Blind Pig Clone 2.0

https://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/05/blind-pig-clone-20.html

60min mash, 60min boil, 20min whirlpool for the hops, and then I chilled to 62F. I hit the wort with 90sec of O2 before pitching 160ml of 090 slurry. This batch was done fermenting in roughly four days, and you can see the fermentation temperature profile below.

I only sat on the dry hops for a few days, as (once again) we’re in quite a hurry with this batch. So into the keg it went with some gelatin before carbing it up.



We’re evaluating this a little young, but it’s settled in over the past few days in the keg. It turned out pretty incredible. This batch has everything I liked about the last batch, but with a bigger hop note, that’s less Cascade-centric. It’s still a bit cloudy, as I was sloppy when I racked it into the keg, but it’s slowly clearing up. Color looks identical to last time, and it has a fluffy white head that lasts forever. The aroma is similar to how I remember it before, but the Amarillo is coming through more. Lots of citrus and orange notes. There’s a little pine, but much less grapefruit than last time. The flavor and body are spot on: Big hops, a little sweet malt, and then a crisp assertive bitterness in the finish. Small side note: The yeast change didn’t seem to make any real impact on flavor.



So, is it cloned? It’s pretty damn close. The only difference is the hop aroma isn’t quite as big as fresh Blind Pig. I found Blind Pig to be nearly as hoppy as PTE, only it’s hops were more citrusy, and less piney. I’d be tempted to use the same dry hop, only add 25% more, and see how it turns out.



For a beer to serve at a party though, this turned out absolutely 100% perfect. It has a big beautiful citrusy aroma, with a clean flavor, and a crisp finish. This is a really well crafted IPA recipe, and now the party has come and gone, I can say it was quite the crowd pleaser. Thanks for all the comments on the last clone attempt; we’re almost there. And finally, thanks to all our friends that came over to help my sister and I celebrate. Cheers!