Dear Replicator, I was wondering if you had a clone recipe for Otter Creek Brewing’s Mud Bock Spring Ale. I grew up in Boston and couldn't drink enough of it. Since my job moved me to LA, I can't find it when it's in season or anywhere else for that matter. You must have had some since you're based out of Vermont, right? So you understand.... Love your magazine, thanks! Dominic Siewko Los Angeles Dominic, I recently visited Vermont, and found out that the Vermont locals call Spring “mud season”, since they go from the snow of winter to the “mud season”, then to summer! Mud Bock Spring Ale is Otter Creek Brewing’s spring seasonal beer that “celebrates the arrival of Vermont’s sloppy spring. I spoke to head brewer Steve Parks, who has been brewing at Otter Creek for about the past 18 months. Steve said that Mud Bock does not really fit any recognized beer styles, and he described the Mud Bock Spring Ale as a “Caramelly Brown Ale”, with a rich, warming, sweet caramel flavor. Generous amounts of Crystal and Dextrin malts are used, which contribute non-fermentable malt sugars to the beer, giving Mud Bock it’s sweetness and caramel profile. A small amount of chocolate malt is added to give the Mud Bock some additional color and flavor. Steve said hop bitterness is subdued in this beer, and is used as a background complement. Otter Creek also uses no aroma hops in Mud Bock, again allowing the maltiness to come through. Steve uses German Alt yeast, and ferments at 68 degrees. The german alt yeast flavor profile depends on the temperature that you ferment the beer. At cooler temperatures (56 to 66) you get more of a lager characteristic, and at 68 and above, you get some fruity, herbal and floral characteristics, so you will want to monitor your fermenting temperature to make sure you are warm enough to get the fruity characteristics that Otter Creek gets when they make this beer. For more information you can visit the Otter Creek Brewery web site at: http://www.ottercreekbrewing.com or by calling 800-473-0727. Otter Creek Mud Bock Spring Ale 5 US. Gallons (19 L), extract with grains OG=1.058 FG=1.019 IBU’S = 28 SRM= 19.2 Alcohol 5.5% by volume Ingredients 3.3 Lbs. (1.5 kg) Muntons light malt extract syrup 1.5 Lbs. (.7 kg) Muntons light dry malt extract 2.25 Lbs. (1 kg) 10L Munich Malt 12 oz. (340 g) 40L Crystal Malt 10 oz. (280 g) 20L Crystal Malt 10 oz. (280 g) Dextrin Malt 6 oz. (170 g) Chocolate Malt 6 oz. (113 g) Wheat Barley 9.0 AAU Cascade hops (bittering hop, boil 60 min.) (2.0 Oz. (57 g) of 4.5% Alpha acid) White Labs WLP029 German Ale yeast or Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast O.75 cup (180 ml) of corn sugar for priming. Step by step instructions Steep the 6 crushed malts in 3 gallons (13.5 L) of water at 150º (66 C.) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from wort, add the malt syrup and dry malt extract and bring to a boil. Add the Cascade hops and boil for 60 minutes. There are no finishing hops in this recipe. Now add wort to 2 gallons (9 L) of cool water in a sanitary fermenter, and top off with cool water to 5.5 gallons. (25 L) Cool the wort to 75º (24 C.), aerate the beer and pitch your yeast. Allow the beer to cool over the next few hours to 68 ° (20 C.), and hold at this temperature until the beer has finished fermenting. Otter Creek suggests that you cold age the beer at near freezing temperature for about 5 days, then bottle and enjoy! All grain option: This is a single step infusion mash. Substitute 6 lbs (2.7 kg) 2-row malt for the malt extracts. Mash the 7 crushed grains together at 150º (66 C.) for 60 minutes. Collect approximately 7 gallons wort (32 L) to boil for 90 minutes and have a 5.5-gallon yield (25 L). Lower the amount of the Cascade hops in the boil to 1.5 ounces (42 g) ounce to account for higher extraction ratio of a full boil. The remainder of the recipe is the same as the extract.
