Torpedo clone.

[Charlie]

Centennial is like a super, high-alpha cascade (not super high...more like 8/9% AA). So, if you can imagine cascade on steroids you get a good idea. You could probably sub centennial for cascade (just use less obviously). And I'm not saying I'm correct about it being their signature hop (please someone tell me I'm not crazy), but centennial makes a kick-ass IPA. The recipe sounds solid enough that it won't disappoint you, even if it doesn't quite taste like your target.

A high alpha cascade would be nice. I'm definitely interested in that!

I'm gonna brew as soon as the Amarillo arrives (about Wednesday). It might not hit my target, but I'm sure it will be interesting, educational, and drinkable.

Sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination.

Charlie

[Charlie]

We made the Torpedo clone yesterday. It went like a charm. Here's the final recipe:

O.G. 1.074
T.G. 1.018
ABV 7.2
IBU 71.4 (Tinseth)
SRM 8.2

13 lbs Pale 2-row (MASH)
1 lbs Cara-Pils Dextrine (MASH)
1 lbs Crystal 40L (MASH)

1 oz Magnum 13.5% BOIL 60 minutes

0.7 oz Magnum 13.5% BOIL 45 minutes
0.4 oz Crystal 3.1% BOIL 45 minutes

0.5 oz Magnum 13.5% FINISHING 10 minutes
0.5 oz Crystal 3.1% FINISHING 10 minutes

0.5 oz Magnum 13.5% DRY 0 minutes
0.5 oz Crystal 3.1% DRY 0 minutes
1 oz Amarillo % DRY 0 minutes

Mash at 152 F
Mash Efficiency 75%

Yeast: White Labs WLP-001

The dinky 22 qt mash tun was barely big enough. I've got a 24 qt SS Vollrath pot I'm going to move into that role as soon as I make a false bottom for it. The new HLT and March pump performed beyond spec. No surprises. We got our 6th brew off the dinky oxygen bottle, and our 7th off the propane tank (I'm amazed). The propane tank is pretty much exhausted, and I expect the O2 bottle is too, but I have spares on hand (Troop 25, Shreveport).

It's very pretty; sorta light copper. We nailed the OG (1.074)!

The starter nearly blew the cap in the 200 ml phase, and tried to do it again in the 800 ml phase. WLP-001 is active as all get-out! 12 hours after innoculation I'm getting 20-30 bpm from the blowout tube.

One observation: sight glasses on a BK are pretty dang useless. If the level isn't jumping around so much as to be unreadable then it's plugged with hops! Don't use that as a value point for purchase. Much better to mark the inside of the kettle or use a stick.

I'm gonna rack it next Sunday and dry hop the heck out of it. I've got my fingers crossed that we will end up with a decent Torpedo clone, but if we don't I'll still bet hard money that it's as drinkable (and aroma hoppy) as a Torpedo.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Update: Here we are 10 days in.

The Torpedo clone was racked into the secondary on 5/3. The hops already inside. SG was 1.022. Check it out!



El hops tend to float, so I've been swirling it gently every morning and eve. After the swirl they'll swim around for a while and then float back up.

If I had to guess I'd say I hit the SRM pretty close. The whole room smells like Amarillo hops!

I anticipate bottling Sunday or early next week at the latest. I'll post updates as warranted.

Charlie

[Charlie]

The Torpedo clone is 10 days in the bottle, and I just had to try one!

It wasn't cooled down enough (hey, it's been a busy day!), but the next one will be. Here's the analysis:

It smells good! Maybe not as much nose as a fresh poured Torpedo, but a very clean Amarillo (Cascade-type) aroma.

The dry hops come through clean and clear. Palate is very much like a Torpedo, body is good, bitterness is perhaps a tad less than the Torpedo.

IMHO, this is a good recipe! I'm going to drink a few more and compare them side-by-side with a Sierra Nevada Torpedo (I have four bottles left!), but I'm not gonna pop a Torpedo until this clone has time to condition fully.

I think the analysis will stand, but we'll see.

Charlie

[runninjim]

I tried the Torpedo for the first time last week and it is ultimately one of my favorite IPAs. I haven't made the step to all grain brewing yet do es anyone have an extract version of this clone?

[Charlie]

... does anyone have an extract version of this clone?

I'm gonna guess you could sub light DME for the pale 2-row and steep the carapils and Crystal 40. Try running it through Promash and tweak the DME until you hit 1.074. I'm kind of a noob, so I'd wait for another opinion.

Another thing, I might need to tweak the hops, so let me get a judges opinion of it before you make it. I'll post that info soon as I can.

Charlie

[944play]

I get a distinctive fresh lime note from Torpedo that I can only assume comes from the Citra. Looks like we can get them here now.

I think of Amarillo as rather gentle, more tropical- and stone-fruit flavor.

[Charlie]

Looks like we can get them here now.

Cool! Thanks for the tip!

I had a couple of the clones yesterday after a bunch of BBQ and other beers, and didn't get the aroma hops much at all. So I led off with one this eve. I still don't get much aroma. In an A-B taste test with genuine Torpedo:

Color is right on. Torpedo is cloudy and the clone is clear.

Clone has more body and is more malty with has a slight alcohol-ish flavor that, if present, is masked by hop character in the Torpedo.

Hop bitterness in the clone is slightly more intense than that in genuine Torpedo.

The Torpedo is much more carbonated than my clone (now in the bottle 16 days).

I am not getting as much hop aroma off the Torpedo as I did before, and none at all off the clone.

I get a nice citrus'y burp off the Torpedo which is present in the clone, but at reduced intensity.

Conclusion: It's close (except for the nose), and very drinkable, but we're not there yet.

I'm gonna grab some citra, switch the bittering hops estimate from Tinseth to Ragar, add a tsp of gypsum to the water*, mash at a little bit lower temp, and do this again.

Charlie

*We have fairly hard water, it makes a lovely APA, but if you ask the water dept for an analysis you get a bacterial report and 3 ions. They say that's all they do!