Crystal 110 (40L) (Muntons) (55.8 SRM) Grain 7 6.7 % 0.06 gal 8.0 oz Torrefied Wheat (Muntons) (1.0 SRM) Grain 8 4.4 % 0.04 gal 0.50 tsp Lactic Acid (Sparge) Water Agent 9 - - 2.30 oz Fuggle, U.S. [4.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 34.6 IBUs - 0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 11 - - 1.15 oz Fuggle, U.S. [4.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 12 11.2 IBUs - 1.75 oz Fuggle, U.S. [4.20 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 15.0 mi Hop 13 6.4 IBUs - 1.0 pkg Ringwood Ale (Wyeast Labs #1187) [124.21 ml] Yeast 14 - - 1.50 oz Fuggle, U.S. [4.20 %] - 7.0 Days Before Bottling Hop 15 0.0 IBUs - 0.50 tsp Gelatin (Bottling) Fining 16 - - Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 4.0 oz ---------------------------- Name Description Step Temperat Step Time Mash In Add 3.62 gal of water at 162.6 F 148.0 F 75 min Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.52 gal water at 168.0 F Notes: ------Original recipe called for 9.5# Best Ale, but used full 10# I purchased at LHBS. Torrefied Wheat a sub for Malted Wheat in commercial example. Cooled wort down to 95F with IC, then transferred to carboy to chill to pitching temp. Pitched at 67F, let free rise and raised temp to 70F before racking. Cold crashed one day before packaging.
Commercial Description
This light copper single hop India Pale Ale is brewed only with Fuggles hops. It has a smooth, dry, and crisp flavor with floral aroma and apple plum palate
Malt style: 2-row British Pale Ale, Crystal, Malted Wheat
Yeast: Top-Fermenting English
Hops: Fuggles
Color: Light Copper
IBUs: 49
OG: 1.055
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