Guinness Clone Recipe
When it comes to duplicating one of the most iconic beers in the world it is always going to be tough. Guinness Extra Stout has a simple recipe but is hard to replicate, especially when you are comparing to draught versions which are carbonated with a blend of nitrogen.
The grist is simple enough with just three types of grain and a couple of hops in the boil. A lot of focus is placed on the “tang” on homebrew forums which is put down to blending fresh beer with wort soured with brettanomyces or lactobacillus. Whether this type of blending still occurs is doubtable but I have included an easy way to add a bit of a tang in the background in the notes at the bottom of the page.
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 L | 60 min | 40.8 IBUs | 71.4 EBC | 1.042 | 1.010 | 4.2 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Malt (2 Row) UK | 3.16 kg | 79.8 |
| Barley, Flaked | 400 g | 10.1 |
| Roasted Barley | 400 g | 10.1 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger | 24 g | 60 min | Boil | Leaf | 7.5 |
| Target | 15 g | 60 min | Boil | Leaf | 11 |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Ale (1084) | Wyeast Labs | 73% | 16.67°C - 22.22°C |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 66°C | 75 min |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
“Guinness Is Good For You”
One of the most notable aspects around Guinness is the advertising. The iconic look of Guinness as well as an emphasis on how the beer is fortifying in some way led to some of the most memorable advertising of any beer.
In an effort to emphasis the qualities of Guinness and take focus away from it just being a beer a menagerie of animals were used to promote the brand. The most notable of these animals being the toucan.
Malt Extract Version
To brew an approximation of Guinness but as a malt extract version of this beer substitute the pale malt for the following:
2.45kg (5.4lb) Pale Dry Malt Extract
You will also need to substitute the flaked barley for 400g of Carafoam.
Steep the roast barley and Carafoam in a grain bag for 20 minutes, add a third of the malt extract at the start of the boil and the remaining 2/3rds a few minutes before the end of the boil.
Recipe Notes
- Sources for the Guinness recipe are all fairly similar. Most homebrew forums and clone beer books all agree on the main ingredients.
- The book “Brewing Your Own British Real Ale At Home” by Graham Wheeler contains the recipe and this is what I have adapted.
- If you want to add a slight tartness in the finish the easiest way to achieve this is to add 100g of acidulated malt in the mash.
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