Brewing a big beer (1.150) would like some input

[diverpat]

You sip it. After about a year or two or three of aging.

Besides the fun and experience of brewing it, the reason I did a big beer like this was too age it and watch/taste the changes over time. This one is not part of the pipeline, it gets set aside for several years.

 

[dragonbreath11]

I could see how it would be fun trying it every couple of months but a big beer like that no matter how long you age it, you will have a lot of hot alcohol in there.

 

[ChillWill]

Brewdog Tokyo is 18% and delicious! I think oak aging really helps bigger beers mellow. Don't have to use so much oak it changes the flavour but just a little. Also... time helps. I've got a bottle of Tokyo nearly 2 years old, going to see if I can make it to 5.

 

[commonsenseman]

This. Looks. Awesome.

 

[JLem]

Besides the fun and experience of brewing it, the reason I did a big beer like this was too age it and watch/taste the changes over time. This one is not part of the pipeline, it gets set aside for several years.

I think you have inspired me to try brewing something like this at some point. Looks like you had a good plan and executed it well and the beer is coming out as expected. Always fun to have that happen. I've found that for me, a large part of the fun of homebrewing is coming up with a recipe and trying something different and seeing if it will work - which is why I currently have a beer made with local, wild yeast and another with 14% acid malt, wine yeast, Brett, and cranberries.

I hope you'll keep us all updated on this brew.

 

[diverpat]

Just checked the SG, it is down to 1.021 and up to 17.5 abv. Target FG is 1.020 so things are looking good. I'm kind of stoked that I was able to get near, if not spot on, the FG. It was palatable on this sample. Earlier samples still had a lot of particulate matter floating around, mainly hops. It is starting to clear now.

One of the things I did learn in this is to filter the hops better post boil. I put the bittering hops in a bag and the rest straight in the wort. This stuff was so thick the hops didn't settle out during the 30 minute cool down after boil. Like insects in amber. It clogged my normal hops filtering colander in the first few ounces. I had to dump everything into the fermenter. If there is a next time, all hops will get filtered better. Now the surface of the carboy looks like the Gulf after BP had it's way with it, so much hops oil.

 

[KYB]

You sip it. After about a year or two or three of aging.

My 1.150 OG RIS was incredible from the fermenter, and is only getting better. Granted I am a bourbon drinker, the alcohol does not show itself much. My buddy was also surprised, said he only noticed it when it got to room temp.

Caught this thread late but it sounds like everything went/is going well with yours.

 

[gcastrat]

To make this scientific though, he should compare against a batch that was just fermented with rehydrated EC-1118.. seems like a lot of effort for batches. I wonder if it really helps to do all those things.

 

[sfrisby]

If anyone is still following this thread, I am interested in the process of adding O2 well after fermentation begins. I am preparing a brew along these lines. Mine will have more sugar additions ala DFH120, but you don't seem concerned about oxidation. I was going to oxygenate the wort and the wlp099 starter, but once fermentation begins, I would be concerned about adding any more O2 to the fermenting beer.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[passedpawn]

If anyone is still following this thread, I am interested in the process of adding O2 well after fermentation begins. I am preparing a brew along these lines. Mine will have more sugar additions ala DFH120, but you don't seem concerned about oxidation. I was going to oxygenate the wort and the wlp099 starter, but once fermentation begins, I would be concerned about adding any more O2 to the fermenting beer.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Don't add more O2 during fermentation. I think it encourages off flavors.

The book Yeast describes this clearly, but I don't remember it clearly. I think it was acetaldehyde / green apple taste.