What do you think of this Moose Drool recipe ?

[Banjo-guy]

I am going to brew my first BIAB at 2.5 gallons. I know Moose Drool clones are all over the internet. How does this one look?

Moose Drool Clone Recipe

From “Can You Brew It?”, Jamil Zainasheff (JZ) and Mike “Tasty” McDole
The Jamil Show on The Brewing Network.com

From the interview with Matt Long (ML), head brewer at Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, Montana
Moose Drool is Big Sky’s #1 beer, accounting for 70% of their production. It is filtered for shelf stability. The taste of the beer is sweetness at first, then hops come in to balance the malty sweetness. Good chocolatey note, background maltiness, some fruity esters and bready character from the yeast.

Stats
OG: 1.052​FG: 1.012 ​IBU: 26 as measured by brewer, JZ says more like 30
Color: 38 SRM as measured, looks more like 22​ABV: 5.1% ​Boil time: 70 minutes Pre-Boil Volume: 7.27 gal​Post-Boil: 6 gal​Primary: 5.5 gal​Keg: 5 gal
Assume: 70% efficiency, 50% evaporation rate, single infusion mash at 154 F (ML says 152 F), batch sparge
Big Sky does not modify the moderately hard Missoula, MT water for this beer.

Grains/Malt
87%​10.8 lb​ Domestic 2-row pale malt (Great Western or Briess)
10%​1.25 lb​ Crystal 75 to 80 L (adds sweetness)​
2.8%​5.5 oz​ Chocolate Malt 400 to 420 L (adds roasty character)
0.2%​0.5 oz Black Patent Malt 500 to 525 L (for color)

Extract option: substitute 7.4 lb Pale liquid malt extract or 5.9 lb Pale dry malt extract for base malt

Hops
1.4 oz​East Kent Goldings 4.75% alpha acid, 60 min (for bittering, provides 27.1 IBU by Rager formula)
0.6 oz Willamette 4 to 6% alpha acid, 10 min (for flavor/aroma. ML says add with 5 min remaining)
0.6 oz Liberty 2 to 5% alpha acid (for aroma. ML says they use some at 10 min and some at 0 min)

Yeast
Fuller’s strain: 2 vials White Labs WLP002 English ale or 2 smack packs Wyeast 1968 London ESB
Or use 1 vial/pack and make a 2 liter starter. Use JZ’s yeast pitching rate calculator and learn about yeast starters at MrMalty.com

Fermentation and Conditioning
Ferment at 67 F to minimize esters and achieve a mellow, highly drinkable beer. As fermentation slows, ramp up 1 degree per day to 70 F max and hold till FG reached.
Carbonate from 2 to 2.5 volumes. Look-up kegging psi/temp or amount of sugar required at zymipedia.com

Notes on tasting this recipe side by side with Moose Drool
JZ hit an actual OG of 1.053 and FG of 1.015, so it started slightly bigger and finished slightly sweeter. This lead to a bit more malty sweetness up front. JZ says this could be counteracted by adjusting the bitterness up slightly.

[bucknut]

I've been planing to brew this one up next also. I'm going with the same gain bill pretty much, hops too. The EKG hops are going to be FWH, and I'm going with the Wyeast 1968. I'm still on the fence about the 154 degree mash temp with that yeast and that causing issues with attenuating fully. Found a few threads were they say you have to raise the temp near the end and lightly agitate the fermentor to get it to reach final gravity and not be overly sweet, and of course I found just as many that said the opposite. Keep us posted.

[Kealia]

I've not tasted this recipe so I won't comment on it directly, BUT I've been happy with other CYBI recipes that I have tried in the past.

Take that for what it's worth.

[Rebel_B]

Do it! The CYBI recipes are 'bout as good as it gets. I did this one a few years ago; awesome, you'll like it.

[mashani]

10% 80L makes me drool. I'm making this whether you do or not.

[Banjo-guy]

10% 80L makes me drool. I'm making this whether you do or not.

I'm brewing it this week. I know who Jamie Zainasheff is now but when I posted this recipe I was clueless.

I just ordered his book "Brewing Classic Styles".
John Palmer is co-author.