Hill Farmstead Edward clone?

[alanzo]

No idea about his particular ingredients. That's one thing I've found out East: a lot of brewers I've talked to here are very secretive about their recipes and ingredients.

If you check the website, the malts and specific hops are listed (http://www.hillfarmstead.com/ancestral-series/):
13.5ºP (1.055 OG), 85 ibus, 5.2% abv. Pale and Caramel malt; Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops.

I just had my first full pint of Edward in Waterbury, VT after having several tastes over the years. The beer (and my palate) has developed very nicely since the brewery opened. Edward is fantastic, basically Heady Topper Light. Heady Topper is great, but too much of a sipper at 8%. Edward has the same flavor profile as Heady Topper but is much more quaffable.

Anyway, I'm guessing Warrior at 60 minutes, chinook and centenial in the boil with simcoe and columbus in the dry hop. Definitely simco in the dry hop, at least. I would go pretty standard additions and then dry hop the hell out of it with mostly (if not all) Simcoe. Hill Farmstead specifies when they double dry hop, as with Abner, so I'm guessing it's a single charge of dry hops. It's a fairly cloudy beer, but not muddy. I'm guessing from a combination of dry hops and yeast.

Full quote:

Edward (1917-2002) is our grandfather; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his five children. In his honor, this American Pale Ale is dutifully crafted from American malted barley, a plethora of American hops, our ale yeast and water from Edward’s well. It is unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and dry hopped. Aromatic and flowery, with impressions of citrus and pine, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Edward. 13.5ºP, 85 ibus, 5.2% abv. Pale and Caramel malt; Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops; House Ale Yeast, and our Well Water.

[Cody]

Just bottled on March 7. Aroma was right on the money. The Citra and particularly the Simcoe really gives it that sweet, almost candy-like aroma that I was looking for. Awesome flavor, firm bitterness that really only asserted itself after dry hopping, as my pre-dry hop gravity sample didn't have much at all. So while I can't say if it's cloned because it's been so long since tasting the real thing, it's definitely delicious. Also, these hops are what I had available. If you look at their website, they list what ingredients they use (Pale and Caramel malt; Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops). I'll report back with a tasting after another week or so.

Yeah, I knew what ingredients he uses, just not ratios, timing, or sourcing, since graymoment had asked about whether Shawn uses Rahr base malt.

That's an interesting comment about the evolution of Edward, because upon my latest tasting, I thought that I didn't get the same flavors/aromas as the first time. That might be true. My first sample I remember being blown away by how fruity and candy-like the aroma was; I'd never experienced that before.

[alanzo]

Yeah, I knew what ingredients he uses, just not ratios, timing, or sourcing, since graymoment had asked about whether Shawn uses Rahr base malt.

Next time I'm at the brewery I'll have to look at the brand on the malt sacks. It does specify american, so I'm betting Rahr will do just fine. Lots of brewers in VT are using Rahr 2-row. It is definitely a Simcoe-foward beer.

That's an interesting comment about the evolution of Edward, because upon my latest tasting, I thought that I didn't get the same flavors/aromas as the first time. That might be true. My first sample I remember being blown away by how fruity and candy-like the aroma was; I'd never experienced that before.

For the longest time I did not like Edward at all. I don't think it was my tastes at the time, it was the beer. I can say this because at the time I loved the hop flavor of Abner and Heady Topper. Now, as I said above, I would say that Edward is basically a light version of Abner and Heady Topper. Before I remember it having a dirty/earthy flavor. It wasn't very clean and not particularly hoppy. Now it's a hop-bomb.

[graymoment]

Just bottled on March 7. Aroma was right on the money. The Citra and particularly the Simcoe really gives it that sweet, almost candy-like aroma that I was looking for. Awesome flavor, firm bitterness that really only asserted itself after dry hopping, as my pre-dry hop gravity sample didn't have much at all. So while I can't say if it's cloned because it's been so long since tasting the real thing, it's definitely delicious. Also, these hops are what I had available. If you look at their website, they list what ingredients they use (Pale and Caramel malt; Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops). I'll report back with a tasting after another week or so.

Yeah, I knew what ingredients he uses, just not ratios, timing, or sourcing, since graymoment had asked about whether Shawn uses Rahr base malt.

That's an interesting comment about the evolution of Edward, because upon my latest tasting, I thought that I didn't get the same flavors/aromas as the first time. That might be true. My first sample I remember being blown away by how fruity and candy-like the aroma was; I'd never experienced that before.

Yes, I was asking about specifics beyond the general description/ingredients on the website. Althought, I'm even more interested in the process. Most breweries with a dry, aroma hop forward beer have similar ingredients. Only a few are able to get a huge nose with clean palate. I've heard Shawn uses hop extract for bittering. It's quite possible he uses hop oil in the dry hopping as well. I have no idea what his dry hopping regimen is.

[alanzo]

Thought I'd add to this with that I was looking through some photos and saw a bunch of sacks that where labeled as being used in their Imperial Stout. It was mostly Rahr and Weyermann. So Rahr 2-row for Edward is a safe bet.