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I know I'm not the brewer you directed this at, but that level of alcohol and time may well have killed off most all the yeast. I've had less extreme cases that took up to 2 months to fully carb, before I started adding bottling yeast for all big beers. Maybe you can give it a few more weeks...

First off congrats on the highly judged beer. I don't have specific recommendations to make, but sometimes malt complexity can be achieved by removing something, swapping something, or simply changing ratios, rather than adding something new. If there's a prominent flavor that you think is...

Certain? No, of course not. I'd just recommend trying the usual malt/body boosting methods first, is all. Unless you really just want to experiment, and that's what's driving this. Flaked grains tend to enhance body, hence the suggestion. Don't know that I've ever seen flaked malts. Sorry...

Have you tried mashing higher, using flaked malts, higher kilned base malts, and the like? I'd try all that before making starch water to add to the boil.

Overnight, you'd see some conversion. You also might see lactobacillus begin some work in there, depending upon temps and how long it stays in the water. I get what you're trying to do, but I'm skeptical this is the solution. You could get the same effect as this, much simpler, by just...

I'll do that. I don't have any Sinamar, but maybe using the "dilution method" to get my #2 to #3 color would be sufficient. I'll think about it. Anyway, thanks for the help! With a little luck, I'll be brewing this within a week or two.

Sounds good. Yeah, I was thinking just 4-6oz of chocolate (pale or regular), a bit of flaked barley, the invert, and enough base malt to get to the 1.036 neighborhood. That ought to be a decent starting point. Wartime porter? Is that what you're titled "Austerity Porter" in your recipes? I...

Dark, a bit watery, a bit sweet and overall rather dull. That's not exactly a glowing review by the guy remembering this beer. I might try another one of these recipes first. Since I have a little #2 now, I'm thinking of shooting down the middle of the two approaches we have here...

Yeah, it's not real clear, but Kristin clarifies it in the comments below. Make #1 invert, add molasses, then continue to boil for 10-20 min, then cool. Sounds easy enough.

Thanks for the reply. I may give the dilution method a try, and see how it works. If you're interested in a trade (so we can each try some side-by-side from each method), let me know.

Careful. Munich malt and caramunich are not at all the same. Same with buscuit and carahell. It's not clear whether you're actually buying one rather than the other, or choosing something that has a similar color, but I want to make sure you're making the right distinctions.

So no need for me to model this, then. Good to know. I'd be much more inclined to try a quick 45 min boil and call that good enough. While I'm thinking about invert sugar in recipes, has anyone tried the Dilution Method described here? I'm hoping to get some #2 or #3 to use without minding a...

I'm a pseudo state employee, and get no time off for Easter, either. We're weird about that birthday thing here in the US. You only get one of them, especially if you want a national holiday made from it (them). The second one gets no respect.

What's with the 3 hour boil in that Tetley's recipe linked to above? Kettle caramelization? I would have thought the high % of invert would have had that flavor covered.

Take this with a grain of salt, as I've not done the substitution myself, but I'm guessing a blend of golden and black treacle would be best. My concern is that too much black treacle will make the beer more bitter than dark candi syrup would. I didn't see the grainbill earlier. I'd also...

While they're certainly not the same product, they might be close enough if used in smallish quantities. I'd stay away from the darkest grades, even if Black Treacle is much lighter than blackstrap molasses. Maybe a mixture of sweet and black treacle is the answer? I don't really know.

Give it some time, unless it's been a while. You said you tested SG on day 2, but what day is it now? Also, how did you treat your water? Any idea what your mash pH was?

Damn. Only 63% base malt? This is going to finish very high. How did you miss your OG by 20 points? Volume too high, or something else? We're still missing that critical part of how you're measuring gravity.

First, there's the obligatory question of how you're measuring. Hydrometer or refractometer? If the latter, there's no problem to troubleshoot. Also, knowing the recipe and fermentation schedule would help immensely. If you measurement is accurate, and your recipe would seem to finish lower...

Yeah, sorry. Rye is super hard stuff. I end up milling it 2-3x just to be safe. Milling rocks is easier.