Attempting 40%+ ABV beer... "Barley Brandy"

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
If it's not solely ABV that's halting fermentation why not try filtering with activated carbon to remove the enzymes that are holding the yeast dormant (might pull out some sugar as well). Then get it restarted with something like Alcotec 48.
 
szucconi said:
Honestly, I didnt read the entire 59 page thread, but I skimmed it.

You didn't miss much... It was basically Cape making fun of Paul the Nurse for not being able to make the beer, followed by Cape attempting to make the beer but also neglecting it for weeks at a time as he flew around the country. Now you are catching the finale where Cape has actually failed to make the beer, but HBT members won't stop bumping the thread so he can have his dignity. :D
 
You didn't miss much... It was basically Cape making fun of Paul the Nurse for not being able to make the beer, followed by Cape attempting to make the beer but also neglecting it for weeks at a time as he flew around the country. Now you are catching the finale where Cape has actually failed to make the beer, but HBT members won't stop bumping the thread so he can have his dignity. :D

Took a look at the avatar after reading the title, thanks for confirming my hunch.
 
You didn't miss much... It was basically Cape making fun of Paul the Nurse for not being able to make the beer, followed by Cape attempting to make the beer but also neglecting it for weeks at a time as he flew around the country. Now you are catching the finale where Cape has actually failed to make the beer, but HBT members won't stop bumping the thread so he can have his dignity. :D

not entirely true...

Made fun of Paul for effing up the Utopias clone... a beer he had perfected and then decided to "improve it". I then tried to one up him by making a different beer altogether that I was then going to freeze concentrate.

Mine stalled out as well so we spent pages and pages trying to figure out a method of un-sticking a fermentation, all of which were tried, in an attempt to get it finished. Nothing worked.

I put it aside because several months ago... I suggested at our club's steering committee meeting that we have a yeast presentation... given by a former club member who has a PHD in... basically.. yeast. I figured I would let it sit until then.

He gave that presentation last night... and like I was saying a couple of posts ago... still no answers.

I have one last attempt (as also described in the last few posts) and then if that doesn't work, I'll admit defeat and call it a night.

So... I guess you were kind of close since you mentioned the word "beer"... and "Paul".
 
Calm down calm down... Everyone knows if you need to shove a cow inside of an ox and barbecue them whole you are the man to see... ;)

At least admit you left the state while the beer was in primary
 
I've seen a lot of references to alcohol tolerant yeast strains, either yeast cakes "grown" through previous batches, or "turbo" yeast.

What are you going to re-pitch with for this last effort?

Just curious.
 
Calm down calm down... Everyone knows if you need to shove a cow inside of an ox and barbecue them whole you are the man to see... ;)

At least admit you left the state while the beer was in primary

Don't forget about the pig that's stuffed inside of the cow. Not to mention, the turkey, and the chicken, and the duck, and the Linguiça...

Brian, that's a challenge. How big can you go on the meat?
 
homebeerbrewer said:
Don't forget about the pig that's stuffed inside of the cow. Not to mention, the turkey, and the chicken, and the duck, and the Linguiça...

Brian, that's a challenge. How big can you go on the meat?
Yeah, that. I'm a lifelong vegetarian and I still watched it ;)
 
homebeerbrewer said:
And, why are we quoting each other?

I dunno... We're the only people here. Cape is crying into his failed beer, and everyone else is asleep...
 
Just for the record, I'm awake and mourning the loss of this beer. I have drowned ny sorrows in 8 sweetwater 420s, but I'm awake.
 
I would like to say I just joined this amazing thread. And when I have the money I shall make this beer! For challenge excepted!
 
It is sad I know. There is a DFH 120 clone thread on here where people routinely make beers over 20% alcohol. The key is that they make a strong beer, then add sugar to it successively. And I think therein lies the ticket. I think to make this beer you either need to use a high percentage of simple sugar, or at least add the super high gravity wort like what Cape made in smaller doses over a period of days.
 
Still awake here... I've followed the thread from the beginning so no need to read through 600+ posts. What I've learned is that it is damn difficult to brew a "BIG" beer.... Makes me want to try it for myself. Thanks cape for the effort and write ups.
 
LOL. Holy sht. I think diluting it worked. I racked it to a 15.5 gallon sanke, added three gallons of bottled water, pitched a metric fck-ton of turbo yeast..... And the airlock is popping every 5-10 seconds.

Yeah yeah... Airlock activity... Yada yada yada...

But there is no way this is simply off-gassing. It has been sitting dormant for months

This is awesome... I'm gonna get sooooo many chics.
 
1078-1080 for about five gallons so after dilution, ya figure 1050.

I'll let it go a few days and take a gravity to see if it is doing anything or just effin with me.

And yes, I plan on freeze concentrating the fck out of it and am still gonna try to get it as high as possible. I'll have to have it tested at a lab at some to see what it actually ended up at.
 
I've heard everything that gets fermented by that distillers yeast tastes like you're licking Popcorns ass...
 
I eat popcorn whole by the kernel, so I imagine that its ass doesn't contribute too much unwanted flavor.

P.S. I know that "Popcorn" was a person and it was a joke.
 
After this, umm, extended fermentation process, plus beano, plus turbo yeast, plus water up and down, you were expecting nectar of the gods?

And from a purely selfish perspective, I don't care if it tastes like an ass that ate an ass. I just want to see him hit his numbers. (Besides, he's not going to bring it to Atlanta and force me to drink it).
 
A large percentage of the fermentation has already taken place so I am hoping its not an issue. At this point, I am not sure I had much of a choice but to go with that yeast
 
No freakin way I am reading 64 pages on this issue. Cape, can you do a cliff's notes for those of us with a life? I'm interested in the progress.
 
No freakin way I am reading 64 pages on this issue. Cape, can you do a cliff's notes for those of us with a life? I'm interested in the progress.

You could change the threads to display in options, to 320. That way you would only have to read 2 pages.;)
 
Back
Top