# Extract Vb-style Clone?



## tcraig20 (17/3/09)

OK, Ive got graduation coming up soon and my folks are coming up. My old man only really drinks the dreaded Vermin Brew, despite my best efforts (shit, its bitter, I dont drink dark beer, etc.) 

Rather than reward Fosters for making such a foul product, has anyone got an extract recipe I could knock out quickly to approximate the style?


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## Adamt (17/3/09)

I'll wager tree-fitty that you won't win this one. No matter what you do it'll be: "Ohh, it's OK, but it's no VB."


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## tcraig20 (17/3/09)

Adamt said:


> I'll wager tree-fitty that you won't win this one. No matter what you do it'll be: "Ohh, it's OK, but it's no VB."



Yeah, I dont like my chanes either. But Im a sucker for a hopeless struggle.


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## Pollux (17/3/09)

VB drinkers will drink VB, Carlton Draught drinkers will drink anything.........

I heard that years ago when I worked in a pub, and it's so very true...

For shits and giggles, decant something similar into a VB bottle and see if he can seriously spot the difference....


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## mckenry (17/3/09)

Pollux said:


> For shits and giggles, decant something similar into a VB bottle and see if he can seriously spot the difference....



I have seen similar at a party. A mate bought a carton of Corona for $50 at the time. Other blokes were tipping his corona into a glass and filling his bottles with VB. Mate #1 was putting on a real show about how he hates VB, clutching at his throat, telling us how he feels like chucking when he tastes it etc etc. We were all pissing ourselves laughing, (as we were all in on it) and the more we laughed the funnier he thought he was and the bigger the stage show. Still brings a tear to the eye thinking about it.

Anyway, what I am saying is, if a VB (or corona tooheys ets) drinker _thinks_ theyre drinking VB, they'll be happy


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## tcraig20 (17/3/09)

mckenry said:


> I have seen similar at a party. A mate bought a carton of Corona for $50 at the time. Other blokes were tipping his corona into a glass and filling his bottles with VB. Mate #1 was putting on a real show about how he hates VB, clutching at his throat, telling us how he feels like chucking when he tastes it etc etc. We were all pissing ourselves laughing, (as we were all in on it) and the more we laughed the funnier he thought he was and the bigger the stage show. Still brings a tear to the eye thinking about it.
> 
> Anyway, what I am saying is, if a VB (or corona tooheys ets) drinker _thinks_ theyre drinking VB, they'll be happy



Well, you know I dont really disagree. 

But let me rephrase the question. How about ideas for a lightly-hopped extract-based Australian-style lager. Im thinking something along the lines of 20g POR @ 60 mins, 2.4 kg LDME, 300g carapils or carahell. Maybe a little wheat malt.

BTW: a real Corona drinker would quickly recognise something that isnt Corona by the absence of cat piss taste/aroma.


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## mckenry (17/3/09)

JamesCraig said:


> But let me rephrase the question. How about ideas for a lightly-hopped extract-based Australian-style lager. Im thinking something along the lines of 20g POR @ 60 mins, 2.4 kg LDME, 300g carapils or carahell. Maybe a little wheat malt.



Yeah I know, was just bagging out megas.
Your above recipe seems better than VB.
Why not try a K&K - maybe coopers draught with a BE2, nothing else. Should be thin enough.


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## Swinging Beef (17/3/09)

Seriously, mate... my reserve drink for the aussie lager drinkers at the moment is a can of Coopers Mexican whatever, 500g wheat malt, 1kg dex.
A handfull of high alpha hop in the 2ndary, I used chinook and some gelatine
Ferment with a clean ale yeast, I used dry safale american ale.

This is the cleanest, dryest, yellowest, fizziest bland beer Ive ever made, and it is a big hit with anyone who doestn like body, character, aroma and texture in their beer.
Easy and quick too.


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## clean brewer (17/3/09)

> Anyway, what I am saying is, if a VB (or corona tooheys ets) drinker _thinks_ theyre drinking VB, they'll be happy



So, just make whatever simple and bottle in VB Stubbies or Tallies??? :icon_cheers: 

Funny story for me,

The other day 3 people came into the Restaurant(prob would normally go to a pub I thought), the guys asks for 'pot of pineapple juice, a Vic and a Corona', just had to clarify what he asked for "so sir, you would like a Glass of Pineapple Juice, a Victoria Bitter and a Corona? Is the Corona with Lime??

Shit, Ive never heard anyone ask for a Pot of Juice before or a Vic.. When I was younger, my stepdad used to ask for a 7oz or 10oz of something, but that was the old pub days....

Sorry, a bit :icon_offtopic:


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## Bribie G (17/3/09)

Hey, this is actually possible. Believe it or not I accidentally recreated VB like beer in my last brew. Since October I have been doing a partial mashed brew with Galaxy Malt, Pride of Ringwood, a tin of Coopers Lager and a kilo of dex. The last can of Coopers from the LHBS must have been a bit out of date because instead of the light coloured refreshing beer I have been making I got a real 'twang' and the beer was noticeably darker and I thought 'my God I've approximated VB here"
If you can't run to a mini mash I would suggest:

Coopers Lager
500g Light dried malt extract
1kg dextrose

Boil 20g Pride of Ringwood pellets in 500ml water plus 100 g LDME and the steepings from 30 g crystal malt for half an hour and strain into fermenter.

Use a clean fermenting yeast like US-05

Should get you somewhere close. I bet that Coopers is bittered with POR isohop as it's cheapest, and this together with the extra POR you are putting in should echo that VB twang.

At around 5.2 ABV it will get them pissed quicker so they won't mind what they are drinking anyway :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:


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## michaelcocks (23/3/09)

BribieG said:


> Hey, this is actually possible. Believe it or not I accidentally recreated VB like beer in my last brew. Since October I have been doing a partial mashed brew with Galaxy Malt, Pride of Ringwood, a tin of Coopers Lager and a kilo of dex. The last can of Coopers from the LHBS must have been a bit out of date because instead of the light coloured refreshing beer I have been making I got a real 'twang' and the beer was noticeably darker and I thought 'my God I've approximated VB here"
> If you can't run to a mini mash I would suggest:
> 
> Coopers Lager
> ...




I don't drink VB but some of my die hard mates do...

I've found this one to be OK:

1 can Coopers Lager extract 
1KG BE no 1 (maltodextrin and dextrose)
Make to 20l with any clean Fermentis yeast (if using dried) (saflager or US05) Ferment around 18C (US05) or 15C (Saflager)
Clear with Gelatine and chill it down to let it settle out for 7 days after primary has finished. 

Main thing is keep everything clean as there is no flavour profile for anything to hide behind.

It needs to be really clear.
For some reason the Lager and BE1 give a really tight head which emulates the commercial brews.

Personally I'd forget the hops this adds far too much flavour - something that VB drinkers wont like !!
For goodness sake don't use anything that has any flavour - this will confuse.

If you can bottle in VB stubbies (labels on of course) and crack off the top (in front of them) - then sleeve then in a stubbie holder, all the better. 

(standard disclaimer re bottle bombs - lease make sure ferment has finished !!! ) 

The VB bottle has that feel that VB drinkers seem comfortable with. Once you've fed them one or two from the VB bottles. Then introduce them to your "homebrew" - and pour it in a glass - see how many of them pick any difference - most will because they all of a sudden get aroma (which you don't get much from drinking straight from the stubbie) Then you can tell them both beers are the same and neither are VB...


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## brendo (23/3/09)

michaelcocks said:


> The VB bottle has that feel that VB drinkers seem comfortable with. Once you've fed them one or two from the VB bottles. Then introduce them to your "homebrew" - and pour it in a glass - see how many of them pick any difference - most will because they all of a sudden get aroma (which you don't get much from drinking straight from the stubbie) Then you can tell them both beers are the same and neither are VB...



Truly evil... personally I would never go to this much trouble, but then I guess I am fortunate enough to have friends who trust me enough to try what I give them and that respond favourably... 

Still... I like this approach...

Brendo


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## tcraig20 (23/3/09)

Thanks for the advice all, but looking at the calender I think Ive missed my window - they'll be here before I can get it ready. 

I'll keep it in mind for next time though. 

I have to say that the old man isnt as bad as some though - I shared a Grolsch magnum with him over Christmas, which he liked.


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## samhighley (23/3/09)

JamesCraig said:


> Thanks for the advice all, but looking at the calender I think Ive missed my window - they'll be here before I can get it ready.



You could still try a social experiment, and put something other than VB into the VB bottle and see the reaction.


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## Brewtus (23/3/09)

I once had an early Kit brew in some Beck's bottles in my fridge. I came home one day and my Dad said he'd drunk a couple of my 'Beck's' as he wasn't that mad about my HB. He did a bit of a double take when I told him and had to show him the yeast in the bottom to prove it.


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## BrewerDave (25/3/09)

Brewtus said:


> I once had an early Kit brew in some Beck's bottles in my fridge. I came home one day and my Dad said he'd drunk a couple of my 'Beck's' as he wasn't that mad about my HB. He did a bit of a double take when I told him and had to show him the yeast in the bottom to prove it.



Sounds like something that happened to me.

My father gave a guest of his a HB i did with a Coopers Cerveza kit + Brew Enhancer 1. The guest assumed it was some fancy import beer or something, (from what my mum told me) and the guy didn't seem to fussed over it, but he was rather impressed when he found out it was homebrew


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## Nick JD (28/3/09)

I often decant my 2 liter PET bottles into empty foreign beer stubbies and cap them to take with me to BBQs. No one has ever said, "Ewww, this tastes like homebrew." I've had a couple of people ask me if they can have another. 

People think I must be rich - always turning up with expensive beer and freely givng it away.

Beer's 75% presentation.


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## Ade42 (28/3/09)

Ive just started drinking My VB clone
went to LHBS and GF was asked what I drink, Before I could say ANYTHING she said VB and I bloody well made it!
and why not, Im only Learning

Here's what It Had

Kit, "Beer Makers" Bitter (a NZ can)
100g "brew Booster" gawd knows what was in this, looked like leaves and ground up stuff
500g Dex
250g Corn Syrup
250g Light Malt
Teaspoon of Vegemite (I put 2-3 in) 

as I wanted it to have a bit more kick, I put an extra 500g of dex in. 

Its been down a week and it tastes bloody great, A Million times Better than VB but yet it tastes like it.


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## Bribie G (28/3/09)

Nick JD said:


> I often decant my 2 liter PET bottles into empty foreign beer stubbies ..........................



2 L PET soulmate  
I have quite a few Bavaria 660 ml 'tallies' and decant the PETs (chilled to almost freezing) into a few and recap them and take them places, I even took a few to Sydney last time and they were as fresh as after a week in the bottles. It's impressive to whip out fancy green bottles of crystal clear beer.

A 2L fills two Bavaria bottles and there's a schooner glass left over for immediate consumption. Mind you after bottling a dozen Bavarias.. :wacko: :blink:


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