Flying Monkeys Smashbomb IPA Clone

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Hi.

I'm new to brewing ... new to IPAs. So far, I've supposedly successfully brewed 2 stouts. I say "supposedly" because all my friends like my beer. I don't trust them because I think they just like the free beer concept. Lol. But I did take my beer to a local craft brewery and I got a good review!

Anyways. I'm feeling comfortable enough now try to clone Flying Monkey's Smashbomb IPA as a gift to a friend. Not knowing enough about brewing ... I have to ask the experienced community to help me understand the differences between three recipes I've found.

http://www.hoptomology.com/wordpres.../Hoptomologys-Smashbomb-Atomic-IPA-clone.html


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/smashbomb-atomic-clone.320685/#post-4012630

** the link to the forum here as 2 recipes - one from artemis and the other from brewmastercontrols.


I find it interesting that none of the clones use the same grain bill / hops that's listed on the official website: http://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/smashbomb-atomic-ipa/

I would like to try the Hoptomology clone's instructions, but try to substitute the grain bill to match (if I can locally source) the bill listed on the official website. The problem is I don't know how to correlate the two different grain bills so I get the right amount of each malt listed on the official site. Hope my question makes sense.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. THanks.
 
I don't know the beer but a word on cloning: Don't try for an exact copy, you'll be disappointed. Instead, think of "inspired by" as a better word than "clone". I've gotten pretty close to Yuengling, pretty close to St Arnold's "Santo" but can't match exactly because of ingredient variability. I've found that making a good beer in the style of x to be much more rewarding than attempting to reproduce x. Besides, in most cases, I can buy x in the store, why should I spend my time trying to do what the maker of x does so well.
 
I don't know the beer but a word on cloning: Don't try for an exact copy, you'll be disappointed. Instead, think of "inspired by" as a better word than "clone". I've gotten pretty close to Yuengling, pretty close to St Arnold's "Santo" but can't match exactly because of ingredient variability. I've found that making a good beer in the style of x to be much more rewarding than attempting to reproduce x. Besides, in most cases, I can buy x in the store, why should I spend my time trying to do what the maker of x does so well.

I think you make a good point. Don't want to set the bar too high. But at the same time, I guess if they're giving me the bill grain and it's "just" a matter of figuring out / understanding the role each malt plays in the mix, I think I'd like to try to use the original grain bill vs something else. I'm currently trying to read up on what each malt does to see if I can figure out how much of each grain to use.

I'll have to mull it over. The good news is that if I fail, I get to try again!

:)

Thanks for the feedback
 
I don't know the beer but a word on cloning: Don't try for an exact copy, you'll be disappointed. Instead, think of "inspired by" as a better word than "clone". I've gotten pretty close to Yuengling, pretty close to St Arnold's "Santo" but can't match exactly because of ingredient variability. I've found that making a good beer in the style of x to be much more rewarding than attempting to reproduce x. Besides, in most cases, I can buy x in the store, why should I spend my time trying to do what the maker of x does so well.
Well said @Nosybear .
 
Very well said nosy!
Where are you from #230611?
I haven't had the Atomic for a while, what I would like to brew something inspired by their Chocolate Manifesto for the Christmas season next year!

http://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/chocolate-manifesto/

This would be something that you would drizzle on your french french vanilla ice cream!
 
Pale Malt, Weyerman’s Munich Type II, Weyerman’s Melanoidin Malt, and Great Western Crystal 60.
That's the malt listed on the web site. Very solid, basic malt bill for an IPA. The clone recipes using Victory and Black Patent will give you a very different beer, IMO.
Knowing nothing about the beer but based on the ingredients,specs and my experience with malts of those specific types, here's a starting place:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/817470/smashbomb-atomic
I'd probably opt for a little Special Roast or maybe even Special B for color in place of some of the C-60, but maybe the dark caramel/ fruit quality of the 60 is part of the flavor profile of this particular beer. These percentages are based on what I've had success with and should give a pretty solid malt base for the hop showcase that's what beers like this are all about.
 
Very well said nosy!
Where are you from #230611?
I haven't had the Atomic for a while, what I would like to brew something inspired by their Chocolate Manifesto for the Christmas season next year!

http://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/chocolate-manifesto/

This would be something that you would drizzle on your french french vanilla ice cream!

I'm from the GTA
I haven't ever tried the Smashbomb IPA ... lol. But a buddy of mine is crazy about it and has been after me to try.
 
Pale Malt, Weyerman’s Munich Type II, Weyerman’s Melanoidin Malt, and Great Western Crystal 60.
That's the malt listed on the web site. Very solid, basic malt bill for an IPA. The clone recipes using Victory and Black Patent will give you a very different beer, IMO.
Knowing nothing about the beer but based on the ingredients,specs and my experience with malts of those specific types, here's a starting place:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/817470/smashbomb-atomic
I'd probably opt for a little Special Roast or maybe even Special B for color in place of some of the C-60, but maybe the dark caramel/ fruit quality of the 60 is part of the flavor profile of this particular beer. These percentages are based on what I've had success with and should give a pretty solid malt base for the hop showcase that's what beers like this are all about.

Thanks for taking the time! I don't know much about grains but yes, the grain bill between the two sites seem quite different. I went ahead and ordered my grains yesterday assuming i was going to follow Hoptomology's "clone" thinking that as long as it's close and drinkable i don't care.
But now I'm on the fence! If i'm going to end up with a very different beer, I might try to call my supplier this morning and change my order seeing how they haven't shipped it yet. I would trust your suggestions more than my own. Having said that, just a question for education purposes - the black malt amount is so small - I'm thinking it would affect only the color. Is this correct?

Anyways, I think if you can clarify one or two things about the MASH time and BOIL time, I think I might actually try to give this a go.
How long should the MASH period be? The boil phase should be 65 minutes? or 60?
Also as a substitute for the artisan citra hops, can I just use https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Citra_American_Hop_for_Homebrewing_Canada_p/hops-citra.htm

Thank you for the advice / clarification!

I use a Robobrew - and so far, have found that to end up with 5 gallons in my fermenter, I get the best results when I start with 4 gallons of strike water and then add 3.5 gallons of sparge water. But then again, I've only brewed 2 stouts so far. We shall see what I end up with!
 
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Thanks for taking the time! I don't know much about grains but yes, the grain bill between the two sites seem quite different. I went ahead and ordered my grains yesterday assuming i was going to follow Hoptomology's "clone" thinking that as long as it's close and drinkable i don't care.
But now I'm on the fence! If i'm going to end up with a very different beer, I might try to call my supplier this morning and change my order seeing how they haven't shipped it yet. I would trust your suggestions more than my own. Having said that, just a question for education purposes - the black malt amount is so small - I'm thinking it would affect only the color. Is this correct?

Anyways, I think if you can clarify one or two things about the MASH time and BOIL time, I think I might actually try to give this a go.
How long should the MASH period be? The boil phase should be 65 minutes? or 60?
Also as a substitute for the artisan citra hops, can I just use https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Citra_American_Hop_for_Homebrewing_Canada_p/hops-citra.htm

Thank you for the advice / clarification!

I use a Robobrew - and so far, have found that to end up with 5 gallons in my fermenter, I get the best results when I start with 4 gallons of strike water and then add 3.5 gallons of sparge water. But then again, I've only brewed 2 stouts so far. We shall see what I end up with!
For some reason, I can't edit my post any longer. Anyways, I just wanted to say, it looks like the mash is 60 minutes long and the boil is 65 minutes?
if that's the case, I just need a suggestion about how critical the 'artisan hops' component is.

Also, any comments on the following water profile?
I selected 8 gallons, 100% dilution (using RO) and for the profile, I chose light and hoppy.
Then i plugged in the following values and it seems to be ok...
Chalk CaCO 3 grams
Baking Soda NaHCO 3 grams
Gypsum CaSO 4 grams
Calcium Chloride CaCl 2 grams
Epsom Salt MgSO4 6 grams
Canning Salt NaCl 1 grams
 
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That's just a mis-directed click in the needlessly complicated hops list in the drop-down menu. Any Citra hops will do. You have to re-calculate the recipe based on the particular hops you procure. The AA content for each batch is different. Do yourself a favor and order a half-pound or pound from Yakima Valley or one of the other suppliers. Much cheaper that way.
 
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I am in Cambridge, good luck with it, let us know how it comes out!
 
How long should the MASH period be? The boil phase should be 65 minutes? or 60?
Boil time is typically 60...the 65 in the hops was just a typo.
Mashing time and volumes will be based on your system. No recipe will be exact but rather will be a starting place for you to edit and plug in your own variables.
This is just a quick sketch of a recipe and you should copy and edit as needed.
 
I went ahead and ordered my grains yesterday assuming i was going to follow Hoptomology's "clone" thinking that as long as it's close and drinkable i don't care.
The percentages they use for Crystal and Victory are in line. The Cara/Crystal they're using is L57...close enough to the C-60 designated on the brewer's website. I like Victory in a Pale or IPA and use it in most of my recipes. The Black Patent is out of place and just thrown in to massage the color. If you brewed that beer it would be fine but the Black Patent will give it a harsh,roasted note that just shouldn't be there. Maybe at that low a percentage, it wouldn't be noticeable. I've used Blackprinz or de-bittered black malt or Midnight wheat, all of which impart less burnt/ashtray flavor than the Black Patent.
 
The percentages they use for Crystal and Victory are in line. The Cara/Crystal they're using is L57...close enough to the C-60 designated on the brewer's website. I like Victory in a Pale or IPA and use it in most of my recipes. The Black Patent is out of place and just thrown in to massage the color. If you brewed that beer it would be fine but the Black Patent will give it a harsh,roasted note that just shouldn't be there. Maybe at that low a percentage, it wouldn't be noticeable. I've used Blackprinz or de-bittered black malt or Midnight wheat, all of which impart less burnt/ashtray flavor than the Black Patent.

Well, I called my supplier and i'm going to try using the grain bill on the website. Going to chat with some more experienced Robobrew people... and see where I end up.
Thanks for your patience and your help!

Any comments on my water profile?
 
What is your source water, is it tap water?
 
That's just a mis-directed click in the needlessly complicated hops list in the drop-down menu. Any Citra hops will do. You have to re-calculate the recipe based on the particular hops you procure. The AA content for each batch is different. Do yourself a favor and order a half-pound or pound from Yakima Valley or one of the other suppliers. Much cheaper that way.

JA, in order to replace / substitute the 3 oz of Artisan Citra just want to be sure when you referenced "11.8 AA" that's "11.8%" correct? Sorry for the noob questions. But just need to be sure.

Please and thanks.
 
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Buy some hops. Check the AA percentage on the package(s). Plug the AA percentage into the recipe calculator. Alter amounts or time in boil to adjust for your desired IBU.
The only reason that the "Artisan Citra" even appeared on the recipe I put together is because it's in the cluttered list of hops to choose from. I don't even know why brand names are associated with the hops in the list now...it used to be just hop varieties. It just causes confusion.
I edited the recipe to clear up any misconceptions. Like I said ealier, any Citra Hops will do - you just have to adjust your recipe for the AA of the actual hops that you procure and use.
 
JA, in order to replace / substitute the 3 oz of Artisan Citra just want to be sure when you referenced "11.8 AA" that's "11.8%" correct? Sorry for the noob questions. But just need to be sure.

Please and thanks.
And "Artisan" is just a marketing word - it has no meaning in the real world.
 

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