Specialty Wood-Aged Beer Oaked Imperial Red Rye Ale

Grains
12.5 lbs Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Rye Malt
1.5 lbs Melanoiden Malt
1 lbs Carafoam

Hops
0.5 oz Warrior @60
0.5 oz EKG @20
0.5 oz Willamette @20
0.5 oz EKG @5
0.5 oz Willamette @5

Adjuncts
1 lb Honey @flameout

Other
Whirlfloc @15
3 oz. Medium Toast French Oak Chips
4 oz. Mid Shelf Bourbon

Yeast
Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale with 3L Starter

ABV
~8.7%

Mash at 152F for 75 min. 60 min boil following hop schedule listed above.
Primary fermentation at 68F for about 3 weeks. Secondary for another 4 weeks. When the beer is transferred to secondary, place the wood chips in the bourbon and allow to soak for 3 weeks. Add wood and bourbon to secondary and let sit for another week. The either prime and bottle, or keg to about 2.3 volumes. Allow the beer to condition for about another month if kegged or longer if bottled to allow some of the alcohol to mellow to your taste.

This is one of my most popular "specialty" recipes with the friends and family. This beer is great for warming you up in late fall/winter, but is still good for quenching your thirst in the spring/summer.

This looks really interesting. I just got a used whiskey barrel from a craft distillery that once held their rye whiskey (and a wheat whiskey). I'm tossing around ideas for recipe, and this is really grabbing my eye.

Just brewed this today! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out. My first brew with Ringwood, so I'm a little apprehensive as it has a reputation. The beer is my father's birthday present - he's a big malt fan so I think it will be perfect.


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Absolutely intrigued, might try this one but only do 1 gallon batches for now due to space limitations...

I have to say, from what I've read about ringwood, 68 seems awfully high. I've been trying to keep it at 62 without using the fridge and temp controller. It's fermenting very fast


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Transferred to secondary after 3 weeks. Tasty as can be expected at transfer. No great amount of diacetyl, just a little buttery side to the maltiness. From what I've read, ringwood is two strains of yeast - one highly flocculant, the other not so much. This was evident in my batch - a solid yeast cake, but quite a bit of yeast still in suspension after a three week primary. A cold crash might be advisable; I probably would have popped it outside (April in MA) for a day before transferring. I'm sure it will drop out on the 4 week secondary.


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I know I'm the only one following this, but just in case anyone's willing to give Ringwood a go.... I just bottled the batch and it's very tasty into the bottle, which is a plus. I think it could use more than a week on oak, but I might change my mind after a couple months. Nice, rounded mouthfeel, not a huge alcohol bite (especially owing to the extra aging), no noticeable diacetyl notes. A well-rounded and interesting beer. You should brew it.


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Subscribed!


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I've been following it!!


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Glad to see some people taking an interest in the recipe! I've brewed another batch of this since I posted the recipe and made a couple of changes. I noticed from the first time that I didn't quite get as much oak as I wanted, but I was nervous about letting it sit too long and becoming overpowered, so this time I tasted every few days once the oak had been added for a week, and ended up kegging at 2 weeks (again could have gone longer, but I didn't want it to be too overpowered after it had mellowed). As for the ringwood, I like the flavor and I don't mind having a little extra yeast in suspension

It actually was fairly clear at bottling, even with me carrying the carboy up from my basement and bottling not long after. Looking forward to popping one after a week in the attic to carbonate.

It was my annual birthday gift to my father, who Is a malt fiend. Thanks for the recipe!


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Subscribed!!! :rockin:

Well, it's gone. I will definitely redo, possibly with a little more time on the oak the next go round.


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