12-12-12 Wee Heavy Recipe Formulation

[Stephonovich]

Took a hydrometer sample today, and sampled it as well. It sat for about 3 months in the primary (take that, naysayers).

FG came in at 1.024, down from it's initial 1.108 - 76% apparent attenuation, 62% real. Wyeast says 69-73% for 1728, so I think it's pretty good. Oh yeah, ABV is at 11.2%.

The flavor profile is giant malt flavor, smoky overtones, with a massive alcohol burn. Delicious stuff, although I think even 12 oz. might be a bit much, it's so rich. This beer definitely needs to sit for a long time. I'm going to rack it into a smaller secondary to minimize O2, and to avoid tempting the autolyzing gods any further.

Also of note, BeerSmith put the estimated FG at 1.023, so it did just fine.

 

[bottlebomber]

Took a hydrometer sample today, and sampled it as well. It sat for about 3 months in the primary (take that, naysayers).

FG came in at 1.024, down from it's initial 1.108 - 76% apparent attenuation, 62% real. Wyeast says 69-73% for 1728, so I think it's pretty good. Oh yeah, ABV is at 11.2%.

The flavor profile is giant malt flavor, smoky overtones, with a massive alcohol burn. Delicious stuff, although I think even 12 oz. might be a bit much, it's so rich. This beer definitely needs to sit for a long time. I'm going to rack it into a smaller secondary to minimize O2, and to avoid tempting the autolyzing gods any further.

Also of note, BeerSmith put the estimated FG at 1.023, so it did just fine.

What recipe did you use? Your specs are basically identical to mine. I haven't tried mine in a few months. I've decided not to oak. I'll probably bottle it in 2 or 3 months. My alcohol wasn't really hot, more kind of vinous like a wine. Same smoky quality you're describing

 

[Stephonovich]

What recipe did you use? Your specs are basically identical to mine. I haven't tried mine in a few months. I've decided not to oak. I'll probably bottle it in 2 or 3 months. My alcohol wasn't really hot, more kind of vinous like a wine. Same smoky quality you're describing

I went with...

20.5# MO
4 oz. RB
1.5 oz. EKG @ 120 min
1.5 oz. EKG @ 5 min
1728, 4L starter
Salts to adjust water to Edinburgh profile

I drew off 2 gallons to reduce, but didn't reduce enough to get it down to a syrup.

If I did it over again, I'd give myself more time to make sure the runnings had reduced, and also maybe play with hop additions. I know hops aren't supposed to be much of a player in scotch ale, but I feel like it could be a little more balanced. I don't normally make beer to meet guidelines, I make it to taste like I want. The other part of that balance issue is the hop flavors are naturally going to dissipate with time.

 

[smokinghole]

I took mine and transferred it out of my bottling keg back to a fermentor. I added two thick slurries of WLP099 to get it lower than 1.035 and it seems to be fermenting. I have recently discovered a pedio issue in my dubbel so I hope I didn't somehow contaminate the wee heavy. If I did I'll have one hell of a oudbruin. Luckily the other beers in fermentors are funky or sour to begin with. I need to grab some wild yeast and bacteria plates to check the beers.

 

[acuenca]

I don't know how but I came in at 1.014 after 3 months of bulk aging... I think I'm going to bottle and store this one away for aWHILE... nice malty back bone but the EtOH is pretty apparent... I've never had a wee heavy... Does that fade with time to a smoother smokier malt bomb? Used 1728 by the way

 

[bottlebomber]

I don't know how but I came in at 1.014 after 3 months of bulk aging... I think I'm going to bottle and store this one away for aWHILE... nice malty back bone but the EtOH is pretty apparent... I've never had a wee heavy... Does that fade with time to a smoother smokier malt bomb? Used 1728 by the way

Wow that is low. It will definitely fade but it will probably take most of the year to be good and 2 years to be at its peak.

 

[JLW]

What are you all thinking on carbonation level for your beers? I found a chart that gave the range to be 1.3 to 2.3, that is a big range to choose from.

I once carbed a wee heavy on the lower end of the range and it just didn't taste right to me and it took a really long time to carb up completely. I'll carb this one at 2.3.

 

[Golddiggie]

Since I'll be kegging mine, I'll aim for about the middle of the range to start and then adjust (up or down) until I hit the sweet spot... I might need to install another gas line into the brew fridge to supply that keg...

 

[xeerohour]

I just racked mine into a five gallon oak barrel yesterday. It's five months old and sitting at 1.028 w/ 11.9% ABV. Surprisingly, not a lot of alcohol burn, but perhaps a bit over-sweet for my tastes. I'm hoping the oak and the booze from the barrel will help balance that a bit.

Btw - I'd love to swap a bottle of mine for one fermented with Brett. That sounds awesome.

 

[smokinghole]

I did not add brett yet. I might reserve a gallon jug and do it anyhow.

 

[MDVDuber]

Tried a sample from the keg this weekend. Still not carbed just sitting on med toast Hungarian Oak for about 3 month now. My wife said - "carb that thing and give me some" after she tasted it.

I've got to agree, maybe a bit more time on the oak, but once she's carbed up I think it'll be a great cold weather sipping beer. Vanilla, caramel and just a bit of "smoke" from the yeast. Yum!

I also tried the Broken Wrist Barleywine (see here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/most-expensive-brew-day-ever-287866/), also aging on Med Toast Hungarian oak and I think it's going to be fantastic!

 

[Golddiggie]

MDVDuber, how much oak (assuming cubes) has it been on and how much is on the oak (gallons of brew)??

I've had my ~6 gallons sitting on 3oz of medium toast Hungarian oak cubes for about three months now (coming up on four soon)... I plan to pull the first taste sample in a few weeks.

 

[MDVDuber]

Hey - 5 gallons with 1.5 oz of oak. I started out with just a little Oak figuring I can always add it but I can't take it away. Both have the same sort of oak flavor that I get from Sam Adams Griffin's Bow, so I'm pretty happy.

BTW - I see you do lots of meads. Do you have a good recipe for a Blueberry Mead? I've got to get rid off last years crop (nice small native berries from Maine). Thanks.

 

[Golddiggie]

I thought about using less oak initially but then figured "no guts, no glory" and tossed all 3oz in. Worst case I can just let it age longer if there's more oak contribution than I want.

As for a blurberry mead. Shoot me a pm and we can chat.

 

[smokinghole]

Has anyone considered packaging at this point? I did not oak mine at all and will be doing another gravity check. Last I checked it was at 1.032 which was nice. I think it's at a good spot now. I was originally going to force carbonate and bottle but with WLP099 in mine due to a too cold fermentation and a stalled yeast, I should have no issue with bottle conditioning. It seems some of the best known examples produced stateside are bottle conditioned. I was thinking of corks with crown caps for very long term aging.

 

[azscoob]

Mine is gone..... all gone.

Kegged it after it sat in the oak barrel for a couple months, force carbed it at serving pressure for 3 weeks and hooked up the tap to give it a taste test.

One of the best beers I have EVER had bar none.

went to bed and dreamed of another pint and of dusty bottles opened to enjoy for a long while.

I woke and thought the coffee maker was going, sometime in the night the cat rubbed against the taps and what I was hearing was the death wheeze of a 20 lbs co2 tank hissing from an empty keg. All that wonderful beer down the drip tray drain and into the municipal sewer system.

I still feel sick thinking of it.

 

[MDVDuber]

I am pretty much speechless! And really sorry - for you and for your potential trading partners....

 

[smokinghole]

Mine is gone..... all gone.

Kegged it after it sat in the oak barrel for a couple months, force carbed it at serving pressure for 3 weeks and hooked up the tap to give it a taste test.

One of the best beers I have EVER had bar none.

went to bed and dreamed of another pint and of dusty bottles opened to enjoy for a long while.

I woke and thought the coffee maker was going, sometime in the night the cat rubbed against the taps and what I was hearing was the death wheeze of a 20 lbs co2 tank hissing from an empty keg. All that wonderful beer down the drip tray drain and into the municipal sewer system.

I still feel sick thinking of it.

That really really blows.

 

[MDVDuber]

That really really blows.

Really? A pun right now? Good one BTW...

 

[Stephonovich]

Mine is gone..... all gone.

Dear lord. I am sorry - that is horrible. I'm still paranoid that one day I'll ruin a batch with an infection; I can't imagine losing a whole batch that was good.

Mine's still sitting in a secondary carboy, bulk aging along. I haven't decided how I'm going to carb it yet. I have a jar of 1728 I just made for a RIS, so I might grow it up and add some more of that; ABV's only at 11%, which is below the 12% tolerance of 1728. Alternately, I could force carb it. I've always bottle conditioned, though.

 

[Golddiggie]

azscoob, that's simply horrible... All that wonderful brew gone and you only had one taste of it.

Did the cat survive your wrath? Did you at least shave the little bugger?

Mine is still sitting sealed up in my aging keg, with 3oz of Hungarian oak in there. I'll be moving within the next two months, so I'm not going to do anything more with it until I'm either in the new place, or in order to transport it. I expect to have enough to fill two 3 gallon kegs.

What happened to azscoob makes me glad for at least two things.
1. I don't have any pets.
2. My taps are in the brew fridge door, so no F'ing cat could do what that one did.

 

[azscoob]

The cat is 17 years old so she won't be around much longer,

How do you think peta would react if I made a Daniel Boone style cap from the pelt?

 

[sapperxl]

I plan on getting my dog a full body mount when he kicks it, I figure I spent so much on vet bills n grooming I'm going to enjoy his company until I die.

I'm gonna bottle my batch here next month I think, I've been bulk aging since dec. I was thinking off adding a pack of us-05 at bottling to ensure a good carb, what's everyone else doing? The new yeast shouldn't effect the flavor much should it? This is the first batch I've bulked aged.

 

[Golddiggie]

The cat is 17 years old so she won't be around much longer,

How do you think peta would react if I made a Daniel Boone style cap from the pelt?

I don't think PETA will have an issue after you explain why you did it.

 

[CA-LT1]

Sapperxl: You're probably ok without adding any yeast for bottle conditioning, but if you want to, I believe the pitching rate is more like 2 grams per 5 gal, or 1/5 of a packet of US-05

 

[BenS]

I should take my wee heavy out of primary...... I think today is the 6 month mark since brewed.

 

[smokinghole]

Uh oh! So I checked my gravity again and I'm at 1.026. I need to check it with a wild yeast test. That change from 1.032 to 1.026 is no a reading error. I use a lab precision hydrometer set that allows reading to 1.0000. So I know it's not a temp or user difference. I hope it's just the notoriously slow wlp099 finishing up. I'll check it again in a month. Sheesh.

 

[bottlebomber]

Uh oh! So I checked my gravity again and I'm at 1.026. I need to check it with a wild yeast test. That change from 1.032 to 1.026 is no a reading error. I use a lab precision hydrometer set that allows reading to 1.0000. So I know it's not a temp or user difference. I hope it's just the notoriously slow wlp099 finishing up. I'll check it again in a month. Sheesh.

You put in 099? That definitely it. I made a low gravity DFH120 clone and it came from 1.120 to 1.010 over 10 days. It stayed at 1.010 for at least a week as far as I know, then when I checked it before doing the dry hopping I got this.

 

[BenS]

I finally kegged my wee heavy a few days ago. I should have kegged it months ago. Nothing wrong with it, just noticeably less malty than when I tasted it in Feb. Oh well, I'm going to let it carb in the keg and then fill some bottles for the swap.

 

[bottlebomber]

I'm going to bottle mine in a week. I can't imagine it being shy on malt character, it was pretty much a malt bludgeon. That was a couple months ago though. Hopefully nothing's changed.