Higher ABV

I had some of that Dogfishhead 120 IPA this last weekend, and it was scrumptious. I am sure super-hopping is something one can do at home, but I am not necessarily a hophead (although the 120 IPA certainly nudged me more that direction than I have been nudged before). What I really like though is the bocks, amber ales, etc. How do I nudge the ABV (Alcohol by Volume) up and still maintain a nice balanced flavor? Any tips?

DFH 120 IPA by the way is around 18%, which I just found incredibly fun for beer to have that rich a flavor and yet have that little edge to it that high alcohol content usually brings.

Not to mention the buzz, obviously.

More fermentables, more non-fermentables, more bittering/flavor aroma agents, and . . . . . . . .practice.

18% is pretty high, i dont think many yeast strains can live that high can they? maybe a champagne yeast Are they adding some type of liquor to it to get that level of alcohol content?

Yea not sure I have heard of a homebrewer getting close to that, maybe 12%, but I think that is even rare. Plus, that big of a beer would need to age for a while.

In my experience, a lot of yeast strains can go up to 14-16%. I think you'd have to use a special high gravity strain to get above that (besides using wine yeast).

I had heard that they breed special strains of yeast to be able to tolerate the high ABV environment. I'm guessing those strains are hard to find/buy.

I found a high abv yeast at White Labs. They did mention that if you use it to pump the abv up too high it begins to taste more like a "fortified wine", whatever that is.

Ok thanks!

Some people start off with a relatively high gravity(1.100 or so) and high gravity yeast and then continually add sugars to keep fermentation going. Once it stalls out they add champagne yeast for the last little bit.

Watch this clip from "The Man" himself:

phatuna said:

Watch this clip from "The Man" himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozUXyGsorrQ

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Now I am craving one!!!!

Roachmeister said:

I found a high abv yeast at White Labs. They did mention that if you use it to pump the abv up too high it begins to taste more like a "fortified wine", whatever that is.

Ok thanks!

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Port is a type of fortified wine. I don't like wine very much, but I do like ports.

LVBen said:

Now I am craving one!!!!

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Yes, you are. Yes, you should!

It's really... I mean, I don't even really LIKE IPA's all that much, and this was awesome.

Roachmeister said:

I found a high abv yeast at White Labs. They did mention that if you use it to pump the abv up too high it begins to taste more like a "fortified wine", whatever that is.

Ok thanks!

Click to expand...

Fortified wine is wine that has been spiked with a liquor. For example, port is a fortified wine. The wine is spiked with brandy. Good ports are really yummy, by the way.

I've had a few ports, and while I like them, they are not my favorite things. I had no idea they were fortified wines though. I thought they were wines made in Portugal in some specific barrel or something... Huh!

The more I think about it, the more I realize I do like IPA's that are old (or big?) enough. As someone said earlier in the thread, they get less bitter and more sweet the longer that cook time went of Dogfishhead.

Still, my favorite regular beers are amber ales, bocks and the like, so I really would be interested to see if they could be ramped up in some way to match the amazing way that 120 just sort of stomps willy nilly all over every other IPA I have ever tried.

Availability in TX?

I have incidentally been reading "Extreme Brewing", written by Sam Calagione the founder and owner of Dog Fish Head brewery, and he talks all about homebrew, all the recipes he provides in the back are fullboil extracts too. For high ABV beers he recommends using a yeast strain that can tolerate the high alcohol, but he also recommended monitoring fermentation, and after about 50% conversion, pitch some champagne yeast. This supposedly keeps the fermentation going, and by adding the champagne yeast later it doesn't dry the beer out. Might be worth a shot for an 18% ABV. He also provides the recipe for the 60min IPA, but unfortunately no 120

You know, the first RIS I made it called for pitching some champaign yeast late in fermentation, and I was thinking about doing it with this batch. Too late now...

SanAntoneRR said:

Availability in TX?

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I got 120 IPA in Austin, TX, at a place called ... Well crap.

Twin Liquors. The specific one is the one on like 41st and I35 a little north of UT. I would guess Specs would tend to have it too. I can't imagine Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio lacking a large place somewhere to get it. Not sure what all medium sized towns might or might not have it.