1.158 Belgian Dark Cherry

So I made this BIG Belgian with Honey and Cherry juice the other day. The WLP500 Is just beginning to bubble after 3 days of no airlock activity.

Does anyone think that a 5 gallon batch will be ready to drink for Xmas, being this big?

Cheers

I'd be impressed if it's even finished fermenting by Xmas.

Did you make a starter?

My RIS @ 1.128 took over three months kegged in Feb 09 just tapped last weekend,it is Awsome...

Maybe next christmas it will be starting to be drinkable.

I'm thinking more around next Christmas. That is so big I hope it doesn't stick on you. I suggest stirring it twice a week to help keep the yeast from floccing out and stalling.

kanzimonson said:

I'd be impressed if it's even finished fermenting by Xmas.

Did you make a starter?

Click to expand...

This.
I let my 1.132 RIS ferment for almost a month, then kept it in secondary for 2 months more. I bottled it in August, and it's still not ready to drink. I don't really plan on cracking bottles till next summer.

Lets see, some answers in no particular order:

1. I didnt make a starter, but this was according to a few threads I read about the yeastie beasties making more esthers this way, and then beginning fermentation. Not too much info, but it did sound interesting!

2. Airlock activity is pretty good at the moment, at least 2 bubbles persecond, but nothing to crazy!

3. The smell is out of this world cherry, with some bubble gum and maybe some banana, I cant tell for sure when I have my nose at the airlock!

Most dissapointing of all, I was pretty sure that it wouldnt be ready for this Xmas, so I guess I'll bottle all of it and leave it for next Xmas!

Anyone have a really cheap source for 750ML belgian style bottles? I guess Ill be needing about 26 of them.

Cheers

Lucas

2.

If anyone is interesting, here is the BeerSmith report on it!

Mad Elf clone to make for xmas (highly modified)
Belgian Dark Strong Ale


Type: All Grain
Date: 11/11/2009
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Brewer: Lucas
Boil Size: 7.50 gal Asst Brewer: Andrea
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Turkey Fryer / Igloo cooler (7.5 gallon)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
14.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 73.68 %
2.00 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 10.53 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 5.26 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] (60 min) Hops 14.2 IBU
0.50 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (10 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
4.00 oz Cherry Extract (primary) Misc
2.00 lb Honey - clover (1.0 SRM) Sugar 10.53 %
5.00 gal San Jose Water
1 Pkgs Trappist Ale (White Labs #WLP500) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.101 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.158 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.023 SG Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.21 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 15.80 %
Bitterness: 16.4 IBU Calories: 798 cal/pint
Est Color: 52.3 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 17.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.23 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp
45 min Mash In Add 21.25 qt of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F



Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 10.2 PSI Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 38.0 F Age for: 21.0 days
Storage Temperature: 38.0 F

Notes


Created with BeerSmith

howd you overshooot your gravity by 50 points?

elmetal said:

howd you overshooot your gravity by 50 points?

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Smaller final batch size, and I went a bit over with Honey as well! Thats what you get for eyeballing honey additions!

The pre boil SG was also a bit over.

est: 1.057 vs actual of 1.063

Cheers

Lucas

Let us know when your fermentation stops. I'm sure there will be numerous ideas how to get it restarted.

nolabelbrewing said:

Let us know when your fermentation stops. I'm sure there will be numerous ideas how to get it restarted.

Click to expand...

Mashed at 152. This beast will probably ferment out all the honey before refusing to budge past 1.035. A little swirling will keep it going until then.

Gave it a few swirls this AM, and the airlock went nuts. Once I have no more airlock activity, I'll do a gravity reading and well see how it goes.

Any initial ideas on what to do when the fermentation sticks?

Cheers

L

Brew up a nice belgian pale ale so you have a yeast cake to pitch on when this yeast is done.

Saccharomyces said:

Brew up a nice belgian pale ale so you have a yeast cake to pitch on when this yeast is done.

Click to expand...

You're saying throw the Belgian Pale onto this yeast cake?

For some reason, I never thought of that!

Thanks for the idea!

Cheers

Lucas

lucasszy said:

You're saying throw the Belgian Pale onto this yeast cake?

For some reason, I never thought of that!

Thanks for the idea!

Cheers

Lucas

Click to expand...

Close...he's saying if you get a stuck ferment, brew a Belgian Pale...when its done, rack this beer onto the new cake.

Its like a free starter.

As far as the bottles go, they are free at your local recycle center. Any liquor store will sell them to you for 5 or 10 cents (if you have that in your state).

Argh

As of this morning, the airlock was silent. I gave the bucket a few good shakes and it bubbled for a bit, but slowed right back down.

Any ideas on how to start things back up?

My first plan is to do a gravity reading afterwork, and possibly put a warmer of some sorts on the bad boy, see if that gets it going again!

Cheers

Lucas

I'd be shocked if you get anywhere near fermented out without a starter. There's just not enough yeast in there to handle it.

You may want to go buy some more 500 now and make a big ass starter, like gallons, or like Sacch said, brew a BPA.

I'll have to ask Chris or John when I am at Troegs when they start breing the Elf. I think it is spring, but I am not sure. Hope you can get that to ferment out.

100% Brewhouse Efficiency will net 1.14 at 5 gallons. I understand that you are lower than 5 gallons but unless you are at something like maybe 3 gallons 1.15 just seems somehow out of whack.

If it was really at 1.15 then my wager is that this won't go below 1.05 at best. And just because a fermentation stops before you want it to does not mean it is stuck. There will be a ton of unfermentable sugar in a 1.15 beer that was mashed at 152 for only 45 minutes. 66% AA would be on the high side of expected attenuation with that mash, even with a big starter.

The pre boil SG was also a bit over.

est: 1.057 vs actual of 1.063

Cheers

Lucas[/QUOTE]

Your Beersmith report had you boiling 7.5 gallons down to 5.25 gallons. Your SG during that boil should go from 1.063 to (1.063-1)X7.5/5.25 + 1=1.090. Per dontman's post that 1.14 would be 100% efficiency, 1.090 would be 79% efficiency. He's exactly right. You'd need to boil down to 3 gallons to boost 7.5 gallons at 1.063 to 1.158.

Assuming your pre boil SG was correct, which seems reasonable based on your grain bill, you either boiled down way lower than 5.25 gallons or your 1.158 reading is wrong.

I should probably check the hydrometer then. Will look into this hopefully over the next few days, and report back!

Regardless, it smells awesome!

MORE TO COME!!!!

Just out of curiosity today I took a gravity reading and it came in at 1.016.

Should I try and toss a belgian starter on top of it, or am I done?

Cheers

Lucas


I tasted the brew, and it had a horribly strong alcohol taste to it... this one at the stage that its at now, will need to really sit it out!

Doing an equipment check today as well, of all my gear.

1.016 is fine. You probably would not want a 1.090 beer going lower than that in fact.

And that alcohol burn is to be expected. Could be as short as three month in bottle before it melds back into the complexity of the beer, could be a year or more before that happens. Your tastebuds will help you be patient. I have a Dark Strong that has been just nasty for a long time now. At least it was. It has been a long time since I have tried one. Maybe I'll start chilling one to see how it is coming along.

That wonderful cherry smell you were getting before? That is the extract aroma drifting off with the offgas. You might want to revisit the fruit in a year and see if you want to add more.

already thinking that I want to add more fruit.

AND - as a follow up to my mysterious gravity readings, I've checked all my equipment and found the following to be true.

My boil pot is a measly 6 gallons and not 7.5 as I expected.

My MLT is 7.5 gallons and not 8 as I expected.


I threw in 2.5 lbs of honey and not 2, as I thought.

Its all a learning experience. Maybe I'll do a belgian pale ale this weekend, just to learn learn learn!

Cheers

Lucas