Searching for a recipe for a Greene King IPA clone

[AndyE]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone will be able to help me, I am searching for a recipe for a Greene King IPA clone, as I'm looking to brew this as a friends wedding present. After several huge searches on the net I have come up with two very different recipes, but I'm not 100% sure about it after plugging it into BeerSmith.

The recipe that I have heard is closest is below.

25 litres brew:
Pale Malt 3500gm
Crystal Malt 350gm
Chocolat Malt 5 gms

Standard 90 Min mash
Boil time 75 minutes

Challenger 30 gm @ 75 min
First Gold 20 gm @ 90 min
First Gold 20 gm @ Flameout, steeped for 30 minutes
First Gold 10 gm Dry Hopping
Yeast. Wyeast 1968 London ESB

EBC 22
IBU 34
ABV 3.6%

Any help on this would be wonderful, as I must admit I am more interested in the Belgium beers and haven't really looked an IPA before now and want to make a good job for the wedding present.

Many thanks in advance,

Andy

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I would say that looks as though it will give you something close.

I doubt too many people try to replicate it, it's not a beer that has a great reputation to being particuarly flavoursome, and certainly shouldn't be labelled as an IPA.

If it's an IPA you want to brew, then trying to emulate something brewed by Greene King isn't going to help you much, however if it is Greene King IPA you want to reproduce for some unfathomable reason then the recipe you have should get you somewhere close.

I can't help with the best yeast though, but perhaps give Brewlabs a call as they may well be able to produce you a slant of the original.

[Uncle Joshua]

I'd go...

25 litres brew:
Pale Malt 3120gm
Crystal Malt 275gm
Black Malt 22 gms

Standard 90 Min mash
Boil time 90 minutes

Target 19g 90m
Styrian 6 10m
Yeast. Wyeast 1968 London ESB


ABV 3.7%

[adomant]

Although I don't think Greene king actually put the hops in, rather just wave them near the ale

[unclepumble]

I'm not sure what the commercial recipe is but, it tastes like they add a liquid caramel extract (probably from this company) rather than real Crystal malt, a crap beer and one of the reasons I brew my own, I'm puzzled why you would want to replicate it.

UP

[dave-o]

The recipe you have there looks much nicer than GKIPA. I don't believe for a moment that GK put any late hops in their IPA, let alone dry hops.

First Gold is a nice hop IMO and you will end up with a good pint if you go with that recipe.

[AndyE]

Many thanks, and yes I would normally stay clear of this, but it is the grooms favourite pint. I am torn between brewing a decent IPA and openning his eyes (and exploring the IPA world more) or just excepting that GKIPA is what he likes and I shouldn't change that....we'll not as a wedding present anyway.

[kebabman]

The Camra judges at the Great British Beer Festival in 2004 were a right bunch of twits...

2004 Bitter Class

Greene King IPA (Gold)
Oakham JHB (Silver)
Triple FFF Alton Pride & Whim Hartington Bitter (Bronze)

[GrowlingDogBeer]

The Camra judges at the Great British Beer Festival in 2004 were a right bunch of twits...

I totally agree

Oakham JHB and Triple FFF Alton Pride are both excellent beers, how on earthe GK IPA beat them I will never know.

But then again this year Oscar Wilde Mild, from my local Brewery was overall champion, that surely can't be right. There is nothing wrong with it, and it's a good example of a Mild, but Champion Beer of Great Britain is going a bit too far.

[dave-o]

Many thanks, and yes I would normally stay clear of this, but it is the grooms favourite pint. I am torn between brewing a decent IPA and openning his eyes (and exploring the IPA world more) or just excepting that GKIPA is what he likes and I shouldn't change that....we'll not as a wedding present anyway.

I'd say go with plenty of late hops but not as much bitterness as a true IPA. I can't see how anyone could dislike hop flavour, but i can understand someone not liking hop bitterness.

Your recipe should be great for the purpose.

[InsideEdge]

Many thanks, and yes I would normally stay clear of this, but it is the grooms favourite pint. I am torn between brewing a decent IPA and openning his eyes (and exploring the IPA world more) or just excepting that GKIPA is what he likes and I shouldn't change that....we'll not as a wedding present anyway.

I'd say go with plenty of late hops but not as much bitterness as a true IPA. I can't see how anyone could dislike hop flavour, but i can understand someone not liking hop bitterness.

Your recipe should be great for the purpose.

Too much hop flavour can cover up the malt.

[InsideEdge]

oh and to the first poster. Brew the recipe you quoted. It looks like a nice lowish alcohol hoppy ale.

It will be nothing like GKIPA which will be to it's advantage.

[Befuddler]

I am torn between brewing a decent IPA and openning his eyes (and exploring the IPA world more) or just excepting that GKIPA is what he likes and I shouldn't change that....

I think you'd really struggle to brew something as insipid as Greene King at home, so just embrace the fact that you're going to be brewing a much better beer and hope that he appreciates it. If you go with a low gravity, well balanced ale with a nice fresh hop flavour, I defy anyone to turn their nose up at it.

[Dennis King]

The Camra judges at the Great British Beer Festival in 2004 were a right bunch of twits...

I totally agree

Oakham JHB and Triple FFF Alton Pride are both excellent beers, how on earthe GK IPA beat them I will never know.

But then again this year Oscar Wilde Mild, from my local Brewery was overall champion, that surely can't be right. There is nothing wrong with it, and it's a good example of a Mild, but Champion Beer of Great Britain is going a bit too far.

Seem to remember a discussion about that on here. The general consensus was the barrels they sent to the festival were tweaked for the occasion.

[john_drummer]

sounds like they had to be. I've had some bottles of their export strength IPA & it's ok, but there are much nicer pale ales out there. having said that, I've spent time with work in the Essex/Suffolk border country & GKIPA is waaaaay preferable to fizzy lager pop stuff that's usually the only alternative

I think I'm blessed living not very far from (a) Timothy Taylors (b) Saltaire Brewery (c) the Leeds Brewery and (d) Wharfebank Brewery. Some fantastic beers available from all of the above, and indeed from many more...