Stock ales - recipe feedback / help

[JKaranka]

Hi guys

Working on a stock ale to brew in March for drinking around Christmas time. Based on recipes for KK / KKK / KKKK stock ales. To be first fermented with S04 and then aged with Brett C.

Haven't quite worked out attenuation, plus I've never used Brett before.

5 US Gallons

OG 1.075, 90 IBU, 7.5 SRM

12lb Maris Otter (93%)
10oz #1 Invert Sugar Syrup (5%)
4oz Amber Malt (2%)

90 minute boil
90m - 2oz Challenger
20m - 1.5oz Fuggles, 1.5oz EKG

 

[JKaranka]

Anybody?

Got all the ingredients and more in stock. Another option would be to go for 7lb Maris Otter, 6lb Belgian Pale Ale Malt and some Invert Syrup. Or make it slightly weaker and darker / toastier with 11lb Maris Otter and bump up the Amber Malt to 1/2lb.

 

[stpug]

I like the original recipe. I would opt for a higher gravity (90s) and lower IBU (70-80), plus some med-dark crystal malt (5% maybe). Put 1/2 oz of the EKG in for dry hop.

You'll end with high FG with S04 (1.020-1.030). Brett C should bring you down into range (1.015ish).

It sounds fun. If I'm in Wales this winter I'll stop in for a sip

 

[JKaranka]

Hey stpug! I went the other way in the end, lighter rather than stronger. I thought I might end up going through a few with the inlaws and I might leave the heavy stuff for the triple stouts and such.

I've scaled to 5 US gallons

OG 1.067, FG 1.010?, 7.5% ABV, 65IBU, colour: about 10SRM.

Grist
5lb Maris Otter 2-row (2.5L)
5lb Dingelmans Belgian Ale Malt (4L)
17oz Invert sugar syrup #2
1oz Black Patent Malt

1st Mash - 152F @ 60m, 2nd Mash - 158F @ 30m

90 minute boil
90m - 1.5oz EKG, 1.5oz Saaz
20m - 1.5oz EKG, 1.5oz Saaz

Ferment with Nottingham, bottle with Brett C.

 

[stpug]

I'll still stop by if I happen to be in Wales when it's bottled and ready

I'm very intrigued with the brett c bottling process and how much that adds to the overall beer. Post back some tasting notes of you remember to.

 

[JKaranka]

Lol, overshot volume by a gallon and ended up with more of a KX with an OG of 1.055. Good news is that I can have some in the summer.

 

[Calder]

Hope you are using thick glass bottles. The Brett will take the gravity down some.

I'm probably in Cardiff this Christmas (Barry actually) ...... If you are not careful, you could have all of HBT inviting themselves over for a beer!

Hope it turns out good.

 

[JKaranka]

Brilliant. If you need a Cardiff beer guide I can give you some tips. There's a good scene that combines regional breweries, more modern breweries set in the 90s 00s, and more recent American inspired ones.

 

[JKaranka]

To be fair, I'll give this a dry hop and bottle / barrel it as a strong bitter for the summer. I'll rebrew at a higher gravity for aging.

 

[JKaranka]

Well, this one is a great trial before I start working on an X and an XX ale. Just bottled and casked. A sample had a light amber colour along the lines of SNPA. Hops are very forwards: Spice, oranges, some zing from the Saaz. A tad of honey and pear from the invert. The malts are in the background but they are nutty and biscuity. Looking forwards to the hops to mellow a bit to make it more balanced. Body is medium. Lasting mellow bitterness remains for a few minutes. It's definitively British just in case anybody wondered about the Belgian malt and Czech hops.

 

[LostBoyScout]

Good stuff, was happy to come across this as I'm planning to brew a stock ale in the next few weeks. My plan was 90% MO, 5% C60, 3% Special B and 2% Chocolate malt, English hops and yeast. Will aim for the 1.075 range

 

[JKaranka]

I'd suggest less crystal and a good dash of some form of sugar: Invert preferably. No need for the Special B but if you get some Amber malt go for it!

 

[LostBoyScout]

Cheers, I think I'll update based on your advice. I made an English barleywine with about 12% brown sugar and MO and it's real nice. I should stick to that kind of approach here too (but will try the invert sugar)

 

[JKaranka]

Yeah, 10% give or take is good. Some beers use up to 30-40% but I'd start with less. Usually I can't tell it has sugar apart from the fruity flavours of darker inverts.

 

[JKaranka]

For old ale / strong ale I often think about Old Tom, even if its not Brett aged. It's meant to have around 20% flaked maize in the grist according to some:
http://thedeliciousbeerblog.blogspot.com.es/2011/04/robinsons-old-tom-strong-ale.html?m=1

 

[JKaranka]

This looks lovely on the glass. Light amber. Clearest beer I've ever made apart from bragawd (sugar always helps). Bitter, light, fruity, strong. How do you post a picture over here?

 

[JKaranka]

It's good. Seems ready after a week and a half from bottling. Clear without gelatine or cold crashing. Biscuity malts give way to dry honey, flowery hops and stuff. Seems malt forwards at first but after half a pint the balance has switched to the hops. Some fruit and spice in there too (faint orange rind, some distant honeydew melon). Bitterness is very clean. It will probably get better in a couple of weeks. Surprising biscuit and honey notes considering how dry it is. If it was much stronger it would remind me of dry oloroso.

PS: does not match any modern styles. Drinking a Landlord at the pub right now. If I was going to introduce this in a competition I'd halve the hops, add a 1/2oz dry hop and enter it as a strong bitter.

 

[JKaranka]

OK, this one worked really well. It's like a commercial Victorian beer. Bitter, everybody likes it. Very refreshing, low to medium bodied. On a wide Belgian tulip glass it gets a lovely orange hue. As soon as we hit September I'll work on the stale version, but I have to measure again the capacity of my boiler and put new measure notches.