06.06.06 Brew day, post your results, tips, gripes...

Im right in the middle of mashing mine (Finally) and so far so good. I had made a starter two days ago, and it just settled this morning, so today was the day.

After reading this thread, (and being one of the last to bre...lol) I think I can overcome any problems and this one should turn out nicely. I'll keep everyone up to date on the progress.

I'm finally getting around to brewing mine up today as well. I had to make a couple of minor substitutions due to what my LHBS carries. No one around here carries White Labs yeast, so I am going with the Wyeast Scottish Ale yeast, seems similar enough. Also had to go with Crystal 120L instead of the Special B, and everyone seems to be out of pellet northern Brewers hops so I went with Targets (UK). I am hitting one more shop before getting started to buy more yeast and they may have the right hops there, but I think this will turn out pretty good.

Usually I use all whole hops, and have a freezer full of em. But Im trying out a new method of bittering with pellets now, as many people are claiming better bittering when using pellets compared to whole.

I have 40 minutes left in my boil, and so far everything is going good.

Okay, mine is in the primary and is bubbling already. Definately has more of a brown color, but still looks good to me. Now the waiting game begins.

I just switched over from fly sparging to batch sparging and pulled off an OG of 1.080! My Ice Cube works like a charm.

I'm getting concerned about this one.

According to White labs, the WLP028 will only attenuate 70-75%:

Scotland is famous for its malty, strong ales. This yeast can reproduce complex, flavorful Scottish style ales. This yeast can be an everyday strain, similar to WLP001. Hop character is not muted with this strain, as it is with WLP002.
Attenuation: 70-75 †; Flocculation: Medium; Optimum Ferm. Temp: 65-70

According to my nifty spreadsheet, it has figured for me that so far this sucker has attenuated 74%. It is still REALLY sweet. What makes me wonder is why. I mashed it on the low side. I'm not computing why the SG is still high. It seems to be still going, but slowly. I racked it to a keg last brew-day and it is still at 1.018. Too high if oyu ask me. Should I let it keep going and swirl for a few days?

Dude said:

I'm getting concerned about this one.

According to my nifty spreadsheet, it has figured for me that so far this sucker has attenuated 74%. It is still REALLY sweet. What makes me wonder is why. I mashed it on the low side. I'm not computing why the SG is still high. It seems to be still going, but slowly. I racked it to a keg last brew-day and it is still at 1.018. Too high if oyu ask me. Should I let it keep going and swirl for a few days?

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I brewed mine 3 weeks ago and it was at 1.015 when I racked it yesterday. It is still bubbling about 2 per minute. My OG was low (1.065) so I'm not sure where this is going.
Dude, I would let it go a few more days. It is a fairly high gravity beer and maybe the yeast have to work a bit harder for those last few points.

RichBrewer said:

I brewed mine 3 weeks ago and it was at 1.015 when I racked it yesterday. It is still bubbling about 2 per minute. My OG was low (1.065) so I'm not sure where this is going.
Dude, I would let it go a few more days. It is a fairly high gravity beer and maybe the yeast have to work a bit harder for those last few points.

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The problem I am anticipating is that because this is such a high gravity beer, if it doesn't finish down to 1.010-1.012, it is going to be too sweet and the bitterness balance won't be right. I wanted it hopped higher from the first stages of the recipe development, so if it stays sweet like this, I'm going to have to adjust it. Prolly by adding some hop oil to add some IBUs. Then next time I brew it I'm going hop wild!

This has potential to be a stoopid good beer when we get it right.

I know with my last 3 of 4 brews I've used honey, and I'm beginning to hate it. It just ferments too slow.

At any rate, if I don't see it get down to at least 1.015 the next time I check, I'm probably going to pitch a dry packet of S-56 and see if that helps it along.

I racked mine after it was in Primary for eight days. Fermentation had stopped; the airlock was completely still. OG was ~1.072 and when I racked, it was only down to 1.019. I haven't added any additional yeast.

In hindsight, I'm wondering if this might have fared better with someting like WLP007. I haven't tasted the sample I took. I'll do that tonight. I wanted it to settle. It sure looks tasty. It has a slightly hazy, golden-brown hue to it. If it tastes too sweet, I'll probably add some dry yeast - maybe a Nottingham.

Its a tad late in the game but I am brewing my batch tomorrow. I picked up some Hickory Chips that are for smoking meat at Kroger, those are fine to use in the secondary right? Any suggestions for a partial-mash brewer before I start tomorrow? Whats the ABV when this guy goes into the bottle?

SkewedAle said:

Its a tad late in the game but I am brewing my batch tomorrow. I picked up some Hickory Chips that are for smoking meat at Kroger, those are fine to use in the secondary right? Any suggestions for a partial-mash brewer before I start tomorrow? Whats the ABV when this guy goes into the bottle?

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Do you have promash? You can figure the ABV and everything from that. A rough estimate though, you'll be around 7-8 percent with this beer depending on what you get for a SG.

I can't help you with the partial mash stuff, but make sure to remember to add (or subtract) the honey when figuring the efficiency. I was all FUBAR on my efficiency until I realized I hadn't added the honey yet.

According to my nifty spreadsheet, it has figured for me that so far this sucker has attenuated 74%. It is still REALLY sweet. What makes me wonder is why. I mashed it on the low side. I'm not computing why the SG is still high. It seems to be still going, but slowly. I racked it to a keg last brew-day and it is still at 1.018. Too high if oyu ask me. Should I let it keep going and swirl for a few days?

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At any rate, if I don't see it get down to at least 1.015 the next time I check, I'm probably going to pitch a dry packet of S-56 and see if that helps it along.

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/sigh

Patience . . . I've said it befor and I guess I'll have to say it again . . . this beer will take a LONG time AFTER it's in bottles to be finished. My guess is AT LEAST 3 months maybe more like 5. I bet right now when youtaste it besides being very sweet it has a Sherry like taste, right? It probably taste more like a dessert liquere or something then a beer?

I almost pitched my Wee heavy down the sink when I first tasted it. It had a OG of 1.081 and now almost 6 months later it's great. Infact I have peole begging me to tell them what the recipie is and honestly I dunno. I do know I used 3 LBS of honey in it along with 9 lbs of malt extract. I could probably break it down if I felt like spending hours and hours do it and I may one day just to get them to STFU, but what I am trying to get at here is THIS BEER WILL TAKE A LONG TIME.

IF you decide to not wait at least do me a favor. Take a 12pack or so worth of what we have currently. Put it into it's own fermenter, let it sit and keep an eye on it. Once the gravity settles out a bit bottle it and then let it sit for 4-6 months. As it ages once a month grab a bottle and drink it . . . just one and no matter how it tastes. Take notes on it and then tell me after the 6 months if I was wrong.

IF I am wrong I will send you (Dude) one of every beer I have in my sig and one of every beer I add to my sig after those 6 months are up (will be at least a 12 pack). If I'm right you have to send me a 12 pack.

I'm calling you out man. You are forgetting THE MOST IMPORTANT part of home brewing, Relax, and have a home brew, and are being VERY Un-Dude. Chill man, let this beer run it's course.

All I know is, this one is furiously fermenting away, a nice strong steady release of CO2... and this one will go right into bottles when its done, and will not see the light of a glass for a long time. I am not going to rush it, as so far, the inital taste was fantastic, my OG was up from the estimated, and I am not going to waste this one by drinking it green or before its time.

I think that if you have enough homebrew on hand, you can be a little more patient with your batches. The worst part is being impatient or running out of brew, and deciding to drink them before they are ready.

Usually when I run out, or am getting close to running out, I brew a couple speedy wheats to tide me over. I have a couple that can be ready in 2 weeks, and will be good enough to allow some of my more in depth brews to age enough.

I think you may be onto something, Pumbaa. I tasted mine last night and it was sweet, but no overly so, which kind of surprised me. It also didn't have a really heavy mouthfeel, which also surprised me. The smokiness is faint and in the finish; I think it may dissipate as time goes on. Still, I think this stuff will turn out to be pretty good afterall!

So, I think I'm going to just let it sit with the wood chips and refrain from adding any additional yeast. If it only drops down to 1.015, so be it. Approx. 7.6% ABV is nothing to sneeze at! I might decide to do a tertiary and dry-hop it for a couple weeks before bottling. Then again, maybe not.

Sorry to annoy, but I'm in the middle of my boil right now! It tastes good so far, I added a little bit of chocolate malt so this baby is probably gonna be dark as hell. This is really cool, I can't wait until we tear into them in June! Have you guys heard of flash mobs? Well this is kind of similar, we should call it a Brew Mob, it must be the first of its kind...

I'm thinking of making some bread with my spent grain, anyone know of a recipe?

SkewedAle said:

I'm thinking of making some bread with my spent grain, anyone know of a recipe?

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https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4654&page=3&highlight=treberbrot

JKaiser needs to get the pic back up in that thread...the bread he made looked absolutely wonderful.

OK. Mine has stopped bubbling. Should I add oak chips and bottle in about four days? Let the beer finish for a couple months in the bottles?
Would it be better to leave in the fermenter to age?
It was brewed on March 6th and it was in the primary for 7 days. Secondary/tirtiary for 18 days.

Thanks Dude, I will cook that up tomorrow. I'm storing the grains in a plastic bag until then, they should be fine?

My wort is cooling as we speak, it looks, tastes and smells superb! I added some chocolate malt to the recipe and it definitely made a difference in color from what I've read. It is a blood red/brown color, again it looks great!

I don't think I'll make it 'til June!

Is this a taboo thread now?

Just writing to say that I have never had a more furious ferment that has happened so quickly, I may need a blowoff! for the first time ever!!

Taboo?

No one seems to respond to it quickly or with much interest...

Im at 7 days in the primary now on mine, and its still bubbling, still has a couple inches of foam on it as well.

Furious ferment? Yes, other than a big wheat, this one is one of the most furious.

umm I'm now at 21 days and still bubbling 1 every 8 seconds or so.. I am beginning to fear this brew.. It is living up to it's name .. It is a hell spawn and just won't finish fermenting!

OK here's my brewing log doohicky. I used the extract version. My LHBS was kind enough to have all the ingredients, so no waiting for shipping. woohoo!

I start a starter of 1 lb LME for the yeast at 2 PM, and start impatiently waiting for the evening. Once dinner was over and I could have the kitchen for a few hours, I steeped all the grains in two gallons of water and one cup DME at 130º for about 15 minutes, then moved it up to 150º for about 30. While that was steeping, I started bagging up the Chinook, Northern Brewer, and Willamette hops.. *whistling merrily* hmmm.... now where did those Northern hops go? hmmm... *rummage* I know they're around here somewhere... oh crap! They're dry hopping in my Imperial Pilsner! Aw F#$(*&!!!! OK, where'd that hops substitution chart go? ..... hmm... says I can substitute Chinook, which I just happen to have. OK that'll have to do.

I put the grain bag in a huge bowl once I was done steeping it, letting the water drain out of it and occasionally dumping the rest of the wort in to the rest of the wort. LME is MUCH cheaper than DME ($1.60/lb LME vs $3.65/lb DME) so I added 6 lbs of LME and 1.5 lb of honey. Added my hop bags according to recipe.

Once the boil was done, I added 1 gal of very cold previously-boiled water sparged over the grainbag into the wort to extract a few more bits out of the grain, then let cool in an ice bath.

I topped out the water, and I took a hydrometer reading at 60º, says my OG is at 1.066. Tasting the wort I can taste the smoke, a lot of sweet and probably not enough hops. Definitely looks like blood. mmmmmm

Once the furious fermentation stops and it's bubbling slowly I'm going to rack it for two weeks with my oak cubes and dryhops, then send it to bottles until June. I know my starter wasn't long enough, but it did have some activity going to it.

I'm at day 3 in the primary and my fermentation seems to already be slowing down. At first, 16 hours after pitching, It was the most furious ferment ever, there was kreusen in the airlock and everything, a first for me. Now its definitely down to 2-3 bubbles per minute. I don't know why mine was so quick... I didn't use California Ale Yeast, i used Nottingham Dry Yeast... That might be it.

Anyway, I will wait a full seven days and then rack to secondary on the Hickory chips I found (not oak, I know, sorry, this is the poor man's version, but I followed the recipe with everything else.) And then bottle about 2 weeks after that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=74766#post74766

posted a label for everyone to use or comment on - check it out and enjoy.

I was going to raack this weekend, last couple days it warmed up a lot and I'll be damned if the stuff didn't start bubbling again regularly.. it is hitting about 1 every 12 seconds or so and is no longer cloudy, it is clearing up nicely, smells great, but I'm wondering if it will be ready to drink buy june 6th

Mine has been in the secondary/tertiary for about 4 weeks now. It has gone still and cleared up nicely. I may throw the oak in soon and keg this brew this weekend.

I'm sure someone has to've pulled a sample by now.

Impressions?

Only impression I've had is the citrusy taste when I racked it both times. It did seem less last time though. Can't wait to give it a try when I keg it. This think has got to have a huge malt profile!

I actually think June 6th will be a good day to unveil it. By then it will have aged almost 4 months. Mine is in a keg right now and it still puffs a little bit each day when I vent it. That makes me feel much better.

I'll pull a sample in a few more days, then possibly add the oak chips.

I'll do a taste report then.

I'm beginning to feel uneasy about mine. I did the partial-mash version. I commented a week or two ago that mine was bubbling furiously for the first few days and then stopped. I only get a few bubbles every few minutes now. Do you think its a stuck fermentation? I was gonna rack tonight, its been seven days...

SkewedAle said:

I'm beginning to feel uneasy about mine. I did the partial-mash version. I commented a week or two ago that mine was bubbling furiously for the first few days and then stopped. I only get a few bubbles every few minutes now. Do you think its a stuck fermentation? I was gonna rack tonight, its been seven days...

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Go ahead and rack it. I bet you are fine. What temp did you ferment at?

I fermented at right about 68 degrees F.

Ok, I just finished racking. It tastes great! However I think I added too much chocolate malt, theirs a lot of flavor coming from it. It is definitely more of a brown but it has some red tint to it. I can't wait til its in the bottle!

SkewedAle said:

Ok, I just finished racking. It tastes great! However I think I added too much chocolate malt, theirs a lot of flavor coming from it. It is definitely more of a brown but it has some red tint to it. I can't wait til its in the bottle!

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It will probably redden when conditioning. Is redden a word? Anyways I hope you all have good luck with the 666 beer.

beerlover84 said:

Is redden a word?

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Sure. It looks funny in text, but I use the word all the time... just like "blacken" and "whiten".

hell.. they all look weird now that I'm typing them out!

It doesn't seem to work with other colors, though:
yellowen
blueen
orangen
perrywinklen


hmmm.. with "brown" you say say "It browned". where the hell does brown get off thinking it can be special like that?

this is confusing!

-walker

oh, by the way:

Yeah that is the English language for ya! Well Im off to bed I can barley type. wow that took a lot of editing.

How long are we putting these guys on the oak chips? 3-4 days before bottling?

SkewedAle said:

How long are we putting these guys on the oak chips? 3-4 days before bottling?

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I was thinking about 4 days. No more than that for sure.

I took a sample last nightwhile racking to tertiary off the oak chips and hops. Color was great, SG was 1.016, but I may have overdone the oak. It had been on the oak for 9 days, and it dominated the flavor profile. Hopefully it will mellow in the next almost two months.

I was going to bottle this week. Should I wait for the SG to drom to the 1.010 range first?

- magno