Wee heavy recipe feedback requested

[Moose_MI]

Other than the fact I'm useing American malt and yeast .... thoughts?

Wee Heavey

Method: All Grain
Style: Wee Heavy
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 10.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 13 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.081 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 68% (brew house)

Original Gravity: 1.101 Final Gravity: 1.028 ABV (standard): 9.56% IBU (tinseth): 21.88 SRM (morey): 20.36

Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
35 lb American - Pale 2-Row 37 1.8 81.9%
2 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 40L 34 40 4.7%
2 lb American - Munich - Light 10L 33 10 4.7%
1.5 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 120L 33 120 3.5%
4 oz American - Roasted Barley 33 300 0.6%
2 lb American - Victory 34 28 4.7%
42.75 lb Total

Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
2.75 oz East Kent Goldings Pellet 5 Boil 60 min 18.78
1.25 oz East Kent Goldings Pellet 5 Boil 10 min 3.1
Hops Summary
Amount Variety Type AA
4 oz East Kent Goldings Pellet 5

Mash Guidelines
Amount Description Type Temp Time
15 gal Infusion 154 F 60 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb
Yeast
Wyeast - American Ale 1056
Attenuation (custom):72.5%
Flocculation:Med-Low
Optimum Temp:60 - 72 °F
Starter:Yes
Fermentation Temp:64 °F
Pitch Rate: 1.25 (M cells / ml / ° P)
1192 B cells required
Target Water Profile: Edinburgh (Scottish Ale, Malty Ale)
Ca+2 Mg+2 Na+ Cl- SO4-2 HCO3-
100 18 20 45

 

[HopNutz]

As far as I'm concerned there are only 2 yeasts for Wee Heavy. Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale and White Labs 028 Edinburgh Ale. Use a huge starter and I would also ferment cooler. Wee Heavy shouldn't be estery.

 

[Moose_MI]

As far as I'm concerned there are only 2 yeasts for Wee Heavy. Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale and White Labs 028 Edinburgh Ale. Use a huge starter and I would also ferment cooler. Wee Heavy shouldn't be estery.

Thank you...I think I will ferment lower ... maybe 60 ...for the first few days anyway. Great suggestion!

I've got a slurry from previous IPA that I'm gong to use. I bag hops and whirlpool before transfer to fermenter so as slurry's go this one is generally free of gunk.

 

[Moose_MI]

Well I brewed it yesterday ... 10 gal of 1.106 malty goodness. I reduced the victory to 1lbs and added 1lbs of biscuit. It's resting comfortably at 61f in ferm chamber.

 

[Steveruch]

As far as I'm concerned there are only 2 yeasts for Wee Heavy. Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale and White Labs 028 Edinburgh Ale. Use a huge starter and I would also ferment cooler. Wee Heavy shouldn't be estery.

Both are good. My preference is the 1728.

 

[Moose_MI]

I soooo suck at this hobby....

- 10gal split into 2 fermenters 20 days ago.
- OG was 1.106 for one of them...not sure which. Did not feel the need to check both. I alternate between buckets when pulling from BK so never imagined there could be a diff
- checked 1 fermenter 3 days ago .... 1.030... some hot alcohol and cloudy
- just checked the other and it's at 1.048 ?#*!?. It still is sweet tasting...duh

Sooooo....now what?

I'm thinking about going to secondary and blending the 2 in the process....put them in basement closet for couple months and see what I get.

Input welcome.....

 

[Moose_MI]

Anyone?

 

[Tcombob]

Running your recipe through a calculator, it seems to be pretty much on the mark. My calc shows OG 1.101, FG 1.025 ABV 9.88%. Did you hit your numbers or was your mash temp a little high, this can change your final and leave you with a sweeter beer. I would not combine yet, give it some time to settle out and the yeast more time to chew (1.106 is a lot of sugar for them thar buggers). If you are really worried, through in some more yeast. Otherwise don't worry, you can't really suck at this hobby, you can sip, slurp, nurse, imbibe, drink, gulp, swig, swallow, chug and even slug, but if you are making good beer, never suck (unless you've spilled it). Relax, grab a brew and give it another week or two, if the gravity is still going to your final, your good to go.

 

[Moose_MI]

Running your recipe through a calculator, it seems to be pretty much on the mark. My calc shows OG 1.101, FG 1.025 ABV 9.88%. Did you hit your numbers or was your mash temp a little high, this can change your final and leave you with a sweeter beer. I would not combine yet, give it some time to settle out and the yeast more time to chew (1.106 is a lot of sugar for them thar buggers). If you are really worried, through in some more yeast. Otherwise don't worry, you can't really suck at this hobby, you can sip, slurp, nurse, imbibe, drink, gulp, swig, swallow, chug and even slug, but if you are making good beer, never suck (unless you've spilled it). Relax, grab a brew and give it another week or two, if the gravity is still going to your final, your good to go.

Thanks for reply and encouragement. This was a single batch I split into 2 fermenters. 1 of them is pretty much on the mark for FG after 3 weeks but the other has a ways to go. I actually mashed in much lower than I wanted. This was my first batch on new rims system. Mashed in around 143 instead of the 154 I wanted. I struggled to ramp to 154 but eventually got there after 30 min or so. Pre boil gravity was on target.
After starting at 62, I've been fermenting at 65 but need to free up my ferm chamber. Ambent in my basement is 68 so I think. I'm just going to pull them from ferm chamber and let them ride another week. The 1 fermenter that is still at ~1.040 has slow but regular burps from air lock. I do get some banana smell from ferm chamber also.
My first "big" beer...it's gonna be a hot mess! :rockin:

 

[Moose_MI]

Well I'm drinking this now. It's not perfect but you certainly know it's a big beer after a glass or 2. Too many issues with this batch to know if the recipe is any good but I think it has merit.

 

[Norselord]

Did you do a starter? Did you oxygenate?

I would expect these to finish in the 20s.

Curious why you didn't use any British style grains.

 

[brewcat]

Too much crystal. I'd eliminate it completely. I'd also use at least 2% roast barley. So something like:
39 lbs 2-row
2 lbs victory
12 oz roasted barley

Maybe 1 lb of 120L if you really want it in there.

Then bitter to IBU 25.

 

[tjosborne]

You brew this in your breweasy?

 

[Moose_MI]

You brew this in your breweasy?

Yes....it was the 1st batch that I tried. It was an adventure.

 

[Moose_MI]

So 3 months after brewing and this beer keeps getting better. I deffinetly like this style. I can see where maybe less crystal but I thwill no I will keep the c120. The raisin and plum notes are one of my favorite things about this style....that and the fact it's 10% abv

 

[Tcombob]

Thanks for reply and encouragement. This was a single batch I split into 2 fermenters. 1 of them is pretty much on the mark for FG after 3 weeks but the other has a ways to go. I actually mashed in much lower than I wanted. This was my first batch on new rims system. Mashed in around 143 instead of the 154 I wanted. I struggled to ramp to 154 but eventually got there after 30 min or so. Pre boil gravity was on target.
After starting at 62, I've been fermenting at 65 but need to free up my ferm chamber. Ambent in my basement is 68 so I think. I'm just going to pull them from ferm chamber and let them ride another week. The 1 fermenter that is still at ~1.040 has slow but regular burps from air lock. I do get some banana smell from ferm chamber also.
My first "big" beer...it's gonna be a hot mess! :rockin:

From what I have read, there are some circles of thought that most sugar conversion can and will happen pretty quickly in a 5 gallon mash. It's possible that most of the sugar converted at 143 to 150 as you were raising the temp to 156. This may have something to do with the final beer, but there are others out there who believe that for home brewers, the temperature doesn't really matter. http://brulosophy.com/2015/10/12/the-mash-high-vs-low-temperature-exbeeriment-results/

If you bottled, give the beer time, a big beer will change quite a bit over time with conditioning.

 

[Moose_MI]

So many things were goofy about this batch I'm not sure we can learn any lessons. I'm 4 glasses into the night with this beer and my daughter is yammering about boys on her facebook and I almost don't care. This beer may be my best batch ever.......

 

[Moose_MI]

So 4 months after brew day and getting towards the end of the first keg and this beer has come a long way. It's a little thick to be an all day drinker but at 8.5+ who cares. Nothin unpleasing about it..in fact I'm enjoying it

Still on first 5g of this 10g batch and really curious how the 2nd will be given the wide difference in FG.

This is such a cool hobby