I'm a winemaker and I'm trying to learn more about brewing beer...
Without having to invest much initially I'd like to do a few extract brews before I justify the expense of all the equipment I'll need for all grain.
Here is what I was thinking, I just need someone to tell me where I've gone wrong.
I love big high gravity stouts, Avery Mephistopheles, 3F Dark Lord, Goose Island Bourbon County, Bells Batch 9000. I get it, I'm never going to replicate these with extract but I want to come as close as I can with it.
OG on these beers (from my research) is about 1.13ish which in my language is around 30 some odd brix... FG lends itself to a finished beer with a tinge of sweetness.
My plan was to take a russian imperial stout kit from Brewers Best (which ive made before) and add dark DME to around my desired OG with no other real changes. I have experience with yeast starters and high gravity yeast which I intend to use.
Once the beer is around my desired Brix or SG I will move it to my freezer to stop the fermentation, filter it into a secondary where it will age on french oak chips soaked in bourbon, along with cocoa nibs for an added touch.
After I deem the infusion satisfactory I plan to do a final and tighter filtration into a corny keg where it will finish.
Please help me with any suggestions or concepts that I'm totally missing.
I do wonder about stability as well... In winemaking, sulphur dioxide is used as an anti-spoilage agent relative to the pH of the wine, do brewers use SO2 or KMS for microbial stability as well or do they rely on sanitary practices only?
Thanks
Without having to invest much initially I'd like to do a few extract brews before I justify the expense of all the equipment I'll need for all grain.
Here is what I was thinking, I just need someone to tell me where I've gone wrong.
I love big high gravity stouts, Avery Mephistopheles, 3F Dark Lord, Goose Island Bourbon County, Bells Batch 9000. I get it, I'm never going to replicate these with extract but I want to come as close as I can with it.
OG on these beers (from my research) is about 1.13ish which in my language is around 30 some odd brix... FG lends itself to a finished beer with a tinge of sweetness.
My plan was to take a russian imperial stout kit from Brewers Best (which ive made before) and add dark DME to around my desired OG with no other real changes. I have experience with yeast starters and high gravity yeast which I intend to use.
Once the beer is around my desired Brix or SG I will move it to my freezer to stop the fermentation, filter it into a secondary where it will age on french oak chips soaked in bourbon, along with cocoa nibs for an added touch.
After I deem the infusion satisfactory I plan to do a final and tighter filtration into a corny keg where it will finish.
Please help me with any suggestions or concepts that I'm totally missing.
I do wonder about stability as well... In winemaking, sulphur dioxide is used as an anti-spoilage agent relative to the pH of the wine, do brewers use SO2 or KMS for microbial stability as well or do they rely on sanitary practices only?
Thanks