In a previous post I compared the first iteration of my homebrewed version to the commercial Grains of Wrath Built for Speed. I had outlined a few changes to try for the 2nd iteration which I brewed and tapped recently. I’ve outlined my notes in this post.

In the header image above you can see my cloned version (right) and the commercial version (left).

Recipe for this post can be found here.

Differences from V1

I made a few alterations from the first iteration’s recipe based on my tasting notes from last time:

Dropped the % of pilsner malt by a few points (77% -> 73%).
Added some pale wheat malt to the mix (11.5% of the grist)
Increased mash temperature from 148F -> 152F
Added an additional ounce of Mosaic in the whirlpool and as a dry hop addition.

Stats

After figuring out that my thermometer’s reading was off by 10F, I replaced it and got much closer to my targeted numbers. I ended up at 6.5% ABV compared to the commercial version’s 6.7%.

Appearance

My notes here match very closely to what I reported on the first iteration. The color itself is near identical. It’s a pale straw color. Just like the last iteration the homebrewed version has just a tad less clarity, but it’s pretty close.

Aroma

The presence of the pilsner malt in the aroma was not as apparent as the first iteration. I didn’t get much of any of the malts, the aroma was all hops. Both the commercial and homebrewed version have a mix of fruity/diesel notes. The only real difference I noticed is that the homebrewed version has a softer aroma while the commercial version is more punchy and pronounced.

Taste/Mouthfeel

In terms of carbonation, this batch is a bit softer and not quite as bubbly as the commercial version. Both have that mix of fruitiness and diesel, but the commercial version is more even on the flavors while the homebrewed version is more diesel forward. In all honesty these taste pretty similar and the carbonation is the biggest difference.

Changes for next time

I feel like the pale wheat malt didn’t add much to this beer, so I’d probably skip it next time and just stick with a heavy pilsner and light pale malt combination like the first iteration.
I’m pretty happy with the hops in the 2nd iteration and don’t think I’m going to change anything.
Next time I”ll probably go back to the lower mash temperature in the first iteration of 148F for a thinner, crisper body.