Attempting 40%+ ABV beer... "Barley Brandy"

[Cape Brewing]

Uhh.... thanks??? I guess.

 

[ComcastWineRookie]

That was kinda like shaking your hand, turning to walk away and you feel the crack of the bat on the back of your head

 

[motobrewer]

moto's prophecy is revealing itself

altho i can't talk, i can't even ferment a 1.058 oktoberfest....I wanted to pitch at 53F but my chiller wouldn't get there so i racked and placed in in my keezer. well, i then got pretty wasted and by the next morning the wort was 39F. however, i had confused which temp probe was which and thought it was at 47F so I pitched. it's up to 53F now but not doing anything.

 

[bottlebomber]

I hope this thread stay's on topic. I have to admit I thought originally this was a talking out the A** thread. I now think it is one of the more interesting and look forward to the conclusion.

A little of both going on id say. God forbid anyone talks out their a$$ on a forum

 

[ComcastWineRookie]

a little off topic, ok, far off topic, but for all the Massholes out there, Tonight at Cambridge Common, there will be a Massachusetts Breweries Tap Takeover, with over 25 different brews, all from Massachusetts brewers. Come on down and have some great beer....

 

[paulthenurse]

A little of both going on id say. God forbid anyone talks out their a$$ on a forum

If there is ANYONE capable of talking out his a$$ on a forum, it's my boy Cape.

I taught him everything he knows.





Can I get a minute here? I'm gettin' all choked up.

PTN

 

[Cape Brewing]

Really? Whats the gravity on the the Utopias you brewed two months ago?

Do tell.

 

[paulthenurse]

The average between the two fermenters is about 1075 and dropping slowly. Those 'non stressed' yeasts of ours are enjoying a nice leisurely meal. Hurrying though your dinner can give you an upset tummy.

 

[bill42]

better add some ec118 champagne yeast if its still that high after 2months

 

[bottlebomber]

better add some ec118 champagne yeast if its still that high after 2months

EC118 is only good for about 18% im pretty sure, and if it went from 1.2 to 1.075 its already flirting with its top end- about 16.25. I think its time to break out the good stuff (099) and lots of it, maybe rack off so the lazy stoner yeast doesn't have a bad influence on the new stuff

 

[paulthenurse]

It's like Prego. It's in there.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Wow... I'm surprised.... Current OG is all the way down to 1.019 from an 1128 and that was JUST US-05.

I just racked it off of the US-05 cake, added a lb of maple syrup, pitched the large 099 cake and hit it with a ton of oxygen.

In the mean time, I'm not totally sure what I wnat to do next. I am thinking about washing the massive yeast cake of US-05 a couple of times and brewing the second big 1200+ batch on Weds and tossing in on the clean US-05 cake... letting that tear it up and then slowly feeding it to the first batch once it stalls out.

I'm psyched I didn't listen and added the peat. It is very very subtle (shockingly) and I think it was a nice addition after all.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Yup... Washing the yeast cake now and am going to do the second batch on Weds.

Yeast cake is currently almost filling a one gallon growler. Attsa lotta yeast

 

[DakotaRules]

Saaaaawwwweeeetttttt!

 

[ComcastWineRookie]

How does one "wash" a yeast cake?

 

[Cape Brewing]

The search tool is your friend.

Plenty of threads on it. Its not a complex process.

 

[DakotaRules]

How does one "wash" a yeast cake?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

 

[paulthenurse]

How does one "wash" a yeast cake?

Use unaccented soap like Ivory or your beer will taste funny.

 

[DakotaRules]

I like the citrus flavor with a hefe recipe. I use ivory dish soap when I'm washing yeast in the summer.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Bernie's way is certainly a good way but I don't go through that much work.

I racked the beer off the huge US-05 cake last night, added two bottled waters (since I assume they are sanitized) and swirl the carboy around to get all of the sludge to a point where I can actually pour it out.

I then poured the entire cake into a sanitized one gallon growler... added another bottled water and shook the hell out of. I then tossed it in the walk-in.

I left it there overnight (you don't have to... it'll actually settle out really quickly... like an hour or two) and then when I get home tonight, I should have a layer of water on top, a layer of "spent casings" (dead yeasties and other trub), and then a cleaner layer of pure yeast on the bottom.

I'll decant off the water and spent casings and repeat the entire process until I have a nice clean, big massive slug of US-05.

 

[paulthenurse]

The good yeast is the middle layer. Trub, protiens and plant material (hops) are heavier and settle out first.

Tall, narrow containers work better than wide ones, you will get better separation.

PTN

 

[DakotaRules]

Or cape could install a yeast harvester on his 3 conicals. Jesszzzz cape come on!!!!! You've got everything else.

 

[paulthenurse]

More Beer sells their new nuclear powered yeast washer with the integrated flux capacitor for a mere $17,500.00. I bet my boy will have two by the 4th.

PTN

 

[DakotaRules]

He's probably ordered 6 but there waiting to ship them until they get the plutonium for the last 2.

 

[Scruffy1207]

He's probably ordered 6 but there waiting to ship them until they get the plutonium for the last 2.

The newer models run on trash.

 

[paulthenurse]

He DEFINATALY doesn't want that option. Feeding the machine his beer won't leave any for him.

Hey, is that a sort of a perpetual motion machine? It would eat the beer(trash) while producing more of the same? Eureka! He's gonna be rich!!!!

PTN

 

[Cape Brewing]

you almost done??

 

[paulthenurse]

Almost.

Hey, I'll be here all week, folks, come back and bring your friends. Try the veal, it's great. And don't forget your waitresses, Tipping isn't a city in China.

PTN

 

[DakotaRules]

That there's funny I don't care who ya are! (Larry the cable guy voice)

 

[paulthenurse]

In my best Cape Brewing voice...

"Please don't encourage him."