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

[bottlebomber]

Its about 12 for a 17.6 oz bottle at Trader Joes. Maple syrup is expensive in california and therebouts, $6 a pound is absolutely unheard of. If you buy small amounts, $6 will get you about an 5 oz flask. Its only getting worse too

 

[bluemoose]

Going rate in VT is $50 gal. This year was the best year in the last decade, if not longer. Next spring I start making my own.

 

[lastsecondapex]

Sam's Club, nationally is 8.99 for a 2lb jug. Its about 1.5 qts I think. It's 100% pure maple syrup. Cheapest place for Honey too... $2/lb


And once again, Cape's thread is jacked.

 

[el_kirk]

I know this probably isn't the place to ask, but how's the Barley Brandy fermentation coming along?

...and now back to our scheduled discussion on where to buy maple syrup for cheap

 

[lastsecondapex]

I know this probably isn't the place to ask, but how's the Barley Brandy fermentation coming along?

You'll have to start a new thread somewhere else for that, it is inappropriate here...

 

[the_bird]

What I want to know... do we get to do a "barrel tasting" on Saturday?

 

[Cape Brewing]

I am in full on pig-roast mode this week and the barley brandy is taking a back seat to say the least.

Doubtful Bird. The barrels are all before their time and unlike a certain someone we know, I dont taste 'em every week. There will be plenty of beer. I wpuldn't worry about it.

 

[DakotaRules]

What I want to know... do we get to do a "barrel tasting" on Saturday?

You coming down?

 

[the_bird]

Yeah, for a while at least. Kidlings in tow, so I won't be able to partake as aggressively as I might otherwise.

 

[bottlebomber]

Yeah, for a while at least. Kidlings in tow, so I won't be able to partake as aggressively as I might otherwise.

Cmon this could be a good opportunity for them to drive dad home... it builds character.

 

[LVBen]

Yeah, we've got some Trader Joe's stores around here. I'll check them out for cheaper maple syrup.

 

[Brew-Happy]

Disclaimer: I wasn't able to read all of the posts so I apologize if this has been addressed.

Considerations:

1. Instead of freezing all the beer in one batch try splitting it up. The heat of fusion for water is 334 kJ/kg. It's the kg part that controls the amount of energy needed to freeze the water. So do it smaller batches to reduce the amount of energy needed.

Plus smaller batches will help to get the process under control. If you accidentally freeze your entire batch, you have to wait for it to thaw.

2. Keep your scale handy. Weight out the ice you remove. Water weighs 8.35lbs per gallon. This will help you control how much water you are removing.

3. To thin the beer maybe look into wine yeasts. They are better at chewing up sugars to lower levels. At least in my experience.


Keep experimenting!

 

[Tinga]

2. Keep your scale handy. Weight out the ice you remove. Water weighs 8.35lbs per gallon. This will help you control how much water you are removing.

gallon of ice weighs about 7.5 lbs

 

[Brew-Happy]

gallon of ice weighs about 7.5 lbs

Left out the part on letting ice melt. But as it is when you weight 8.35lbs of ice out and it melts that is one gallon of water.

Thanks for catching that Tinga.

 

[DakotaRules]

Cape how's this coming along?

 

[bottlebomber]

He effed it up and doesn't want to talk about it. Bottom line for barley brandy- $500. Im kidding kidding... seriously what's up with the freak juice

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I too am seriously interested in this. While I don't plan on hitting 40% I do plan on making something big soon. This thread has had my thinking cap on regularly.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Nah... I was absolutely swamped under the pig roast and that was a week ago. I just haven't had time to get back to it.

I'm going to rack it tonight or tomorrow and try one or two more things to try to get it to dry out a bit more. I haven't taken a gravity recently so maybe I'll get lucky and it has come down a bit more on its own.

Other than that... today is really the frist day I've been back on HBT since the cookout. Too busy.

I am definitely not giving up on this yet though.

 

[KYB]

Yea I'm interested to hear how this turns out. 10 more batches and I am doing my Insanity Stout.

 

[lastsecondapex]

Any progress?

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Come on Cape. How hard is it to spray some Star San on a wine thief and hydrometer?

 

[bottlebomber]

I want to do something like this, but after all this silence im thinking it might be wiser to make wort of a somewhat reasonable fermentability, say 1.150, then try to push it past 20% with sugar additions, that way you know when the yeast craps out. Like DFH120.

 

[lastsecondapex]

Come on Cape. How hard is it to spray some Star San on a wine thief and hydrometer?

I think he ditched it, doesn't want to take PTN's crap...

 

[Cape Brewing]

You guys have zero faith. Pathetic.

Nothing has been ditched.

I pitched a couple tablespoons of boiled bread yeast a couple of nights ago and all of a sudden I have a little bit more airlock activity.

The boiled bread yeast is something I've seen on HBT a couple of times and the story is basically... when yeast is fermenting THAT much sugar (1200 OG), it'll toss off byproducts that reach toxic levels for the yeast (just like the alcohol will become toxic) and the yeast will die out. Supposedly, the boiled bread yeast, which is dead, will absorb these toxins and make the wort more fermentable.

i have no idea of this will actually work but I finally tried it a couple of nights ago. I'm giving the dead yeast a couple of days to do its de-toxification process and then I'm racking to a clean fermentor and adding a new slug of 099.

I'm probably the worst person to post on something like this as I'm not a serial gravity taker or beer taster like a certain someone I know who will remain nameless. It'll be done when it is done and taking gravity samples every other day does nothing but tell me something I already know... it ain't done yet.... and wastes the beer a quarter pint at a time.

 

[motobrewer]

this. has. failed.

moto has spoken.

 

[Cape Brewing]

your azz has failed.

Shouldn't you be over in the commercial thread... giving your insights into the best temperature to serve Bud Light???

 

[the_bird]

your azz has failed.

Shouldn't you be over in the commercial thread... giving your insights into the best temperature to serve Bud Light???

He already did. He told us 34° if it's to be drunk, 98.6° if it's to be received anally.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Ouch... Moto azz ******** with warm Bud Light... I'll be honest.... I didn't see THAT image comin' when I got outta bed this morning.

 

[motobrewer]

He already did. He told us 34° if it's to be drunk, 98.6° if it's to be received anally.

listen, bird, just cause it has the patriots logo on it doesn't mean you should shove it up your a$$. i guess old habits die hard, eh??

this just in, dolphins sign 18 quarterbacks.....but orton is still a bronco.


yeah i'm jumping threads, you wanna fight about it!?

 

[bob1852]

You guys have zero faith. Pathetic.

I have faith. Any man who can deep fry a 700lb pig in its own fat can certainly pull this off....