Big beer idea

[pdm1982]

I had an idea today and I'm not sure if anyone has done this or if anyone would have any insight on it. I was thinking about taking similar grain bills for two stout recipes and putting them into two separate mash tuns. I'd then take the first runnings from both mash tuns and combine them to make an imperial stout out of them. Meanwhile, I'd take the second runnings of both mash tuns and make them into a milk stout. They could use different hops, adjuncts, and yeast. After their respective fermentations, I could blend them back together by taste at bottling.

The imperial stout could get coffee, nibs, oak, and bourbon (KBS inspired).
The milk stout could get vanilla, coffee, nibs, and chilies (Xocoveza inspired).

Or something like that. I suppose it may just be easier to make the separate beers individually and then blend them at bottling but I thought mixing the runnings could be interesting. Any thoughts?

 

[Mcbobs]

Sounds pretty much like you would be doing a partigyle beer. Only difference would be that you would be combining two recipes. If you have the capability to do so, I would just combine the grain into one mash, run the first runnings into the boil kettle and the second runnings into the boil kettle after the first one finished.

 

[pdm1982]

Yeah...after thinking this one through a bit I'm starting to think mixing the runnings from two mashes really only add complexity to the brew day and probably not so much to the beers. I might try the partigyle method or just make two batches of varying stouts and blend some of each at bottling.

 

[kh54s10]

My experience in using second runnings is that the beer is very weak without adding more grains so I would not call the second beer a stout. It will be more like a brown mild.

 

[Owly055]

Either boil the second runnings down more, or toss in some DME, corn sugar, etc....


H.W.

 

[Mcbobs]

Either boil the second runnings down more, or toss in some DME, corn sugar, etc....

I've always just added a bit more 2 row to the mash for the second runnings. Super simple and easy to do, and while the first runnings are in the boil, the second runnings can be converting the fresh grain for added gravity. It really doesn't take much at all either.

 

[JR_Brewer]

Either boil the second runnings down more, or toss in some DME, corn sugar, etc....

Or add lactose since you're planning a milk stout.

Like the idea, but I'd vote for keeping it on the simple side, so I would go with the partigyle idea over the double-partigyle. Also, I understand blending a few a bottling time, but I wouldn't go through all the trouble to split batch if you just intend to blend it all back together. Just my 2 cents.

 

[feinbera]

Eh... if you don't mind a slightly under-volume batch, it should be easy enough to get those second and third runnings up to 1.040 or so, and if you mashed long and cool to make sure the imperial finishes up dry, it's not crazy to expect that 1.040 to go down to 1.005, which will give you a respectable 4.5% or so. Chuck in half a pound of your heavily-roasted grain of choice with your first batch of sparge water to keep the SRM up and brew yourself three or four gallons of dry stout.