12-12-12 Wee Heavy Recipe Formulation

I tend to do 2.5oz/6gal but if you want more oak presence 3oz per 6 gal shouldn't be much. You'll certainly know it was oaked at that level.

Yeah, I want you to KNOW it's spent time on the oak... I was even thinking about doing 6oz for the 6 gallons, but I think I'll start at 3oz and see how it is after a few months. I can always add more IF I decide it needs it.

Finally got to brewing this on Tuesday. Definitely a long day, but I'm very happy with how things went.

5.5gal:

20# Golden Promise
6oz Roasted Barley
1oz EKG 55min
1oz EKG 30min

Mashed at 148* for 90 minutes, reduced 2 gallons of first runnings to about 2/3 gallon, 120 minute boil, pitched onto 1728 cake from 80/-, fermenting at 56*

OG was 1.100, which is just shy of my (very rough) estimate of 1.103.

Here's some pics:

Still cooling but I came out at 1.1094
For 5.5 gallons...

Marris Otter 22#
Roasted Barley 0.5#
Nugget 0.8 oz at 60
Nugget 0.2 oz at 15
Whirlfloc
and Yeast nutrient

It'll go on top of a 1728 cake from my ESB...hoping to keep it in the high 50s...

Looking forward to brewing up some kolsch's, cream, or pale ales for AWHILE... This one took it out of me a little.

acuenca said:

Still cooling but I came out at 1.1094

Looking forward to brewing up some kolsch's, cream, or pale ales for AWHILE... This one took it out of me a little.

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I felt the same way... How are you getting the fourth place on your hydro reading?

Getting the whiskey barrel sanitized up for the transfer on the 1st. Post sanitizing it is going to get a refresher bath with some whiskey for a couple days prior to racking.

bottlebomber said:

I felt the same way... How are you getting the fourth place on your hydro reading?

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It's just the temperature adjustment from my visual reading. I was at 72 degrees.

azscoob said:

Getting the whiskey barrel sanitized up for the transfer on the 1st. Post sanitizing it is going to get a refresher bath with some whiskey for a couple days prior to racking.

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Scotch or bourbon?

I was thinking scotch, but it is a bourbon barrel from the git-go and I got to thinking the peatiness of scotch might compete with the smokiness of the yeast so I guess I am still up in the air on it, what would you do? keep it bourbon or go scotch?

I would just leave it as an oak barrel if it's tasting fairly clean at this point. No need to add booze flavors unless that's what you're going for.

BTW... when mixing up citric acid and sodium metabisulphite to sanitize the barrel, there will be some out-gassing when topping the barrel up with cold water, this gas will make you cough uncontrollably and your eyes will burn a tick.

The lack of clear vision from coughing fits and the tearing up from the burning make it quite entertaining to hobble around with a fully topped up wood barrel in hand to place back in the cradle that is sitting on top of the bar.... a bar I built tall enough to stand at if the stools are all taken.

I soaked my oak for the 80/- that I used as a starter for this beer in some malty sweet speyside scotch and pitched it all in in a secondary. I used 8 ounces of it and it went beautifully, no alcohol flavor only an added hint of complexity

smokinghole said:

I would just leave it as an oak barrel if it's tasting fairly clean at this point. No need to add booze flavors unless that's what you're going for.

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Clean oak barrel it is then, I shall drink the scotch I had set aside for the barrel in proper fashion, neat and while wearing a kilt.

The barrel is still nicely sealed, I plan on three months in oak, I purge it with CO2 to minimize oxidation but there will be some due to the natural breathing of the wood.

I think it is going to turn out quite nice in the end, a touch of barrel oxidation, complexity from extended oak aging, and the high ABV are going to meld into a wonderful beer worthy of my Scottish heritage.

I have started work on a name and the label art already, if the beer is just OK, the bottles will look top notch!

I am going to plan on brewing this annually should it turn out great, I don't brew a lot of beers that age for extended time periods but this one really got me excited to hurry up and wait for a big beer! In my research I learned a lot about my heritage as well as the beer style, and for me that made all the effort worthwhile.

The only reason I was feeling clean oak was this is already a nice big beer. I think the complexity through simplicity should work out for us and combine that with your barrel and it will add just that something special.

azscoob said:

I am going to plan on brewing this annually should it turn out great, I don't brew a lot of beers that age for extended time periods but this one really got me excited to hurry up and wait for a big beer! In my research I learned a lot about my heritage as well as the beer style, and for me that made all the effort worthwhile.

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As painful as it was, id like to do a giant like this every year too...jealous about the barrell... Maybe someday...im excited for tte swap. Sounds like we'll have some nice beers...

So my FG seems to have bottomed out at around 1.040. I would like to get it to drop a bit more so I might get a starter going WLP099. Hopefully if I can wake that up and get it going through a couple more points it will be where I think it'll be good.

I should check on mine. Since brewing it on 13 dec, I haven't so much as looked at the fermentor. Hopefully it fermented completely.

I'm going to check on mine by the end of the week, and possibly put it in the secondary with a spiral of oak.

I also just realized that 12-12-12 is the last non-decreasing "arithmetic sequence" date for almost a thousand years. In other words, arithmetic sequence dates after that will need to increase (for example, 1-7-13 or 3-8-13, etc...).

How about 1-3-13 or 1-4-14?

11/12/13

Since 2012 is the end it is irrelevant.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

Since 2012 is the end it is irrelevant.

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Sweet. Can I have your kegging equipment after you go Hale Bopp?

bottlebomber said:

Sweet. Can I have your kegging equipment after you go Hale Bopp?

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Awesome!!!

Hah yes, Sorry, I meant non-increasing.

Took a gravity sample this am. 1.020 after 10 days. 11.9 %... Are you guys getting a definite sweetness behind ALOT of alcohol heat? I don't know if ive been drinking alot of pale ales and ipas but...ive never had a wee heavy...

Anyways dumped my gravity sample into my morning coffee... Mmmm damn tasty.

acuenca said:

Took a gravity sample this am. 1.020 after 10 days. 11.9 %... Are you guys getting a definite sweetness behind ALOT of alcohol heat? I don't know if ive been drinking alot of pale ales and ipas but...ive never had a wee heavy...

Anyways dumped my gravity sample into my morning coffee... Mmmm damn tasty.

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My sample had a malty sweetness to it, a nice smokey note from fermenting so cold, my sample didnt seem to have a harsh hot alcohol taste, odd, but maybe it was a result of the cool temps as well.

Don't worry, any harsh alcohol will definitely age out in the next 10 months

I was planning on racking to the barrel on the 1st, that came and went. I plan to do it today, I will take a few pics to post here of all the excitement...

I took my first sample last night too. 1.026 after 11 days (from 1.100). The krausen has fallen back, but there is visibly still a ton of yeast in suspension, so I think I'll shave a few more points before it's done. I did primary at 56 and have let it creep up to 58 now. I have a very strong alcohol aroma and flavor as well, but it's not really harsh or hot. Not that it's desirable, but I'm surprised that it's not harsh. Otherwise this thing is way smooth with layers of caramel from the reduction. There is a little smokiness, but it is extremely subtle at this point. I'm hoping it will shine through a little more as the stronger flavors mellow.

I've never used oak before, but I'm thinking this is a great place to start, so I'll probably oak a gallon or two if this. I'll just have to do some research to decide how to do it.

It wasn't that harsh...it was actually surprisingly smooth just much more boozy than all of my previous brews. I fermented between 56~58 for the first 7 days then 60~62 for the last 3 days...

Im stoked...im going to try and oak half...can't wait for all of this to age...

Im going to bulk age for three month then bottle up. How long are you guys bulk aging before bottling?

Racked mine into a keg a couple days ago, gonna let it sit for a while then fill 25 or so bottles so I don't drink it all. I forgot to take a gravity reading, but it's fairly sweet.

2 months in primary & straight into the keg, this stuff is awesome already! I didn't ferment nearly as low as some of you, low-mid 60's the whole time, but it's still delicious!

acuenca said:

It wasn't that harsh...it was actually surprisingly smooth just much more boozy than all of my previous brews. I fermented between 56~58 for the first 7 days then 60~62 for the last 3 days...

Im stoked...im going to try and oak half...can't wait for all of this to age...

Im going to bulk age for three month then bottle up. How long are you guys bulk aging before bottling?

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I am playing the barrel time by ear, pulling a pipette of beer every couple of weeks til it tastes like I feel it should, then into a keg it goes to age out and carb up.

I might guess a month or two in the barrel, then the balance of the year in the keg. I will bottle off a few gallons to stash away and enjoy the rest on tap.

Racked mine onto 3oz oak cubes last night. Going to let it sit there for a few months (2-6), tasting it every month, or so. Once it's been oaked to my satisfaction, I'll transfer it to my serving kegs (either the 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs, depending on how much I have to transfer in the end).

I didn't pull a sample of the batch while transferring. I'm confident that the brew finished fermenting already, and now it just needs time to become great.

The exciting pics, try to contain yourselves:

Mine pretty much ground to a halt at 1.032 after just short of a month in Primary with the temps ramping from 58 to 60 to a final temp of 62 at about 1 week intervals - so I moved it off the yeast cake into secondary and I'm debating the Oak addition.

The gravity sample has a bit of smoke flavor to it with a very malty sweetness. I really can't detect any alcohol flavor even though it's sitting right around 10.7% ABV.

BTW - azscoob - I have barrel envy!

Nary a blip from the barrel airlock, it almost bloops as it sits all day, then as it cools overnight it almost sucks in a bubble but not quite. Its like the barrel is breathing.

azscoob said:

Nary a blip from the barrel airlock, it almost bloops as it sits all day, then as it cools overnight it almost sucks in a bubble but not quite. Its like the barrel is breathing.

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It is alive.

So after checking this thread every day for a few weeks, I decided to open up the airlock on my wee heavy brewed on 12-13-11 for the first time. It is crystal clear and delicious. OG was 1.114 and the FG is 1.024. It's a monster, and it's wonderful. At only 17 IBUs, it is sweet. This has turned out better than I hoped. I will probably bottle this within a month and condition for 9-10 months. Unless I oak a gal.....

My wee heavy is starting to taste really awesome and it's still only a few weeks after finishing primary.

I recently bought a used whiskey barrel, and am considering whether I want to put this in the barrel, or the RIS that I have bubbling away right now...