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

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Cape Brewing said:
I have had the same thought and alluded to that earler about getting the monstrosity to really dry out. I would love to know if BrewDog went this route. I would also be really interested if any of Brewdog's really big beers (Bismark and History) are actually drinkable. I don't know if they were simply shooting for ABV or ABV with something that was actually drinkable... Those are two very different things.

From what I read History's base style was a golden strong ale. Which leads me to believe they indeed used a larger percentage of simple sugar which probably kept it from being too sweet.
 
It really isnt the "sweet" i am worried about a much as a really thick mouthfeel. I don't want it to be like maple syrup once the water is pulled out.... and at this point, I really don't think it will be.

I am only HOPING that this thing ends up mildly drinkable. Like I was saying a few posts ago, I am really just doing it as a learnig experience to see if it CAN be done (and I know it can), HOW it can be done and then, once I make it, I am hoping to have learned enough that I can possibly shoot for a much better version 2.0.
 
I shifted gears at least a little bit as I was planning on using the 099 on the IIIPA to build up that starter and just pitch a bunch of packets of US-05 for the initial run at the U wort... but... I didn't think my 099 starter was big enough yet for the 10 gallons of 1090 IIIPA so I just went with the US-05 in the IIIPA.

Not a big deal but now I have to build up that 099 starter a ton...

Debating if I want to just make 10 gallons of a basic pale (something that won't be dependant on a speciality yeast) and pitch my 099 starter... OR... just double up the starter I already have going.

Debates.. debates...

I am thinking about doing the first U batch maybe Monday (I have the day off for the holiday) and by then, I should be able to rack the IIIPA off the US-05 and use that cake.

I'll give that a few days and then pitch the 099. In the mean time, I'll get some more 099 starters going.
 
I shifted gears at least a little bit as I was planning on using the 099 on the IIIPA to build up that starter and just pitch a bunch of packets of US-05 for the initial run at the U wort... but... I didn't think my 099 starter was big enough yet for the 10 gallons of 1090 IIIPA so I just went with the US-05 in the IIIPA.

Not a big deal but now I have to build up that 099 starter a ton...

Debating if I want to just make 10 gallons of a basic pale (something that won't be dependant on a speciality yeast) and pitch my 099 starter... OR... just double up the starter I already have going.

Debates.. debates...

I am thinking about doing the first U batch maybe Monday (I have the day off for the holiday) and by then, I should be able to rack the IIIPA off the US-05 and use that cake.

I'll give that a few days and then pitch the 099. In the mean time, I'll get some more 099 starters going.


So what's the gravity at????.....
 
So what's the gravity at????.....

Lower than Paul's current U brew.


I would also like to point out how refreshing it is to have a thread go this long without it being totally nuked by our rotund medical professional HBT colleague.

Rumor has it he's lost his phone (probably under one of his chins) so his on-the-fly HBT posting has been dramatically reduced.

I, for one, enjoy the tranquility.
 
It's a thread in the technical section, so The Narc will *****-slap us if this gets too :off:

So, maybe I missed this. Are you doing the whole "add simple sugars after fermentation has already kicked off" thing when you brew the U? Or, are all of your fermentables coming from the mash?
 
PFFT... Narc... please, he's too busy waxing his muttons and ironing his hop-vine cowboys shirt, gettin' ready for the NHC. We got nuthin' to worry 'bout from the Narc for like a month.

Uhhh... to answer your question... a little of both...

I am planning on having the overwhelming majority of the fermentables coming from the mash but 1) I'm going to mash as low as I can get away with and 2) I AM going to add maple syrup in post fermentation's start like Orca and Flounder did.

One reason I say "a little of both" though is that I want to make TWO batches of the U wort and try to knock them both down at least a little with huge US-05 cakes before letting the 099 loose on it.

So... just hypothetically (making up numbers)...

- U batch 1 is 4 gallons at 1200 without the maple syrup.
- pitch it on a huge US-05 cake and that brings it down to 1140
- Rack to a large 099 cake...
- meantime, brew U batch # 2 and same thing... pitch a huge US-05 slug.
- Hopefully the 099 will bring the first U batch down under 1100 reasonably quickly.
- Then... just keep feeding that batch with syrup additions... more 099 slugs... O2 and then infusions of the U batch #2.
 
If this works out,you might want to drink it out of a cordial glass (fancy stemmed shot glass). So,how much yeast & how many times? Two times?:drunk:
 
Yeah, I have zero intention of actually bottling this thing (assuming I'm even successful). This is the type of beverage that goes in a decanter and you take small pours from.

Ummm... I think the professional brewing term for the amount of yeast is "asston".

I don't know how many infusions I'll end up doing... I'm guessing at least four or five. Every time I "feed" the batch (either by maple syrup or additional wort), I'll also pitch more yeast and hit it with oxygen
 
Asston
[ass-ton]
- adjective, noun, pronoun

1. a specific unit of weight and measurement used in brewing to describe a large quantity of ingredient. I had to add an asston of yeast to get this cough syrup to ferment.

who knew...?
 
Cape Brewing said:
Ummm... I think the professional brewing term for the amount of yeast is "asston".

It might not be enough... you may need a fvckton- adj.
 
1090 IIIPA done. I am gonna pitch US-05 so I have that huge initial yeast cake and I am going to keep building up my 099 starter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it not necessarily to advisable to use a higher ABV beer for a "starter"? I don't know the technical reasons, but I do know that most people recommend your "starters" come in at around 1040 or so. As this IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPA is basically a 5 gallon "starter", wouldn't it be better to get the gravity around that amount instead of 1090?
 
PTN and Yeager have made the U clone three times. The first two times they made barleywine starters and the beer fermented out perfectly. The third time, they made a 1050 pale as the starter so they wouldnt stress the yeast. That beer is barely below 1100 and hasnt budged in weeks.

So.. When you decide to make your version, you should go that route. I'm going with a ten gallon 1090 starter for a 3 or 4 gallon 1200 wort.

"but you're going to stress the cells!"

Ok... That may be true but then someone needs to explain to me how then pitching into a freakin 1200 OG wort DOESN'T stress the cells.
 
--removed after resolved misunderstanding--

PTN and Yeager have made the U clone three times. The first two times they made barleywine starters and the beer fermented out perfectly. The third time, they made a 1050 pale as the starter so they wouldnt stress the yeast. That beer is barely below 1100 and hasnt budged in weeks.

So.. When you decide to make your version, you should go that route. I'm going with a ten gallon 1090 starter for a 3 or 4 gallon 1200 wort.

"but you're going to stress the cells!"

Ok... That may be true but then someone needs to explain to me how then pitching into a freakin 1200 OG wort DOESN'T stress the cells.
 
Isn't there a type of animal that's more fitting of cape, like a bottle shoved up a baconwrappedrhinocowpiggooseturkeychicken smoked to give the bottle that smokey hint.
 
Oh, sorry. My bad. I thought you were be kind of a condesending dbag. I must have read your post wrong. My bad.


Edit: jeeeeesus. Lots o' traffic before I could respond.
 
I thought about the dead animal angle but, thats just too much of a copy-cat tactic. Like i was saying before, I don't think i am even going to bottle this when its done... At least not cap it. I am not sure what the benefit would be.

Ahhh. And on the "smokey hint".... I think I am adding a handful of peated malt to this. I am thinking, if this actually works, I think the peated would certainly be appropriate and a nice touch.

I am thinking maybe a couple of ounces
 
2 OZ that's it? You should add some dirt from Scotland, it will add an earthy taste. How much Kasier malt is going into this?
 
I do think a little smoke would be be tasty. I wonder if it would be lost in the mash or the freeze.
 
You don't want to eff around with peated malt. That stuff is insanely strong and a little bit goes a long long way. I think 2 ounces in a 3-4 gallon batch may even be too much.

... and no way, I don't think you'll lose it at all at any point. You would have to drop a nuke on it to get that peated malt to fade out.

I have some cherry-smoked malt laying around... maybe I'll toss that in there as well just for giggles.

IIIPA is hammering away somethin' fierce. I am going to take a gravity reading Sunday night and if that beer is done (or damn close to it), I'm going to do the first U batch Monday.


(I absolutely freakin' love the fact that PTN hasn't seen any of this yet... still can't find his phone)
 
Personally, I wouldn't **** with the peated malt. I know, you're going for some of that "scotch"-like character, but that stuff is just nasty.

That cherrywood-smoked malt, though... REAL nice. I think a lot more complementary to the HUGE amount of malt and maple that you're going to have.

I don't see the peated malt as being nearly as complementary. It's *OK* in a fairly aggressive stout, something that's already loaded up with black patent and roasted barley, but otherwise I don't think that acrid flavor is what you really want.
 
Good to know, I've never used peat. This is very interesting! PTN is going to explode when he finds this thread.
 
Yeah I used 4 oz once of peat malt in a Wee Heavy and it ended up with a very strong manure flavor. Big mistake.
 
yeah, Peat is freakin' heavy duty stuff.

While I always respect Da Bird's opinion... I'm still a bit undecided. I think the residual sweetness (concentrated) and the high alcohol could use a hint of peat. Nothing huge, just a little something to cut the sweetness. We'll see.

I don't know that the smoked will hold up. I think it is a much more sublte taste that will be get buried under everything else.

We'll see. I've got three days to settle on a final grain bill
 
How 'bout a little roasted barley to accomplish that? Add some of those kinds of characteristics - add a little bite - but without as much risk of totally 'effin' it up?

I actually really like that idea. I'd use a little RB to offset some of that cloying sweetness, I think that's a better, complementary flavor than the peat.
 
I may have just talked myself into doing a barleywine with a couple ounces of RB this weekend. I don't really drink a lot of BW's because I don't like really heavy, sweet beers, but I'm thinking that maybe, what... 4 ounces? 6 ounces? of RB in a 5-gallon batch would add a nice counterbalance.

**** it. Three day weekend. Brew it now, it'll be ready for September.
 
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