leaving the country...looking for a beer to condition a while

I'm going to be leaving the country for Egypt in January for five months. Right now I'm looking for a big beer that needs (or benefits best from) a long conditioning period. I just don't have the patience to give my beers the long time even if they recommend it. This way, I have no choice. I'd prefer to stay away from IPAs and am considering a stout, but am open to ideas. I was actually considering mead, but have never tried it before. Let me know what you guys recommend.

How about both a mead and a big beer. Double the pleasure when you get home.

Sounds perfect for a barleywine or RIS.

have a great trip!

man, I'd be brewing as many big beers as I could find secondaries to fill! I've got a big Belgian Dark Strong Ale (OG= 1.104) going right now, but I can't vouch for the recipe...one of my first attempts to highly modify one. I can let you know how it turns out if you're interested, but it won't be done for awhile.

Stouts, Robust Porters, Scottish ales, just about anything that has a big malty middle. For only five months, I'd keep the OG around 1.070.

Yeah I would go for RIS. Also, you might want to try your hand at those wine kits if you haven't already. I'm sure you would have to take some precautions, but the aging would be pretty well done when you come back, just bottle and let it age a few weeks and you have great wine. Of course, this is only a suggestion, if you are interested, you should look it up a bit more.

For most of these brews, would I typically age in the bottle or in a secondary for the five months? As I don't currently have a secondary (and haven't used one), this would obviously something I'd have to get my hands on.

I've been getting really excited for this prospect because I haven't brewed any big beers because I only have one fermenter, minimal fridge space, and little patience. It all sounds good.

I'm thinking maybe a Stout or a Scottish Ale. Never had a Russian Imperial- I've seen Rasputin in grocery stores but never tried it. If someone could recommend a basic barleywine and mead, I would appreciate it. I've only had one barleywine and never tried mead before and would like to give them a taste before I consider brewing them.

Take a look at the 888 RIS recipe. Brew it a little early (we're gonna do a "group brew" on Jan 1), then drink it on 8/8/08 with the rest of us!

Sounds good. I guess I should have mentioned I can't do all grain. Extract and steeping grains is what I've done for about a year. From what it sounds like, I could PM but haven't familiarized myself in the process and recipes.

Steiner said:

Sounds good. I guess I should have mentioned I can't do all grain. Extract and steeping grains is what I've done for about a year. From what it sounds like, I could PM but haven't familiarized myself in the process and recipes.

Click to expand...

Post a request in that thread for an extract+grain version. I'm sure you'll generate some interest.

I have a "groaning ale" that I am conditioning for several months. Got it from The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide that I have had for years. It has a OG of 1.079. It has some honey in it if you are looking for that. It still has about 2 months left to go.

I have a scotch ale that would be perfect with 5 months aging.. I never got past 3 with it (except the 2 bottles I found in the forgotten stash.) At 18 months it was really smooth

Barleywine or imperial something. Also, go for the mead, it's totally worth it.

I bet a nice Belgian Golden Strong Ale would do the trick. Belgians have such complex and wonderful flavors with age OR, you could get in on the 08/08/08 RIS we're doing. Try Ol' Rasputin (not on an empty stomach)....you'll be glad you did

Man, this sounds like fun. Too bad I don't have the patience for such a long aging process.

Sounds good guys. I did a little shopping and picked up a couple "research items". Grabbed an RIS (Ol' Rasputin), Scotch Ale (Belhaven Wee Heavy and McEwan Scotch Ale), Mead (Chaucer's), Barleywine (Avery Hog's Heaven), and a few others. Let me know if you've got any feedback from these selections.

I tried Ol Rasputin and am definitely considering partaking in the 08-08-08. They've got an extract recipe for me posted on AHS already too! Definitely a strong stout that packs a punch and you were right ScubaSteve, I don't think I'd want to try it on an empty stomach. I really enjoyed it though. They come in 4-packs, so I've only got two left!

McEwan was ok, but something put me off a bit, which is weird because I'm a fan of the Scottish Ales I've tried. Tomorrow I think I'll try the mead. My very first mead. I've had honey wine in Hungary but not sure if it's the same as American style.

I've only had one Belgian Strong Blonde (Pranqster) and wasn't a big fan. Let me know if you've got any offerings and I'll give them a shot. I'm always willing to try a new beer.

That's the update folks. I found some carboys on sale for $15 (LHBS sells them for $35) so I'm gonna pick up 2-3 and seriously consider conditioning some of these babies for the long haul. I am so excited. It's ok, WillPall, I don't have the patience either- that's why I'm taking full advantage of me being thousands of miles away from my brew.

Seeing that if I do decide to brew mead, where on earth would I find all that honey? I imagine ordering it online would cost a bundle, yet maybe necessary. I haven't decided anything yet, but still searching.

An update: had the Belhaven Wee Heavy. For some reason, it tasted different than I had remembered. For some reason, I think my tastes might have changed and I don't like Scotch Ales as much I used to. When I first had it about six months ago, I would have sworn by it as a favorite.

Let me know if you have any other recommendations for brewing and/or commercial examples.

Ok, I've gotten a couple recipes cooking in my head to try out. I have one question- for aging, is it best to age in a secondary or bottles (I don't keg)? Also, how long is it ok to leave beer in a secondary? Primary?

Age it in the secondary. Bulk aging will give you more consistent flavors in each bottle when you do bottle it. Bottle aging/conditioning will mature a bit faster, but you could get some different flavors from bottle to bottle. Since you'll be away I would take advantage and let it sit in the carboy longer. As to how long to keep it in primary, I would leave it for as long as a month and a half, then move to secondary. I've heard of people leaving it in primary longer than that, but I can only vouch for some of my brews that have sat in primary for 8 weeks before going to secondary.

I've found some recipes that require a longer time in the primary than I have available before I leave. I will be gone for 5 months. How bad is it to leave beer in a primary for an extended period of time...like 5 months. Otherwise, I'll have to have a friend transfer to a secondary or just not brew until I get back.

If you have a basement or area of the house that will stay in the mid-low 60s for the next couple of months, I'd try a Wee Heavy. Otherwise, if its doing to be in the 70s, go for a Dubbel or Belgian Golden.

My Belgian Golden recipe takes 2-3 weeks in primary, 2 months in secondary and atleast a month of carbonation.

I think with any recipe, you may have to do something to wake up the yeast before carbonating after your 5 months. Maybe add a packet of fresh yeast when you carbonate.

Your beer will definitely be clear, though!