BeastII

[dibby33]

She is alive!!! Got bored on Saturday and whipped this up :

7 kilos of DME
200g of Cascade
30g of Ringwood
1 tin of extract (1.8Kilos : Beermakers Old)
1 Champagne yeast
Irish moss.


OG of 1.15.
estimated ABV : 15% :rockin:

This is my sledgehammer approach to beer making! In memory of James Brown R.I.P.

Currently bubbling too many to count and has a two inch head of lovely foamy goodness upon its top. Looks fantastic sitting besde the apfelwein
Will be a cellar companion for Ye Olde Ripper when it finally finishes. Will be cellared for at least 1 year.

"Be scared. Be very scared", is my brewery motto.

 

[rod]

estimated ABV : 15%

 

[dibby33]

Will be ready in about 14 months i thinx. I am trying to lay some beers down ready for a lack of brewing time coming up! Wife is 5 months pregnant and we already have one and I don't think that I will have as much time to brew when next kidlet pops out as I do just now. Hence the high ABV! ...well that is my excuse anyho.

Just realised that I have to plan some HBs for wetting the babies head. Will be on PM by then hopefully (that is why I chucked in the extract kit - have a couple of spares lying around)

 

[JacktheKnife]

Dibbydude,

Wow...
Your idea for a recipe for the 'Strongest Beer in the World'
is really brilliant!
This is like a barley wine?
15% alcohol?
14 months?
Wow...

I never really thought about it but a barleywine at 15% alcohol and no more than triple the cost is logical except for the time the carbouys are tied up. I had no idea it would take so long to fermint but it makes sense.
It is so thick that the yeast critters can't hardly breath, and are like in slow motion. But 14 months! What does that stuff taste like? And are you really in New Zeeland or Tasmainia? {...I forgot}


J. Knife in Texas...

 

[fifelee]

Great Brew Dibby. You can use the beer to help the kids sleep. Or at least your will be able to sleep despite the kids after a few of those. Congrats on the new one.

 

[dibby33]

Dibbydude,

Wow...
Your idea for a recipe for the 'Strongest Beer in the World'
is really brilliant!
This is like a barley wine?
15% alcohol?
14 months?
Wow...

I never really thought about it but a barleywine at 15% alcohol and no more than triple the cost is logical except for the time the carbouys are tied up. I had no idea it would take so long to fermint but it makes sense.
It is so thick that the yeast critters can't hardly breath, and are like in slow motion. But 14 months! What does that stuff taste like? And are you really in New Zeeland or Tasmainia? {...I forgot}


J. Knife in Texas...

I reckon it will take a month in primary and maybe another couple in in secondary and then 12 to bottle condition.
Need to get a bigger pot soon though as there was not much room for all that DME and some water. Had to do it in two batches. Hop timing was basically on the random system and I chucked in some when I felt like it from the start right to the finish. This is a one off beer! ...maybe

It is kinda like a barley wine, but it is very dark. I also hope to have it carbonated. I am really looking forward to trying this one! Building up quite a stock of beers in my cellar - got about 12 cartons now (24x375ml bottles). Need to build a cool room under the house...



This is not the strongest beer that you can make - apparently 25% can be reached. ...maybe next time

Yes I am in Tasmania, it is the island just south of mainland Australia. Moved here from Edinburgh (where fifelee on this thread currently is!) four years ago. Tas is a state of Australia but we get forgotten about here and it is very very quiet. nobody passes through as there is nowhere to go!

 

[dibby33]

Great Brew Dibby. You can use the beer to help the kids sleep. Or at least your will be able to sleep despite the kids after a few of those. Congrats on the new one.

...yeup, I thought it would work either way!

 

[JacktheKnife]

Dibber Dude,

So you are from the 'old country'?
I am a 'Hamilton' and our branch of the family left Scotland and came to the 'New World' as soon as their was a place to go and a way to get there.
As much as I have been able to research so far,
no later than 1880.
Edinbourough is right in that narrow, middle point of the Island.
'Cadyow,' is said to be 'the',
or, one of the seats of the begining of the 'clan'.
And I found in an old book, {Tales of a Grandfather, Walter Scott}
Published 1885, an account of where 'the Hamilton' deserted his kinsman 'the Douglass' and went over to the side of the English at the battle of Abercorn, {'14th century, I think.}
And was rewarded with vast grants of land including the isle of Arron,
and land south of Edinbourough.

You know any Hamiltons?


'The Hamilton'

 

[dibby33]

Dibber Dude,

So you are from the 'old country'?
I am a 'Hamilton' and our branch of the family left Scotland and came to the 'New World' as soon as their was a place to go and a way to get there.
As much as I have been able to research so far,
no later than 1880.
Edinbourough is right in that narrow, middle point of the Island.
'Cadyow,' is said to be 'the',
or, one of the seats of the beggining of the 'clan'.
And I found in an old book, {Tales of a Grandfather, Walter Scott}
Published 1885, an account of where 'the Hamilton' deserted his kinsman 'the Douglass' and went over to the side of the English at the battle of Abercorn, {'14th century, I think.}
And was rewarded with vast grants of land including the isle of Arron,
and land south of Edinbourough.

You know any Hamiltons?


'The Hamilton'

I was born in Paisley. Belong to the Gunn Clan. Either that or I could be in the Farquarson Clan - which just sounded too weird!

I did not do much history at school, prefer to live in the present! There is TOO MUCH Scottish history to learn when you are trying to learn other things!

I do not know any Hamiltons but my wife can trace her ancestors back to the Isle of Skye. Castle and everything - went there a couple of years ago.

Ironically my dad traced my family back to find a sheep rustler that was sent to Australia.

You could be known as JackTheSgianDubh

Kilts are good though - never a dull moment when the kilts are on

bugger, now me homesick

 

[dibby33]

Update on the beast (II). Still bubbling at least 3 times a minute. Poured a small sample out the tap a couple of days ago and it looked like mud! ...must be the trub. tasted very promising though. now being going for 11 days.
The temp is 23C just now as we are having a bit of a heat wave here so that should speed things up a bit.

 

[dibby33]

Racking to secondary tonight. It has finally just about stopped. Only took one month for primary! Now all I have to do is to wash my bottles that I have been collecting specially for it. Got some 345ml bottles and two 1500ml grolsh lined up. :rockin:

Can finally free up space for Walkers IPA. Will be good to be able to make a beer and drink it without having to wait a year!!!

 

[redpale]

Kilts are good though - never a dull moment when the kilts are on

I can only imagine!

The brew sounds like a wee beastie indeed - I'd have a hard time with the patience to wait it out, but I'll learn soon enough. I've got a Wee Heavy in primary now (also the first time I've lost beer to a blowoff from a 6.5 carboy
I'm learning that should be cellared for 3- 6 mos. When I told SWMBO that her first response, without batting a lash, was; "You'll have to start another as soon as that's bottled."

GAWD, I love her.

I have yet to get over to Scotland - will before I die. I've got family in St. Andrews I've never met.

 

[dibby33]

Nearly two months have passed since the birth of BeastII
Have been too busy to rack to secondary but it still bubbles every couple of minutes. :rockin:

Should I be worried about the trub and autoylsis (I cannot remember the word!)?

 

[mew]

Doesn't the champagne yeast make it super bone dry? Or are the unfermentables unfermentable enough so that champagne yeast can't even metabolize 'em?

 

[Mikeus]

I know this is probably a terribly n00b question so please forgive my ignorance, but how did you get the ABV that high?

 

[WOP31]

15 pounds of extract + champagne yeast = BIG beer.

mike If you are looking to boost abv you can try adding some corn sugar to your boil also.

 

[dibby33]

15 pounds of extract + champagne yeast = BIG beer.

mike If you are looking to boost abv you can try adding some corn sugar to your boil also.

Don't forget the LME at 1.8Kilos bringing it to a total of 19.18 pounds!
(bit of an experiment this beer, never to be repeated - cost me a fortune!)

 

[dibby33]

I know this is probably a terribly n00b question so please forgive my ignorance, but how did you get the ABV that high?

The champange yeast will live up to a max of 15%. The heap of DME and LME in should make it reach that. Takes a further year to mature in the bottle.

...different yeasts have different properties.

 

[Mikeus]

Thanks for putting up with my newbieness, but now I know.

Thanks again!

 

[dibby33]

Thanks for putting up with my newbieness, but now I know.

Thanks again!

There is no question too daft! Trust me on this one!!!

 

[dibby33]

Finally racked to secondary on friday night.
FG was .045

If OG is 1.15 and FG is 0.45 then
16.8%


now to wait 12 months...
oh dear.

Normal beer production will resume very soon.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Wow, are you sure the Champagne yeast is going to be alive in order to carbonate that?!

 

[JacktheKnife]

The world awaits the word on how it tastes.

I gotta make me some of that 15% 'stuff'.


Knife

 

[dibby33]

Wow, are you sure the Champagne yeast is going to be alive in order to carbonate that?!

There could be a problem there. I suppose it only takes a couple of the beasties to start it up again. It has been a couple of months though. (Wish I had a keg system!)

Should I repitch?
Learning through experiment. Will see what it is like in 12 months
...Sure tastes strong and sweet just now lots of hop and malt. cannot wait until it mellows :rockin:

The bitch is that if it is good then it will take another 14months to make it again!!! I will need to make a cool room in my cellar. Oh oh, another project!

 

[dibby33]

Have just put this through beersmith and it is now telling me 9.2%

Should I repitch and let it go again?

HELP!!!!

 

[dibby33]

Bump!
Any suggestions?
Should I repitch?
Still tastes very sweet and according to beersmith the FG should be 1.027. It is currently 1.045
(must have made a miscalculation with the ABV somewhere along the line - trying to remember what I used)

 

[Vermicous]

Give it another month and see if the gravity changes. I have never done a barley wine, but my meads tend to ferment quickly for about 2-3 months and then just percolate slowly for another 6+ months.

It's already in the secondary, so there is no hurry

 

[dibby33]

Give it another month and see if the gravity changes. I have never done a barley wine, but my meads tend to ferment quickly for about 2-3 months and then just percolate slowly for another 6+ months.

It's already in the secondary, so there is no hurry

Another month!
Relax and have a HB? ...or 200

 

[dibby33]

​

15 months later....

It is tasting fantastic! Very dark, rich and smooth with a huge kick.
It ended up at about 12%. Quite sweet but this is mellowing over time.
It took a very long time (about 9 months!) to carbonate but it is now. The bubbles are exceptionaly small and it is like drinking silk.

I am starting to think about another batch to replace this one when it *tears in eye* finally *tear streaming down face* runs out...

 

[Farmer]

Wow, a dark sweet beer with a kick...

That's pretty tempting. I'm not sure I could stand the wait though. yeesh!