A Tribute to Hunahpu

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Brewed a 3 gallon batch of this 1/16/17 with an OG of 1.124. Kegged it yesterday and the FG was 1.047. Was really surprised that it seemed pretty balanced and only a little too sweet considering the high FG. I'm not sure I've ever drank such a thick (viscous) beer before.

Used S-04 yeast with a three stage starter (and overpitched if anything) and am now reading that S-04 may have an alcohol tolerance around 10% which is right around where I ended up (10.35%)? For some reason I used the shake method and didn't use oxygen so that might have also played into the high FG. Will definitely brew it again though!

I've used this method for getting above 10%. After 12hrs in fermenter reoxygenate by going back and forth between fermentors then divide the wort in half between 2 fermentors. Then recombine after completion. I've gotten 13% doing this. Oxygenating the wort is not a concern since the yeast will eat it up.

Others have used an aquarium pump with air.

 

[isomerization]

Brewing this next weekend, grain bill seems pretty well ironed out, just checking on water treatment and cinnamon amount. Targeting the following ppm for Ca, Mg, Na, Cl and SO4 (148 5 51 97 95) with a mash pH at 5.6. Most mentions of cinnamon use sticks, how about in oz? I have a 1 oz package (~6 sticks), not sure whether to go with the whole thing or just one...

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Brewing this next weekend, grain bill seems pretty well ironed out, just checking on water treatment and cinnamon amount. Targeting the following ppm for Ca, Mg, Na, Cl and SO4 (148 5 51 97 95) with a mash pH at 5.6. Most mentions of cinnamon use sticks, how about in oz? I have a 1 oz package (~6 sticks), not sure whether to go with the whole thing or just one...

To me cinnamon is tough. Too little is barely detectable then adding a little more and it becomes overwhelming. I'd error on the lighter side for a 1st batch but heavier side for peppers as they will subside with time as the beer ages anyway.

 

[isomerization]

To me cinnamon is tough. Too little is barely detectable then adding a little more and it becomes overwhelming. I'd error on the lighter side for a 1st batch but heavier side for peppers as they will subside with time as the beer ages anyway.

I prefer to make tinctures in vodka for flavor additions like this while the beer is in primary. Errering on the side of weak for the cinnamon is a good idea though, I can always add more sticks in the keg if it seems weak.

 

[isomerization]

Will be brewing (basically) this recipe on Saturday, got a huuuge WY1968 starter made up. I always love how this yeast floccs like egg drop soup once its done:

The 1st pic is after decanting the 3L starter down to ~1L and cold crashing for a couple hours again. The 2nd pic is after decanting again and swirling. The 3rd pic is less than 30 sec after swirling, this yeast drops out so fast!

 

[isomerization]

Brewed up a 6 gallon batch yesterday afternoon, was already machine gunning the blow off tube this morning, looking forward to tasting this!

I'm slightly concerned the WY1968 won't be able to hit 1.040 FG (~13% ABV with OG = 1.126), but we'll find out in a bout a week or so. Plan is to bottle 2-3 bombers for long term aging, and hit the rest of the batch with cinnamon/nibs/vanilla bean/ancho pepper tinctures in the keg. Started those today as well:

 

[sikkingj]

I was nipping on a batch that is 18+ months old. It tastes great and belies it's 9.5% abv. I'd recommend using the chiles as I thought the earlier version lack a bit of balance without it (I got lazy and didn't add any). Best of luck and best sure to save some as it vastly improves with age.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Brewed up a 6 gallon batch yesterday afternoon, was already machine gunning the blow off tube this morning, looking forward to tasting this!

I'm slightly concerned the WY1968 won't be able to hit 1.040 FG (~13% ABV with OG = 1.126), but we'll find out in a bout a week or so. Plan is to bottle 2-3 bombers for long term aging, and hit the rest of the batch with cinnamon/nibs/vanilla bean/ancho pepper tinctures in the keg. Started those today as well:

Learned with these big ones to keep them oxygenated, at least reoxygenate after 12hrs.

 

[isomerization]

Beer is at 1.046, 7 days post pitch. Just above 12.5%, so proud of WY1968 for not quitting early

Tasted the hydro sample, no off flavors, so in the keg it went! Added the cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs and ancho chile tinctures to the keg along with the rest of the solid stuff in a mesh bag. I figured this way I can always pull the bag once I sample after carbing in the kegerator. Will pull it out and bulk age in my cellar (60 F) for a month or two before tasting again. Only managed to bottle one bomber with the base beer after kegging as there was a massive yeast cake.

Will provide some tasting notes in a couple days.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Beer is at 1.046, 7 days post pitch. Just above 12.5%, so proud of WY1968 for not quitting early

Tasted the hydro sample, no off flavors, so in the keg it went! Added the cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs and ancho chile tinctures to the keg along with the rest of the solid stuff in a mesh bag. I figured this way I can always pull the bag once I sample after carbing in the kegerator. Will pull it out and bulk age in my cellar (60 F) for a month or two before tasting again. Only managed to bottle one bomber with the base beer after kegging as there was a massive yeast cake.

Will provide some tasting notes in a couple days.

Don't know about others, but my experience is it's almost pointless to sample before 4 months with these big stouts. That's about when these start to settle into their flavor.

 

[isomerization]

I'm not expecting a finished product, but part of knowing where your beer is at is sampling along the way.

 

[jready]

I read every word of this thread and brewed my own version I've the weekend. My water calculations were off so I missed my OG but it smells fantastic and I have never seen so much blowoff activity! Really excited about this one!

 

[urg8rb8]

I read every word of this thread and brewed my own version I've the weekend. My water calculations were off so I missed my OG but it smells fantastic and I have never seen so much blowoff activity! Really excited about this one!

Keep us updated!

 

[ryanm8]

How have you guys been doing the dark grains for this recipe? Cold steep, long mash, short mash?

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

How have you guys been doing the dark grains for this recipe? Cold steep, long mash, short mash?

I did the darks as all my imperial stouts. I add about 1/4 of them at first. After 20min or so add the rest and mix them in. After 10min or so start vorlauf. This keeps the tannins from becoming present. My IS beers became smoother after doing this technique.

 

[Tarpon87]

I want to brew this beer so it will be ready for fall/winter next year, however, i will be moving this coming summer. Any issues if i have it in a keg to condition before i move? Id move the keg myself so it wouldnt get thrown around much, but ot will still be moved possibly across country. Or should i hold off another year to do this?

 

[phyllobeddo]

I want to brew this beer so it will be ready for fall/winter next year, however, i will be moving this coming summer. Any issues if i have it in a keg to condition before i move? Id move the keg myself so it wouldnt get thrown around much, but ot will still be moved possibly across country. Or should i hold off another year to do this?

I think you'll be good to brew it now and let it age in the keg. I will try and report back soon in regards to a Mexican Cake clone that I made on 7/23/2016. It ended up at 12.3% ABV. I decided it needed to age. Hopefully I can get it in the rotation next month. Maybe I'll remember to report back on it then.

 

[bg1414]

Which recipe are most people using? I'm ready to try a big beer like this

 

[braindead]

Any updates on this guys?

Beer is at 1.046, 7 days post pitch. Just above 12.5%, so proud of WY1968 for not quitting early

Tasted the hydro sample, no off flavors, so in the keg it went! Added the cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs and ancho chile tinctures to the keg along with the rest of the solid stuff in a mesh bag. I figured this way I can always pull the bag once I sample after carbing in the kegerator. Will pull it out and bulk age in my cellar (60 F) for a month or two before tasting again. Only managed to bottle one bomber with the base beer after kegging as there was a massive yeast cake.

Will provide some tasting notes in a couple days.

 

[isomerization]

Any updates on this guys?

Here’s a link to what I brewed: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/477446/abraxas-clone

Finished just under 1.039 with the help of some added CBC-1 after the 1968 crapped out (around 1.050), there was a lot of sediment that took a couple weeks longer than normal to drop out too, was kind of strange.

I listed the amounts of cinnamon, vanilla, ancho and nibs that I used to make tinctures for the keg. I don’t think I’d change anything about them, turned out great!

Entered into 2 competitions (Feb 2018, so about 10 months post brew day) and scored a 36 and 40, no medals haha

 

[jiggad369]

Hey guys,

This thread is full of interesting information so thanks to all!

As I'm a big fan of Abraxas stout, this is a beer I must brew this fall. Has anyone been able to compare this recipe to an Abraxas (10% ABV)?

Adapting this recipe for my Grainfather, I won't be able to do a big 13% as my GF maxes out at 20lbs of grain but shooting for a 10% ABV so...

Few questions I have:

1. Is it ok to supplement with DME to get to ~1.11 OG?
2. What FG should I be shooting for?

Recipe so far:

48% Maris Otter Malt (Muntons)
14% Dry Malt Extract - Light - US
12% Flaked Oats - US
7% Chocolate Malt (Muntons)
7% Roasted Barley (Muntons)
6% Carafa II - DE
6% Caramel/Crystal 60 - US

0.5 oz Pasillia Peppers
0.25 oz Ancho Peppers
0.25 oz Guagilla Peppers
3 oz Cinnamon Sticks
0.5 oz Vanilla Paste
3 oz Cocoa Nibs

 

[isomerization]

Hey guys,

This thread is full of interesting information so thanks to all!

As I'm a big fan of Abraxas stout, this is a beer I must brew this fall. Has anyone been able to compare this recipe to an Abraxas (10% ABV)?

Adapting this recipe for my Grainfather, I won't be able to do a big 13% as my GF maxes out at 20lbs of grain but shooting for a 10% ABV so...

Few questions I have:

1. Is it ok to supplement with DME to get to ~1.11 OG?
2. What FG should I be shooting for?

Recipe so far:

48% Maris Otter Malt (Muntons)
14% Dry Malt Extract - Light - US
12% Flaked Oats - US
7% Chocolate Malt (Muntons)
7% Roasted Barley (Muntons)
6% Carafa II - DE
6% Caramel/Crystal 60 - US

0.5 oz Pasillia Peppers
0.25 oz Ancho Peppers
0.25 oz Guagilla Peppers
3 oz Cinnamon Sticks
0.5 oz Vanilla Paste
3 oz Cocoa Nibs

I used the following for my flavorings in a 5 gal finished volume:

0.5 oz Cinnamon Stick
1 each Vanilla Bean
4 oz Cacao Nibs
2 oz Ancho Pepper

Each was covered with just enough vodka for 1-2 weeks, strained of solids and added to the keg.

I’d be very concerned about the amount of cinnamon stick you’re proposing (caveat, soaking in beer may provide different extraction rate).

 

[ryanm8]

Brewed this a few weeks ago. I used a variation on cantrell00's recipe. OG was 1.120 and FG at 1.050 after 2 weeks.

It still may drop a bit more, but the sample I tasted was not sweet so I'm fine either way. It actually was more roasty than I was expecting. I think the roasted barley at the LHBS is way darker than typical. I might try all chocolate malt for the dark grains next time.

Look and mouthfeel is spot on with Hunahpu. Super thick and chewy. I put some oak cubes in and am going to age it a bit. Will update at a later date.

 

[BullGator]

Been lurking on this thread for awhile and have read a good bit but haven't had time to read the entire thing unfortunately. I brewed this 2 days ago. I used the recipe on post 30 with Thames Valley yeast. Here are a few of my notes:

1 - Brewed a 6 gallon batch in my 12 gallon setup.
2 - USE RICE HULLS. I batch sparge. I first recirc for awhile to get clear wort then start transferring to my kettle. I used to use a pump but have been recently using gravity and 2 pitchers that I swap out. This brew, the wort would slow to a trickle after only a few minutes which made my lautering process take several hours. It usually takes me a good bit more time but this was ridiculous.
3 - I under shot my numbers. I've been brewing for around 6 years but it has been around 6 months since my last brew day so I was admittedly rusty. But I think my mash efficiency was lower than expected. As a result, I got almost 1.5 to 2 gallons less wort than I expected. For whatever reason, I decided to draw more wort and add to the kettle which lowered my gravity in which I just boiled longer to hit the gravity I wanted. Sounded like a good plan but extended my brew day even longer.
4 - I can't say for sure, but I believe my grain absorbed more wort than beersmith or I anticipated.
5 - I made a 5L starter for this brew. Started with 1 pack of yeast to a 2L starter first, then stepped up to 5L. I think I should have had plenty of yeast. And the yeast pack was made only a few weeks ago so it was very fresh.
6 - I went with the method to hold back my dark grains and added them at lautering time. However, I did have an extended mash past this point but it was worth a shot.
7 - my original gravity was 1.140.
8 - I don't have oxygen or an aquarium pump so I took a pitcher, sanitized it (after chilling of course), and took about 20 pitcher fulls and dumped back in. This generated a significant amount of foam so I had to keep dumping some in the fermenter as I went.
9 - Holy sticky shiz. This was the darkest, stickiest wort I've ever seen. It was awesome.
10 - Saw air-lock activity the next day. It was pretty vigorous the next night.
11 - Day 2, checked in. Pretty low air-lock activity. Making me twitchy. Gravity reading was 1.098. 27% attenuation.
12 - Added yeast nutrient and stirred it up pretty good to get the yeast in suspension. When I stirred it up, the krausen rose as expected.
13 - Looking in the fermenter, I can see where the krausen has risen and already fallen. I have a 15 gallon conical so there is plenty of room. This indicates to me that the yeast is on the downhill swing but there is a lot more work to do. Also part of why I’m concerned.

This is where I am now. I neglected to taste it but I am nervous about the air-lock activity. I expected it to be going crazy right now. any input would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

 

[BullGator]

Update to the above. Day 4 sg was 1.085 which is 37% attentuation. Still a long way to go. If it gets close to 1.05 then that would be 14.2% which I think my yeast cant get to. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I’m thinking of getting a higher alcohol tolerant yeast, making a big starter, and pitching that.

Sample tasting notes: roast, slight heat, muddy, dense, not sweet for such high gravity

Thoughts?

 

[isomerization]

Why are you taking gravity readings this early, just adds risks. Seems like it’s still chugging along nicely.

I have had good luck using CBC-1 (one packet rehydrated) to finish off big stouts without losing mouthfeel or altering flavor profile.

 

[BullGator]

Why are you taking gravity readings this early, just adds risks. Seems like it’s still chugging along nicely.

I have had good luck using CBC-1 (one packet rehydrated) to finish off big stouts without losing mouthfeel or altering flavor profile.

I noticed what i would consider lack-luster airlock activity. Also, I knew I overshot my gravity and was worried about that so I wanted to stir (rouse) to help keep my yeast going. I’m of the camp that if you practice good sanitation/techniques, the risk of infection is quite low (knock on wood). It’s served me well in over 100 batches brewed with no infection.

I checked 1 day after my last reading and the gravity didn’t change. Now I’m officially concerned. I’ll look into the CBC-1. Thanks for the tip.

 

[urg8rb8]

I noticed what i would consider lack-luster airlock activity. Also, I knew I overshot my gravity and was worried about that so I wanted to stir (rouse) to help keep my yeast going. I’m of the camp that if you practice good sanitation/techniques, the risk of infection is quite low (knock on wood). It’s served me well in over 100 batches brewed with no infection.

I checked 1 day after my last reading and the gravity didn’t change. Now I’m officially concerned. I’ll look into the CBC-1. Thanks for the tip.

Go Gators!

 

[Tyler B]

So - here's so far what I've come up with so far...
5.25 gallon batch (70% eff)
OG: 1.137 (31 P)
FG: 1.053 (13 P)
ABV: 11%

13# 4 oz Maris Otter - 47%
5# 8 oz Munich II - 20%
2# 14 oz Flaked Barley - 10%
2# Chocolate - 7%
2# Roasted Barley - 7%
14 oz Black Patent - 3%
14 oz Dark Crystal (Hugh Baird) 150L - 3%
14 oz Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett) 60L -3%
28.25# total

Boil for 90-120 minutes
3 oz Magnum (14% aa) @ 75 minutes - 80 IBU

Added in Secondary to make it Hunahpu'ish:
1 stick of Ceylon Cinnamon
1 Madagascar Vanilla Bean
4 oz Peruvian Cacao Nibs
1 oz Ancho Pepper (dried, deseeded, chopped)
.5 oz Pasillia Pepper (dried, deseeded, chopped)
.5 oz Guajillo (dried, deseeded, chopped)

This looks delicious... Adding to the queue. Interestingly, I settled on a very similar pepper combination for my Stone xocoveza clone that is sitting in secondary and tasting delicious.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Lets Resurrect this thread!

Have 5 gallons of a 7.5% Stout with S-04. What to do with it?? Why not do this again? Going for 12.6% which will push the yeast for sure but got a plan.

Using basically the OP's recipe (adding 3lbs Dark DME) but with @isomerization vodka infusion technique with these items:

0.5 oz Cinnamon Stick
2 each Vanilla Bean (or due to $$$, extract)
4 oz Cacao Nibs
1.5 oz Ancho Pepper
.5 oz Pasillia Peppers
.5 oz Guagilla Peppers

Should be brewed Friday 4/19/21. Cheers!