Brains SA Clone (again)

I’m new to brewing and just did my first all grain last weekend (a clone from Wheelers British Real Ale Book). I’m a Welshman living in California so I’m trying to brew some beers from home. I’ve been trying everywhere to find a recipe for Brains SA but I can’t find one that someone has confirmed as accurate. So far I’ve found the following recipes:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=29967
http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/brains-sa
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/view ... =5&t=31370
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/76536 ... st-bitter/
One from Clone Brews
and there’s a bit of info here: http://www.sabrain.com/beers/draught/cask-beers/sa

I combined all these to get the following recipe. Please let me know if you have any feedback. I’m trying to get as close to the real thing as possible.

OG: 1042
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 25

Grain bill: 85% Pale Malt 2 Row, 11% Crystal Malt, 4% Torrified Wheat, +Invert Syrup

0.7 g/L Challenger (7.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L East Kent Golding (5.0 % Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L Fuggles (5.0% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)

Fermented with Safale S-04

Thanks in advance

Hi and welcome, hope you manage to create a little taste of Britain in the US. Can't help much with the recipe much as I've never brewed this one.

the furstey ferret i brew was and is very similar to brains sa gold
apart from the hops
furstey ferret clone
5 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter Grain
0.30 kg Cara Wheat Malt
0.30 kg Wheat Malt, Pale
15.00 gm Target (60 min) Hops
20.00 gm Styrian Goldings (20 min) Hops
25.00 gm Styrian Goldings (10 min) hops
half Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc


the difference between the two beers seems to be this cascade
replace the 20 mins hops with 10 grams styrian holdings 10 grams cascade
the same with the 10 min hops 15 gram styrian goldings 15 grams cascade
http://www.sabrain.com/beers/draught/cask-beers/sa-gold
:thumb:

Thanks, but you seem to be linking to SA Gold. Unfortunately, that stuff doesn't hold a candle to SA proper. According to the Brains website SA has 'a satisfying dryness from the unique use of three hops: Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles'

I'm guessing a few on here would tell you that torrified wheat is horrid and to change it to some other foam enhancing grain.

But it's your beer

here is my take on it. Brewed twice now and is as close as I have been able to come to the "skull attack"

BRAINS SA
Added By: rough rider
Method: All Grain
Style: Special/Best/Premium Bitter
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.035 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)
Source: rough rider
Original Gravity: 1.044 Final Gravity: 1.011 ABV (standard): 4.28% IBU (tinseth): 25.63 SRM (morey): 14.47
Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
8.25 lb United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale 38 3.75 89.2%
1 lb United Kingdom - Extra Dark Crystal 120L 33 120 10.8%
9.25 lb Total
Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
9 g Challenger Pellet 7.2 Boil 60 min 9.07
8 g Challenger Pellet 7.2 Boil 50 min 7.66
7 g Challenger Pellet 7.2 Boil 40 min 6.19
7 g East Kent Goldings Pellet 5.8 Boil 10 min 2.06
4 g East Kent Goldings Pellet 5.8 Boil 5 min 0.65
4 g Fuggles Pellet 6.7 Dry Hop 3 days
Show Summary View
Mash Guidelines
Amount Description Type Temp Time
20 qt Sparge 168 F 70 min
Other Ingredients
Amount Name Type Use Time
2 tsp burton water salts Water Agt Boil 60 min
2 tsp irish moss Water Agt Boil 15 min
Yeast
Wyeast - British Ale 1098
Attenuation (avg):
74%
Flocculation:
Med-High
Optimum Temp:
64 - 72 °F
Starter:
No
Yeast Pitch Rate and Starter Calculator
Target Water Profile: Burton on Trent (Pale, ESB or IPA)
Ca+2 Mg+2 Na+ Cl- SO4-2 HCO3-
270 24 50 35 660 290
Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator

roughrider said:

here is my take on it. Brewed twice now and is as close as I have been able to come to the "skull attack"

Click to expand...

Thanks very much. I was back in Cardiff two weekends ago and managed to try a pint or two. I got round to bottling mine last weekend and although it's a bit green, it tasted pretty similar. I'll report back when it's had a few more weeks in the bottle. I'll certainly give your recipe a try when the current batch runs out. Cheers.

I know it's an old thread but just a few weeks ago I returned to kit brewing and went to the pub with my son that night and was drinking brains sa, I said then I would love to make some beer just like this. I've been reading the simple all grain thread and now realize that it is a possibility so any updates on this? Anyone tried I sa clone that turned out good and which recipe did they use.

I may just have to make small batches of each recipe and see which one I prefer.

Bit late coming back but the recipe that I listed was good but not great. It was probably my 2nd or 3rd brew ever so there is that. I just opened a bottle after 3 years that I found in the back of the cupboard. It actually tastes better than I remembered but definitely doesn't have the SA mouthfeel.

I think I followed rough riders recipe in the end. Turned out nice but not sure how good a copy it was, I've not come across sa in the few occasions I visit a pub since.
I think I may still have a bottle or two tucked away in the garage, might dig one out this afternoon after work. Mine too was second all grain, so probably room for improvement, plenty of recipes since and many more to try, but may have another go soon.