Yooperbrew's Bourbon Oak something or other...

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Homercidal

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At the August Predators Brewday, Yooper gave me a bottle of homebrew. It was supposed to be a Bourbon Oak Soaked ale. She warned me against drinking it too early, so I stashed it in the fridge until recently. I wanted to try it before now, but sinus problems kept me from having the ability to taste much.

Well, yesterday I cracked open that bottle, and sampled while escorting a friend to a new area in WoW. I took pics and everything (of the beer).

Here it is:

P1010013 (2)b


Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? This is one of the best beers I've ever had. No, it's not just a "good" homebrew, I would pay good money to buy this from Founders, if they offered it.

I've only had a couple of Bourbon beers before, and while they were good, they were a bit strong to be enjoyed fully. They were nice for special occasions. Yoopers recipe, on the other hand, is somewhat lighter. Still a potent brew, but taste-wise, it has more drinkability (pardon). Plenty of flavor, but not hot or harsh, like some others I've had.

The Bourbon and oak were definitely noticeable, but not overwhelming. Plenty of hop aroma and flavor to satisfy hopheads, without being too bitter IMO.

I got a large glass, expecting to pour it straight in, but unfortunately I was not careful enough, and I had to stop before it was full. After a drink or two I added the rest and got a lot of yeast in the glass. I normally do not mind this, but in this case it did affect the flavor. Still an enjoyable beer by all means, but from now on I will try to be more careful when pouring. The first pour was crystal clear, as you may be able to see in the picture.

I looked at Yoopers recipe list and did not see this on in there. I imagine that she is keeping this for her secret weapon at the next competitions, because I honestly think that it would win an award.

Seriously, you all need to bug Yooper to give you the recipe.
 
Mmm..that looks so good, I think I'll go have a beer. (I'm posting this so, in the event that she does post the recipe, I'll hear about it!)
 
I actually have the basic recipe, but I thought I would let the brewmaster give it out at her discretion. (Would that be Brewmistress??)

I dont' have any Mariss Otter, so I am unable to brew this one at this time.


Oops, I just gave part of it away!
 
Brewster? Hmm...Maris Otter, eh? I've been thinking about a J.W. Lee's Harvest Ale clone lately. I guess I'll order a lot.
 
Thanks for the kind words! It's no secret, so I'm glad to tell everybody how I made it. Some others have sampled it, and thought it was good, but it didn't do very well in the HBT competition, scoring a 39. Reading the judge's comments, it was just too young at that point. The oak overpowered the flavor, and so that was the main complaint.

The recipe is ultra simple. It was supposed to be an Arrogant Bastard clone, but I had crappy efficiency and only used 3 ounces of chinook. So, it's more of a "Conceited *****" rather than an Arrogant Bastard. I called it "Imperial Amber Ale" for the competition. I kegged half, and then put three gallons on 1 ounce medium toast American oak chips for 10 days. The chips had been soaked for several days in a generous pour of Buffalo Trace, and then chips and bourban were poured into a carboy and the beer racked onto that.

13 pounds maris otter
1.5 pounds crystal 120L

1 ounce Chinook 90 minutes
1 ounce Chinook 30 minutes
1 ounce chinook 0 minutes

OG 1.067 FG 1.012 IBUs 71 SG/IBU ratio: 1.053

Used S05 for yeast, and fermented in the mid- 60s. Had temperature problems in the mash- aimed for 154, but hit 158 and then added cold water and hit 147. Finally got it adjusted to 152 for 45 minutes (after 15 minutes of the playing around with it!).

Bottled 3 gallons with 3 ounces of priming sugar. Made on 7/22/09, and spent about 2-3 weeks in primary, then in secondary on the chips for 10+/- days and bottled. (I kegged two gallons, without oaking, first, so that's why there was only three gallons of the oaked stuff. I have a three gallon carboy, so it worked out perfectly!)

That's it. Nothing special, or secretive about it!
 
It was supposed to be an Arrogant Bastard clone, but I had crappy efficiency and only used 3 ounces of chinook. So, it's more of a "Conceited *****" rather than an Arrogant Bastard.

I have to disagree, a "conceited *****" would have double the hops that does.:)
 
You've been around a while, Jim- do you remember the first Irish red I did? It was called "Spank Me Red". I think it suited..................;)

Good God!


Ok. so how is one supposed to brew this assuming they don't have to adjust for screwing up the mash process? ;)

The score you got was reasonable I think. It's not quite like others of that style that I've had, and it very well could have been a bit young. I'm going to try to get to the new LHBS in Lakeview this weekend, and I'll try and remember to pick up the stuff I need to brew this. I don't have MO on hand because it's quite pricey in bulk.
 
I paid $62 for 55 pounds of MO, so check again! It's not too bad in cost, and I use it alot. I'm using it today in a sorta/kinda Fat Tire clone. It's crucial in English style beers, and 55 pounds goes fast.

Anyway, you HAVE to screw up the mash temperatures. That's the secret ingredient! :p
 
I'll check prices at Siciliano's Market and this new place. Online they want $75 or so for 50#. I've been wanting to check it out because I see so many recipes that list it and I hear it's a good malt for a lot of recipes.
 
I'll check prices at Siciliano's Market and this new place. Online they want $75 or so for 50#. I've been wanting to check it out because I see so many recipes that list it and I hear it's a good malt for a lot of recipes.

Hey I checked the website (brewgadgets.com) but they only listed 10#. So I emailed Ed, the owner to find out. I will let ya know once he emails back.
 
Hey I checked the website (brewgadgets.com) but they only listed 10#. So I emailed Ed, the owner to find out. I will let ya know once he emails back.

Hey! Now don't be letting the wife know that I can check out the store online! She might veto my planned escape this weekend! (We are watching my BILs 3 kids so they can have a get-away).

Also, would you want to go if I make a run down there?
 
Did I say online? I must have meant, um ... Northernbrewer, lol. Yeah if the snow lets up by then it sounds good. I found out last Saturday that the guy in there is the mayor.
 
I'm seriously thinking about driving down there tonight. Why buy a Jeep if you can't enjoy it! We'll see. He has some strange hours...
 
Hey this reminds me, I have a bottle of this stuff in my beer fridge. I may have to give it a go soon.

Let me know what you think! I think it turned out pretty good, and aside from aging it longer (or oaking a bit less), I don't think there is anything I'd change. Well, I could try dryhopping with some chinook, too. That might improve it.
 
I'm curious how much bourbon you used in 3 gallons. I've currently got a 5 gallon batch of Oaked Spiced Bourboned Ale aging in secondary, and I think I used way too much bourbon (14 oz. in 5 gallons).
Will aging it for an extremely long period ever mellow it out, or do you think it's doomed to forever taste like watery whiskey?
 
I'm curious how much bourbon you used in 3 gallons. I've currently got a 5 gallon batch of Oaked Spiced Bourboned Ale aging in secondary, and I think I used way too much bourbon (14 oz. in 5 gallons).
Will aging it for an extremely long period ever mellow it out, or do you think it's doomed to forever taste like watery whiskey?

Nope it's lost. I did a 5g batch of a stout and used 5oz and it was to much. Once it's there it's there. brew it again and blend them.
 
:( The recipe called for 8 oz. Future me expected past me to have measured it into the jar with the oak chips, but Past me just poured as much into the jar to cover the chips and expected Future me to measure it later.

Those guys really need to work on their communication skills.
 
My beer isn't even supposed to have a bourbon taste! But it does, and it's good!

I took one ounce of oak chips and poured some Buffalo Trace on them in a small bowl. I'd guess it was about 2-3 ounces or less of bourbon. I didn't measure it, but the chips absorbed most of the bourbon. Then I put those in the carboy. (Remember this was a 3 gallon batch, though).
 
The other thing to keep in mind is that some beers can better handle the strong flavors of bourbon and/or oak. This beer, while not quite an Arrogant Bastard clone due to pour efficiency, really can handle the oak and bourbon. The crystal 120L, and the 3 ounces of chinnook hops give it balance.

The oak was too much, though, for quite a while! Even 10 days on one ounce of oak was a wee bit too much.
 

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