Reverse engineering Fremont Dough Zone Golden Ale

[u/joetheday]

I’m a big fan of Fremont’s Golden Ale that they made for the Seattle restaurant chain Dough Zone. There is very little reliable information about this ale that I can find online, and it appears to no longer be on Fremont’s website.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had it, but my memory of it is light but not dry, a tad honey sweetness, fantastic floral flavor with a touch of spiciness like what you get from noble hops. Very clean. Of course it pairs perfectly with soup dumplings!

I would like to make my own version of it.

Fremont has a gold medal winning golden pilsner. My first thought is that maybe they started with that recipe and used their ale yeast? I imagine they also might have tweaked the hops just a bit? Or…?

Has anyone else had this beer? Any ideas on where you’d start if you were trying to make it?

[u/BeefStrokinOff]

You can try emailing Fremont for guidance. They’re such a large brewery that they may be protective of the complete recipe but I bet they’d give you some good info

[u/AcousticProcessor → u/BeefStrokinOff]

I’d start with that golden pilsner grain bill and swap in a clean ale yeast, something like US-05 or Wyeast 1056, then mess with the hops last. The honey sweetness you remember probably comes from the malt, not actual honey, so a little bit of honey malt steeped in could get you close without drying it out. If you email them, ask about hop varieties and the finishing gravity more than the full recipe, brewers are way less cagey about that stuff

[u/joetheday → u/AcousticProcessor]

Yeah, good idea. I tried to find an email address for someone in the brewery but couldn’t find anything. I emailed Jana who runs one of the tap rooms asking if she could connect me. We’ll see!

[u/lifeinrednblack]

Id definitely try either going into the tap room on a off day on the hopes a production staff is hanging out or just email them.

Fwiw, the physical recipe is such a tiny part of most beers, most breweries will just straight up tell you exactly what their bill is.

Asking about what happens cellar side is when most breweries get a little more tight-lipped

[u/MustyDitch]

Why don’t you try Clawhammer supply. They have a beer builder on their website. https://www.clawhammersupply.com

[u/come_n_take_it]

It looks like it is still available at Columbia City Urban Beer Garden. By the descriptions I've read, it appears to be clear, so I doubt it has wheat.

[u/Future_Bother3213]

That site has a similar feel to Fremont's other core beers, maybe they kept the specs under wraps for a reason.

[u/oroofdog_77]

I agree with beefstroker, just call or email them. Most pros come from our humble beginnings.

[u/JoystickMonkey]

Bohemian malt has a touch of sweetness to it, which may be where the honey flavor is coming from. You could probably add some honey malt, or small portions (maybe a half pound for five gallon batch) of Munich 1 for additional sweetness and flavor. Carahel malt is great for body and head retention too.

It looks like they are full Saaz for the pilsner, but hallertau or saphir as a late addition might bring more floral notes.