Mad Elf from Tröegs Independent Brewing is one of my favorite seasonal holiday brews. I look forward to its arrival. Occasionally they will release a batch in July for “Christmas in July.” I’ve never figured out if they brew a new batch just for that or hold over some from the Winter for later distribution. Either way, if you haven’t had any, you need to find some.
My first stop in cloning this beer was this thread. There is a lot of good information there. Including the recommendation to only use 4 Oz. of chocolate malt. My original recipe had 8 Oz. which would have been double what was needed.
That thread lead me to this thread which has a complete recipe. Unfortunately that recipe is off with it’s hop additions. According to the Tröegs website Mad Elf only has 15 IBU’s.
With all of that information I put together my own recipe which is listed below. I would make some additional changes to my next attempt. The dark munich I used was too dark. I would change that out for light or regular munich. Something in the 3 – 5L range. I would also add additional cherries raising the amount from 4 to 6 cans.
Either way you brew this, it’s still great. It’s one of my favorite beers and now home brews. Get out there and get one before they are all gone.
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 gal | 90 min | 22.2 IBUs | 14.2 SRM | 1.104 | 1.019 | 11.5 % |
| Actuals | 1.092 | 1.011 | 10.9 % | |||
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Viking Pilsner Malt | 17.5 lbs | 76.92 |
| Viking Munich Malt Dark | 2.5 lbs | 10.99 |
| Chocolate Malt | 4 oz | 1.1 |
| Honey - Clover | 2.5 lbs | 10.99 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | 1 oz | 90 min | First Wort | Pellet | 7.5 |
Miscs
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking Soda | 2.00 tsp | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) | 1.50 tsp | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Whirlfloc Tablet | 1.00 Items | 15 min | Boil | Fining |
| Yeast Nutrient | 6.00 tsp | 15 min | Boil | Other |
| Sweet Cherries | 2.00 lb | 0 min | Secondary | Flavor |
| Tart Cherries | 2.00 lb | 0 min | Secondary | Flavor |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian Strong Ale (1388) | Wyeast Labs | 76% | 65°F - 75°F |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 152°F | 60 min |
Fermentation
| Step | Time | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 4 days | 67°F |
| Secondary | 10 days | 67°F |
| Aging | 30 days | 65°F |
Download
| Download this recipe's BeerXML file |
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