Black Tuesday Clone - The Bruery

Since the production of this one is so limited and beyond my reach, would anyone be so kind as to help me clone this one? I can see that the ABV is variable, but from what I gathered, it circles around 19%:
http://www.thebruery.com/beers/index.html
"Our infamous Black Tuesday is an Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels for over a year. Rich caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, burnt wood, anise are just a few of the many flavors of this rich, decadent imperial stout.
ABV: varies, IBU: 40, SRM: 100+, Release: October (Available at Brewery Only)"

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/51257

Maybe I'd do some sort of Imperial Stout up to about 10%, then adjunct with some sort of liquor?

Oak chip aging?

Will Spruce Goose be my ultimate demise?

Tyler from the Bruery had a great presentation for the people of QUAFF a few months back. It's not a clone, but it's some great advice.
http://www.quaff.org/SpeakerNotes/HighGravityFermentation-1.pdf

Excellent read, thank you.

Anyone have a bead on anything special in the grain bill? Or is it a pretty standard american imperial stout?

Bump, I'd like to get some info on cloning this.

I would like to know as well

OP here.

I still haven't found anything really on point. But, if I were to take a whack at it, I'd make a nice imperial stout that I like, user a super high gravity yeast, and boost the gravity with multiple DME additions over the course of a week, pitched directly into primary. I'd also add more yeast each time and perhaps invest in an oxygenation system so I could oxygenate with each addition.

As for the bourbon flavor, I am not a big fan. I had a bottle of this last xmas, and the bourbon was too much for me. I'm not sure if that would age out much either. I'd put less or just leave it out. Oak I'd put in too. Love oak.

That's my approach. I still haven't seen a clone recipe, but now that I've had the beer, I'm not so fixated on it anymore. Oh well.

I've tried Asking for the recipe, or any kind of help or advice for black Tuesday. The brewer said it couldn't be done on a homebrew scale. Never really got much further

Any updates out there?

I'm going to try again soon using the Bruery's tips: multiple staggered yeast pitches with oxygenation, staggered fermentable and adjunct additions, and finishing with high-gravity yeast. If it goes well I'll come back for an update. I doubt the recipe is complex or unique. I also bet that they blend from several barrels to get the balance right, so as to avoid over-powering flavors from oaking. I don' think they bottle condition either. At 19%, its probably easier to force carb or cut back on the gravity a bit so you can carb with champagne yeast.

Did anyone score a copy of the PDF? Its no longer up and I'd like to get my hands on it if anyone wants to share!

cool project

i think the best approach would be to start with all the public info and tasting notes to target a 30 plato base beer. i'll see if i have that pdf but the biggest bugget from it is that they don't start fermentation with a gravity > 30.

I know it's an old thread, but here's the corrected link to the pdf.
https://quaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/HighGravityFermentation-1.pdf

Great info, thanks for sharing the PDF. I have made 3 beers that were similar to BT. I have had difficultly getting past ~14% but I also have never used adjuncts. My next attempt will be with adjuncts to gain a few more points. They do use a house strain yeast that attenuates very very high. I have had good luck with WLP007 then at 11% when it dies off pitching WLP099 super high gravity yeast at high krausen.

I've been doing some research on this lately as well. The PDF is awesome! Thanks for posting! One thing to note. I've read a lot of reports that The Yeast Bay has Dry Belgian Ale and it is the Bruery house strain. I am planning to swing by White Labs this week and get a vial and hope to brew my attempt in the next week or so.

There house yeast strain typically attenuates in the mid 90%'s. In a big beer maybe in the 80's. This is what they told me. Just more info to pass along.

A super high attenuating Belgian strain makes sense, but how are they keeping the phenolics out? Has it mutated enough to adjust to their brewery? I think @strongarm plan is about the only way to go as a homebrewer (pitch what you want first, then throw 099 at it).

Doesn't the pdf talk about starting cool and letting it warm on its own. Maybe they start it cool enough that the yeast doesn't throw phenolics in the early stages and by the time it really gets cranking its past the point they throw off enough to be perceptible. Just thinking out loud. I did pick up the Yeast Bay strain yesterday at Whitelabs. Going to give mine ago sometime soon!

I searched around on the interwebz today looking at other huge bourbon stouts. Several ppl commented that Avery uses WY3787 for Mephistopheles. Maybe there's something to it.

smithj2154 said:

I've been doing some research on this lately as well. The PDF is awesome! Thanks for posting! One thing to note. I've read a lot of reports that The Yeast Bay has Dry Belgian Ale and it is the Bruery house strain. I am planning to swing by White Labs this week and get a vial and hope to brew my attempt in the next week or so.

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I'm thinking ferment with that strain, and then treat it like the DFH120 clone with feeding etc

Sleepyemt said:

I'm thinking ferment with that strain, and then treat it like the DFH120 clone with feeding etc

Click to expand...

Based on the PDF I'm thinking the same. One thing I'm going to do is lower my grain amount and make it up in the sugar feeding in primary. Planning on brewing this in the next week or so, I'll update with recipe etc once I do.

smithj2154 said:

Based on the PDF I'm thinking the same. One thing I'm going to do is lower my grain amount and make it up in the sugar feeding in primary. Planning on brewing this in the next week or so, I'll update with recipe etc once I do.

Click to expand...

Any thoughts on the staggered yeast and sugar additions?

I've got a base stout to use, hit 1.100, for 6 gallons it's about 8 lbs of sugars... I believe the odd says about 1.5 to 2 lbs a day (14 gravity pts?) I'm on my phone or I'd say definitively. So .75 to 1 lb twice a day, with o2 and wlp 099, monitoring feelings til you don't see a drop in gravity

If your familiar with the DFH 120 clone it should be familiar

I'd assume a fg of 1.030?

Sleepyemt said:

I've got a base stout to use, hit 1.100, for 6 gallons it's about 8 lbs of sugars... I believe the odd says about 1.5 to 2 lbs a day (14 gravity pts?) I'm on my phone or I'd say definitively. So .75 to 1 lb twice a day, with o2 and wlp 099, monitoring feelings til you don't see a drop in gravity

If your familiar with the DFH 120 clone it should be familiar

I'd assume a fg of 1.030?

Click to expand...

Thanks Sleepyemt :rockin:
I haven't seen that but I did a quick google. Good call on the DFH recipe reference! It is right on point.

Pulled the following from Sean at Homebrewchef DFH 120 clone

Divided Dextrose into 28 individual 12 oz ziplock bags. After transfer to conical, started adding the second day, twice daily (12 oz in the morning and 12 oz in late afternoon) for 14 days. I had a 1 gallon pitcher and whisk sitting in a bucket of StarSan. Would dump 2 quarts from the conical and add 12 oz of Dextrose, then pour back into the conical. Towards the end, would see how fermentation was doing before adding. If fermentation slowed, re-think before you add more sugar as once added the final beer may be sweet.

1/2 gallon of wort was added to the high gravity yeast to make a starter. Second yeast was added on day 5 of fermentation.

Oxygen was added once daily for 4 days. 30 seconds @ 1200 psi with 0.2 micron SS Stone.

Click to expand...

This one has some great info and notes as well

http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/03/dogfish-head-120-minute-ipa-clone.html?m=1

http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/03/120-minute-your-newborn-baby.html?m=1

And a little more info.... towards the bottom of the page....

http://www.westcoastersd.com/2011/07/01/taking-notes-the-sessions-and-beers-of-the-nhc/

Anyone taken a stab at this yet?

I brewed a 1.060 stout with (2) packets of S-04 on 10/03. I'm planning to give Black Tuesday a go on 11/01 and pitch on the entire yeast cake. After 4-5 days, I'm going to pull 1.5L to use as a starter for WLP099 (I'll add some sugar and throw it on a stirplate). Once it hits high krausen, I'll pitch it back into the fermenter. I'll give it another 1-2 days and then begin my incremental sugar additions. See how high I can take this big boy.

I've got it queued up, but still a few weeks out... Getting a starter going right now

I brewed this up yesterday. Came in at 1.124 of 6-gallons wort. I'm planning on pitching 1/2 the yeast cake from a previous 1.060 stout with (2) packs of S-04. That is one huge beer. Hope all of this goes well!!

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
14 lbs Pale Ale Malt 2-Row (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 33.9 %
14 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 33.9 %
1 lbs 12.0 oz Roasted Barley (Simpsons) (550.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.2 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.4 %
1 lbs Chocolate (Briess) (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.4 %
1 lbs Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.4 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.2 %
2 lbs DME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Dry Extract 8 4.8 %
1.50 oz Warrior [15.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 9 44.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 10 24.2 IBUs
2.00 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop 11 11.3 IBUs
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 12 -
2.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 13 -
1.50 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop 14 5.1 IBUs
1.50 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop 15 2.8 IBUs

Brewer up yesterday at 1.134, I'll start the feedings close to fg

I checked my gravity at Day 4 and was down to 1.045 (from 1.124). I pitched 3L starter of WLP099 on SAT. I plan to begin incremental feedings tonight.

Brewed my "Black Tuesday Inspired" stout on Friday. 4th time doing it. OG was 1.032....I was a bit off with anticipated OG being 1.040. My goal is to hit 15% with no sugar adjuncts. Pitched a 4L starter of WLP002 and my next pitch will be a 2L starter of WLP099. The lowest I have ever got this beer is down to a FG of 1.035 and i'm shooting for 1.030 this time. I did a step mash at 140 and 150 to try and get more fermentables out and i'm pitching the 099 sooner this time so we will see what happens.

How much sugar are you both adding?

strongarm said:

Brewed my "Black Tuesday Inspired" stout on Friday. 4th time doing it. OG was 1.032....I was a bit off with anticipated OG being 1.040. My goal is to hit 15% with no sugar adjuncts. Pitched a 4L starter of WLP002 and my next pitch will be a 2L starter of WLP099. The lowest I have ever got this beer is down to a FG of 1.035 and i'm shooting for 1.030 this time. I did a step mash at 140 and 150 to try and get more fermentables out and i'm pitching the 099 sooner this time so we will see what happens.

How much sugar are you both adding?

Click to expand...

I take it you mean 1.132? I'm looking for about 3 - 5 lbs for mine, depending on how fermentation goes... I'm hoping for 1.030 finishing as well. I used WLP 050 .... we shall see

I ended up pitching that whole S-04 yeast cake. That's what got me down to 1.045 (from 1.124) as of Saturday, when I pitched my 3L starter of WLP099.

I mashed at 148° for 75 minutes and boiled for 2-hrs. I left the wort at 65° until 24-hrs after audible signs of fermentation (hearing the 'thud, thud, thud' in the blow off). Then I began increasing the temp 1° per day up to 69°.

I measured last night (2-days after pitching WLP099) and I'm down to 1.029. There are still signs of active fermentation. I pulled a quart of beer and wisked in 12oz dextrose for my first incremental feeding. I plan to measure the gravity every day and feed this puppy as much dextrose as it can take. Getting >15% looks like it should be in the bag, but I want to get close to 20%.

I tasted the sample last night. Certainly warming, but not hot at all. Lots of a chocolate up front. Not much roast or fruits right now. After fermentation ends, this beer will be going in a keg for a while so I'm not worried about a small bit of heat right now.

I'll post more updates as it goes.

This is a pic of the sample I took to add to the WLP099 starter. Thing is pitch black!

Sleepyemt said:

I take it you mean 1.132? I'm looking for about 3 - 5 lbs for mine, depending on how fermentation goes... I'm hoping for 1.030 finishing as well. I used WLP 050 .... we shall see

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Yup, meant 1.132

Nice Mb, 78% attenuation. Looking forward to hearing your results after the additions.

First sugar addition was totally devoured. Added 2nd 12oz feeding. Estimating the adjusted OG is now 1.137. Using the high ABV equation for calculating ABV, that puts me ~16.6% if this 2nd feeding is likewise devoured. I'll need (5) total feedings to get to 20%.

Nice, Are you using 1.029 as your baseline?

Sleepyemt said:

Nice, Are you using 1.029 as your baseline?

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Yes, but I won't be upset if it creeps up a little as a result of continued slowing fermentation. If I'm still adding a couple ABVs, I'll let it get a little sweeter. I have a 1.111 impy stout waiting to be bottled that finished at 1.039 and I think it tastes delicious.

Now at 1.030. Added 12oz more dextrose. 3rd feeding.

Nice!