High Alcohol Ale Recipe? (2)

My last thread was closed down... so i made this one. (I couldn't log on for a couple days, site was busy...)

I asked for a cheap high alcohol beer recipe before. I think I offended people. Haha.

For some reason everybody thinks i am not patient. Well, i can be if a recipe calls for it. I'll wait a year for it to age if i need to. I don't need it in a week! ha.

When I asked for a cheap beer I didn't mean cheap as ****. I understand that brewing a really good beer won't be cheap. All i ment is that i want a cheaper beer relative to other beers. if one recipe is $80 bucks and another is $50, then the cheaper one i'd probably go with (as long as it still taste half way decent). But the expense isn't really a huge thing. I might pay more if it is going to taste really good.

With that being said. Someone said something about a Double IPA, and someone else said something about a Imperial IPA, everyone else just made fun of me for asking such a question. haha. So.. does anyone else have any other suggestions?

I'm looking for a recipe that is between 8%-9%

All grain?
Partial Mash?
Extract?
No boil kit?

What do you brew?

I'd suggest an English strong ale or English barley wine. Minimal hops which are currently $$$ and you can use sugar adjuncts which are cheaper then malt or malt extract. You will need to age these at least 6m if not a year for them to mature and peak in flavour.

GT

Or a higher gravity Belgian.

Go to the recipe index and look for Imperial Stouts, IIPA, Barleywine, Belgian Double, triple, quad, apfelwine, mead, and some of the Scottish ales are up there in gravity.

Generally, high ABV & cheap = hooch tread.

It is impossible to make a good, high-ABV beer cheaply. Going from 4.5% to 9% doubles the cost of the malt.

Do you have the ability to control fermentation temps in your dorm room?

The Belgian Golden Strong Ale recipe from Jamil's book is 8.5% and is as basic as it gets. 11 lbs Pils +3 lbs cane sugar.

come on, lets give him the benefit of the doubt.

Is this your first beer? If so I'd highly recommend starting small.

But yeah the Belgian beer's usually have a good amount of sugar in them which tends to be cheaper than malt... as long as it's not candy sugar.

z987k said:

But yeah the Belgian beer's usually have a good amount of sugar in them which tends to be cheaper than malt... as long as it's not candy sugar.

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If it's clear candi, you can just use cane sugar - it's the same thing.

mr x said:

If it's clear candi, you can just use cane sugar - it's the same thing.

Click to expand...

Yes you can, and that's just what I do to. But some people are all stuck on the I like to spend more than I should thing.

Try to save money on yeast! Those fresh vials/packets are EXPENSIVE! I generally find I have to pitch two vials for big beers, so you can save yourself $15 by reusing perfectly healthy yeast. If you have a beer fermenting now, then consider what styles allow you to re-use that yeast.

As someone already mentioned, consider lower-hopped beers.

Type: All Grain
Date: 2/6/2008
Batch Size: 12.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 11.25 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: BREWTREE- 15 Gallon Brewing System
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
32 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 96.97 %
8.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 1.52 %
8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 1.52 %
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Pacific Gem [15.00 %] (60 min) Hops 33.7 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (20 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
2.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (20 min) Hops 19.1 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (20 min) Hops 13.6 IBU
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (20 min) Hops 17.7 IBU
2.00 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (10 min) Hops 11.4 IBU
2.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 10.6 IBU
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
10.00 items Beano Tablet in mash (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
10.00 items Beano tablet in primary (Primary 2.0 weeks) Misc
6 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.099 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.098 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.021 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 9.14 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 10.23 %
Bitterness: 120.6 IBU Calories: 412 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.1 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Light Body Total Grain Weight: 33.00 lb
Sparge Water: 3.40 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

Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Light Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Saccharification Add 41.25 qt of water at 149.9 F 140.0 F
30 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 30 min 168.0 F



Mash Notes: Temperature mash for use when mashing in a brew pot over a heat source such as the stove. Use heat to maintain desired temperature during the mash.
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 8.2 PSI Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 34.0 F Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

Notes

Note: 90 min mash @ 140 degrees to provide highly fermentable wort.
Added 10 Beno tablets to mash
Added 10 Beno tablets to primary fermenter @ yeast pitch

also make a starter, don't pitch 2 vials of yeast... now that's expensive.

puney that's one hell of an IPA with no malt to back it. And talk about dry.

Certainly it is not what the OP is looking for in a cheap high gravity beer. At lets say $3/oz of hops you're looking at $33 in hops for a 5 gal.

z987k said:

puney that's one hell of an IPA with no malt to back it. And talk about dry.

Certainly it is not what the OP is looking for in a cheap high gravity beer. At lets say $3/oz of hops you're looking at $33 in hops for a 5 gal.

Click to expand...

My poor attempt at humor. Dry, refreshing and tasty. Not cheap.

z987k said:

Yes you can, and that's just what I do to. But some people are all stuck on the I like to spend more than I should thing.

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I make my own candi sugar, and I prefer it far and away to simple table sugar, etc.

That's fine. We were just giving the OP some advice for saving money with the high gravity beers using sugar. Clear candi sugar and cane sugar are the same thing, so don't waste the money or time on getting the clear candi sugar. I don't bother with invert sugar either, AFAIAC, cane sugar yields the same result, regardless of the makeup.

mr x said:

That's fine. We were just giving the OP some advice for saving money with the high gravity beers using sugar. Clear candi sugar and cane sugar are the same thing, so don't waste the money or time on getting the clear candi sugar. I don't bother with invert sugar either, AFAIAC, cane sugar yields the same result, regardless of the makeup.

Click to expand...

Huh, I was always under the impression that invert sugar is easier for yeast to ferment. It's a different story if you're just looking to up the ABV without regard to any of the tastes it will produce.

Your post is confusing. Why do you want such a strong beer? What's your intent?

"I want a lot of alcohol for relatively cheap" usually equals "I'm underage and want to hide a strong batch of brew from my parents." Now, I can accept that your motive is different, I just don't understand it.

It'd be different if you said any of the following:

"I want to challenge my skills as a brewer, so I'd like to try a higher gravity brew."

"I just had an outstanding IIPA, and I'd like to try my hand at brewing one."

"I have a Belgian recipe that tastes great, but I'd like some help in fortifying the recipe to make a trippel."

"Barleywine is fascinating. What are some techniques to make a good one?"

If you can't narrow down your request, your question is no better than the much-despised, "What should I brew next?" threads, and I'm afraid you'll see either another dead-end thread, or even a closed one.

6# wheat lme
3.3# amber lme
.5# carapils (steeped)
1oz saaz (65 min)
1oz saaz (5min)
1 tsp coriander seed (crushed)(5min)
nottingham dry yeast
est og 1.067 est fg 1.015-17
ferment at 70-74degrees farhenhiet for 1wk bottle when gravity is down to 1.015 or so let age for 2mo before drinking to let alcohol heat subside some finishes around 7.5% or so

EinGutesBier said:

Huh, I was always under the impression that invert sugar is easier for yeast to ferment. It's a different story if you're just looking to up the ABV without regard to any of the tastes it will produce.

Click to expand...

It probably is easier to ferment, but that fact has nothing to do with the ultimate result from my results. Both sugars turn into alcohol, but I haven't found any difference in taste. I haven't gone over 1.5 pounds either.

Brew Type: All Grain Date: 2/28/2008
Style: American Wheat Brewer: Richard Clark
Batch Size: 5.50 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 7.00 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Igloo Cooler (10 Gal)
Actual Efficiency: 72.61 %
Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.00 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 6.25 %
10.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 62.50 %
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 31.25 %
1.00 oz Pearle [7.00 %] (60 min) Hops 18.9 IBU
1 Pkgs American Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP320) [Starter 35 ml] Yeast-Wheat

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.077 SG (1.035-1.055 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.075 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.020 SG (1.008-1.015 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Color: 4.8 SRM (2.0-8.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 18.9 IBU (10.0-30.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 7.0 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 7.50 % (3.70-5.50 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 7.46 %
Actual Calories: 342 cal/pint


Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Mash Tun Weight: 9.00 lb
Mash Grain Weight: 16.00 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 4.17 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 5.00 gal of water at 170.1 F 154.0 F 60 min

Apfelwein - if you are looking to have a supply of homemade, inexpensive alcohol for a low/fair price and you are willing to wait for it, apfelwein is your best bet. Search it or look in the wine section - you will find it.

Here is what I have aging....

5lbs DME
8lbs LME
2lbs Crystal 40L steeped at 155 for 20 min

2oz Warrior @90 min
1.5oz Simcoe @80 min
.5oz Amarillo @15 min
.5oz Amarillo @5 min
1oz Simcoe Dry
.5oz Amarillo Dry

Made a big starter with White Labs WLP001

OG = 1.090 ( I used to much top off water)
FG = 1.020
ABV ~ 9.3%
Cost from AHS was around $80.00

NWernBrewer said:

Apfelwein

Click to expand...

Done.

If you are new to brewing and are getting into it because you heard you can make cheap alcohol, beer is not for you. There are countless threads here about how it is not cheaper to brew your own. If you don't care how your beer really tastes (BMC) then it is still cheaper to buy it.

However, Apfelwein is the anomaly. For the price of a carboy ($20) and air-lock ($1) and a stopper ($0.50) you have all you need to brew apfelwein, or mead. Run a search for apfelwein and you will be off making a 8-9% ABV beverage for $20-25 per 5 gallons.

Good luck whatever path you choose, and remember master Yoda's words... if once you start down the path of the dark side, forever shall it consume your destiny.
brew good beer!!!

Also, I don't blame you for asking this, I think it is a legitimate question. Especially if you are a college student just getting into the hobby. I was there once too. And to those bashing this guy, I am sure you asked your fair share of dumb questions when you were starting out too. Plus, brewing on the ultra cheap is what a lot of homebrewers take pride in.

To the original question, I would go for a imperial weiss.

EinGutesBier said:

Huh, I was always under the impression that invert sugar is easier for yeast to ferment. It's a different story if you're just looking to up the ABV without regard to any of the tastes it will produce.

Click to expand...

The way I see it is, to make invert sugar you need heat and a low pH. Adding the table sugar to the beginning of the boil achieves both of these, thus inverting the sugar during the boil. In theory... correct?

z987k said:

The way I see it is, to make invert sugar you need heat and a low pH. Adding the table sugar to the beginning of the boil achieves both of these, thus inverting the sugar during the boil. In theory... correct?

Click to expand...

AFAIK you have to add citric acid to the sugar to transform it to the invert form (from fructose to glucose, or maybe the other way around ). Here's a link... it also explains how to make candi sugar

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42786

Boerderij Kabouter said:

To the original question, I would go for a imperial weiss.

Click to expand...

Nice, that would be good - and relatively quick as well. Boerderij has a good point, I think you are looking to make beer and as good as the apfelwein is, it is not beer.



I know that I try to do on the cheap, my disposable income does not always allow me to do things the way that I would like and nobody wants to drop a lot of money on a new hobby until they have a feel for its long range appeal. So, I put as little money into things as I can get away with and save it for the things I cannot go cheap on (SS anything, kegging setup...) That even goes for my recipes - I enjoy a hopbomb, but that is no longer economically feasible so I look for maltier beverages that I enjoy. Malt goes up and I look for adjuncts that would go well with another style, thinking Belgians with homemade candi sugar...

Some people with money like to throw it into what they do, some people try to do it on a limited budget - and it sucks to be bashed because (if this is indeed the case...) you are trying harder to support yourself or your family than to have the nicest setup in the gallery.

That said - this is a good place and a good source for information with some good people really trying to help you out. Don't give up on it because you get beaten up by a few people who will get mad for reading the same kind of post again rather than just skipping over it...

Cheers

Fellas, the OP made an honest effort to keep this thread from getting closed. Let's get back on topic before it gets ugly.

Bubble, I understand where you are coming from. You want to brew a BIG beer, and I'll bet you are an extract brewer. Big beers brewed with extract can get really pricey, so cutting that price down any way you can is understandable. I also would steer you towards a big Belgian Trappist ale. I took my favorite belgian recipe and converted it as best I could to extract using Beersmith. Here it is:



BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
\
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
TYPE: Extract W/Steeping grains
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.086 SG
Estimated Color: 18.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 69.6 %
1.25 lb Caramunich Malt (40.0 SRM) Grain 10.9 %
0.25 lb Carafa I (337.0 SRM) Grain 2.2 %
3.00 oz Styrian Goldings [4.20%] (60 min) Hops 20.8 IBU
1.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.30%] (30 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.30%] (5 min) Hops 0.5 IBU
0.33 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.00 lb Candi Sugar, Clear (0.5 SRM) Sugar 17.4 %
1 Pkgs Belgian Abbey II (Wyeast Labs #1762) [StarYeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: None
Total Grain Weight: 12.17 lb

As others have said, you could make your own candi sugar or just use table sugar to save a little cash.
BTW this is a big beer, so plan on it taking close to six months to be ready to drink. Good luck!