water volumes for High Gravity beer
 

I'm trying a retardedly high-gravity brew for 12-12-12. It's a Scottish strong, and I'm shooting for 12% alcohol (because I'm prosaic like that). I'm using BeerSmith to come up with a recipe, and I'm not sure that the volumes make sense. Here's the recipe:

22 lbs of Golden Promise
1 lb of Caramel 120l
1 oz of Brewer's gold hops
Wyeast 1728 Scottish (7 quart starter)

According to BeerSmith, I mash in with 29 quarts of water.. I'm not sure I'm even reading this correctly.

I only have a 10 gallon cooler. I'm not sure 23 pounds of grain and 7.5 gallons of water will FIT into an igloo cooler.

Also, isn't that water to grist ratio way, way off?

I'm planning on grabbing the first two gallons of runnings and boiling them down to a syrup consistency and then adding that back to the boil.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

That's 1.25qts/lb and that's pretty normal, ull need to sparge a lot, your cooler will be filled to max capacity, and do not boil your wort to a syrup, that's a good way to end up with an extremely high FG, what makes you want to do this? If you want (it will take twice as long) but do two full mashes with half the grain in each, collect the runnings and sparge from the first then dump the grain and redo, then boil all your wort together

From the little I've read, the scottish style (which the OP is shooting for) takes a PORTION of the wort and boils to a syrup, then adds back to the boil for a caramel flavor. Don't think it means syrup the entire batch.

Beersmith should tell you the mash tun volume required.

Well, according to Green Bay Rackers--Mash Calculators 23 pounds of grain at a 1.25 qt/lb mash thickness will take up 9 gallons.

Warning, I have never used this site for anything before, so I have no idea how accurate it is. :D

That's why I am only taking 2 gallons out to reduce. Do you have some experience with this style that would tell you that this is too much?

Um, yes, that's what it says.

I used 23 pound of grain today in a 10 gallon round Igloo cooler with a false bottom. Using 1.25 quarts per pound, it doesn't quite fit. Almost, but not quite.

You'll have to reduce the water in the mash, maybe going to 1.10 quarts/pound.

Thanks Yoop! that sounds like a VERY thick mash. Any sage words of advice on this beer?

Sage advice? From me.

Hmmm. Just one- don't **** it up.

But if you do, don't worry about it.



Seriously, you're good.

and if you DO still feel the need to worry about it, try to keep in mind that some of the worlds greatest discoveries have come from someone ****ing something up.