Classify my Beer please -- and critique too

[RoaringBrewer]

i think my best bet is to sample some when i move it to a secondary


which i don't have --- so looks like i will transfer it to my ale pail scrub out my glass carboy and transfer it back to my carboy

if it tastes awfull, i will look into diluting it with something

Sounds like a plan. I'm sure with all the options you can make something drinkable out of it... its just going to be more work that the normal batch.

Next time, post the recipe for critique before you spend 3-4 hours brewing it!

Good luck mate.

 

[shaggynuts24]

thanks

i really appreciate the constructive feedback

 

[Brewmando]

If I could play with this batch (and I might someday) I would experiment with adding some vanilla bean or a mint (for that cheesecake idea) to a secondary.

 

[brewt00l]

HEY - You just got me thinking. This beer would make a KILLER syrup to swirl gently into a cheesecake, and also for a drizzle!

It's gonna be SO sweet, roasty, thick, and malty that cheesecake is the PERFECT match for it.

Something to consider: I have reduced my coffee stouts to a syrup and in the process, you are intensifying the flavors....if this thing is already blown out, turning it into syrup is going to magnify that.

 

[Chriso]

Something to consider: I have reduced my coffee stouts to a syrup and in the process, you are intensifying the flavors....if this thing is already blown out, turning it into syrup is going to magnify that.

Sure. But you can use it as an ingredient in a syrup, even if it's not 100% of the ingredients.

 

[brewt00l]

Sure. But you can use it as an ingredient in a syrup, even if it's not 100% of the ingredients.

just saying, if it tastes like A$$, you don't want to make concentrated A$$

 

[Donasay]

I think it would make an excelent base for a classic porter. Porters were actually a mixture of 3 beers, two kinds of ale one young and one old, and a dark highly alcoholic beer nown as tuppance. You should brew two kinds of ale, let them sit one for a couple months, another relatively fresh, and mix them with the beer you currentl have to make a classic style porter.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

I think it would make an excelent base for a classic porter. Porters were actually a mixture of 3 beers, two kinds of ale one young and one old, and a dark highly alcoholic beer nown as tuppance. You should brew two kinds of ale, let them sit one for a couple months, another relatively fresh, and mix them with the beer you currentl have to make a classic style porter.

Very interesting thought... Would be a long project, but if the OP has patience, he could have something special in a few months... Not to mention have probably 15g of it if the other two batches are 5g as well.

 

[shaggynuts24]

i am fairly patient --- and very open to suggestion


problem is --- right now i only have enough bottles for about 8 gallons


i like the classic porter idea though ----- maybe i can find members in my club to help me un-f^@k this beer --- lol

 

[Beerthoven]

I think you should just wait this one out and see what happens. It is what it is. You had something in mind when you made it, right? Well, wait and see if it is what you were expecting. If not, stash it away in a corner somewhere and try it again in a year.

 

[CBBaron]

Your going to need another carboy. This ones going to tie up your carboy for a long time to age. Given that gravity and the very large amount of roasted grains this is going to take a long time to mellow and age.

As for blending, this beer could really use some hop balance for the gravity and roast. I'm thinking a very hoppy, bitter (high IBU) pale with a low OG (~1.040) might blend with this beer to make a really good imperial stout. Maybe add some roasted barley (1# or less) to this new beer to get some of the traditional stout grain in the recipe.
This assumes that there is not a very obvious flaw with your stout when you taste it. I have a couple of astringent dark beers I know would not blend well.

Craig

 

[shaggynuts24]

any notion how long this should stay in the fermentor


the fermentation has slowed considerably and i was thinking about racking it to a secondary just to get it off the trub and away from the krausen

 

[brewt00l]

any notion how long this should stay in the fermentor


the fermentation has slowed considerably and i was thinking about racking it to a secondary just to get it off the trub and away from the krausen

I would wait 'till bubbling basically halts and you get a few days in a row of consistent gravity readings...dunno what exactly to expect from a FG POV in this case.

 

[CBBaron]

any notion how long this should stay in the fermentor


the fermentation has slowed considerably and i was thinking about racking it to a secondary just to get it off the trub and away from the krausen

I would leave this bad boy in the primary about a month before transferring to the secondary. You can leave it in the secondary as long as you can stand it. I'm thinking atleast another month.
If you leave it age appropriately then you might want to add a small amount of rehydrated yeast to the beer at bottling time to ensure carbonation. If you decide to blend then this will probably not be necessary. Make sure you taste it to see if it is drinkable. You may have a great beer by itself, or it may blend well. Or it may not be worth the effort to bottle. Hard to tell until it has fermented.

Craig

 

[shaggynuts24]

I would wait 'till bubbling basically halts and you get a few days in a row of consistent gravity readings...dunno what exactly to expect from a FG POV in this case.

holy crap --- Doylestown, PA?

my wife is from there

everytime i go there i get a cheesesteak from Pina's


---- back to beer

seriously? a month? i have never left anything in the primary for more than 5 days

is there a specific reason not to move it to a secondary? --- just curious --- i am very new at this

 

[TexLaw]

Let your yeast finish its job. Even if there is no bubbling in the airlock, the yeast is doing good things for your beer (such as cleaning up diacetyl). Let it finish up. There is no hurry to get your beer away from the yeast in the primary.


TL

 

[RoaringBrewer]

---- back to beer

seriously? a month? i have never left anything in the primary for more than 5 days

is there a specific reason not to move it to a secondary? --- just curious --- i am very new at this

I left my last beer - an English Bitter - sit in primary for 5.5 weeks before kegging. No secondary. Beer turned out to be one of the finer ones I ever brewed.

It's been a new 'thing' around here to get away from a strict 1-2-3 rule and leave in primary a little longer. Some very well known and established HBers (Jamil for exmaple) are doing longer primary and sometimes no secondary and winning a bunch of awards with the beers they do this to.

No need to worry about autolosys of the yeast, etc. until probably over a month. Myself and others have gone 5-6 weeks without autolosys if the beer is stored in a cooler, dark place...

I'd definitely let this one, considering how 'big' it is, sit in the primary for at least a month, then secondary for a longgg time.

EDIT: You said you have patience... *wink*

 

[brewt00l]

holy crap --- Doylestown, PA?

my wife is from there

everytime i go there i get a cheesesteak from Pina's


---- back to beer

seriously? a month? i have never left anything in the primary for more than 5 days

is there a specific reason not to move it to a secondary? --- just curious --- i am very new at this

OT: You wouldn't recognize Pina's now, they have moved across the street into a brand new building (though the pitcatcher is still standing). There are some really great new places 'round to satisfy your south philly style food cravings and food cravings in general Where 'ya located now?


Let the beer tell you when it's ready for the next step. Like the others have suggested, patience is going to benefit this situation.

 

[shaggynuts24]

Again .... thank you guys so much for the wealth of information --- i will try not to get in a hurry .... can't promise i won't get antsy though --- i told my wife about the Apfelwein and she wants me to brew a batch ------ luckily they are selling $15 glass carboys during this months homebrew club meeting





originally from orange texas --- moved around a lot -- back here again

only the wife is from Doylestown --- love the food there --- she prefers Gino's over Pina's ---- i prefer Pina's over every other place i have been to

 

[TexLaw]

originally from orange texas --- moved around a lot -- back here again

Orange? Good night! I'm originally from Beaumont.

On getting the beer off the yeast, it used to be that homebrewers really did want to get off the yeast fairly quickly. That was before we had good, healthy yeast to pitch with, so autolysis was more of a concern. Nowdays, we have healthy, hearty yeasts to play with, so we can exercise more patience and get better results.


TL

 

[shaggynuts24]

i have been trying to baby this beer a bit ....

when i get home from work (and when i wake up first thing in the morning) the first thing i do is gently swirl the beer around in the fermentor for 2-3 minutes trying to make sure not to splash it so it can release some of the pressure and CO2 buildup

it sits underneath my air conditioner (but not in direct fire) to make sure it stays near the same temp (70-72)

when i bought this car boy it came with the complete styrofoam armor (hexagon shaped white thing) --- i cut a small hole in the top --- just big enough for my air lock to stick out a little. ---- styrofoam also insulates it a little to keep it from rapid temperature flux's

 

[shaggynuts24]

ok --- took a hydrometer reading


1.040 ----- 11.1% ABV?


really harsh --- about as bitter as a guiness --- or coffee with no sugar


there is no sweetness whatsoever ---- i think it will be drinkable

 

[TexLaw]

11% ABV black coffee sounds like a perfect hangover cure in the morning.


TL

 

[talleymonster]

If it's critique you are after, I'll PM you my address and you can shio me a sixer. I'll give you a full report when I have finished "analyzing".

 

[Bosh]

Let it age in bottles for at LEAST three months preferably six, that should take the edge off the bitterness. You might end up with something tasty afterall

 

[shaggynuts24]

going to cut it with some lactose when i move it to the secondary on 22 Dec.

 

[shaggynuts24]

overly curious --- tested again

1.040 still


now the taste is starting to resemble a robust porter --- the sweetness came back


is it evil to go ahead and rack to secondary instead of waiting another week?

 

[TexLaw]

If you have a stable OG and it tastes good, go ahead and rack it.


TL

 

[shaggynuts24]

not sure if this will work --- this is after i moved it to the Secondary --- pic taken with a camera phone

i probably lost 1.5 gallons with all the yeast and trub on the bottom

 

[zoebisch01]

i probably lost 1.5 gallons with all the yeast and trub on the bottom

Two things, it looks as if you may have that exposed to light? If so, move it to the darkness or cover it ASAP to avoid skunking. Second, when you transfer from your boil kettle to the primary do you either strain or whirlpool? If you do either, you'll eliminate a lot of the junk from the beginning. Personally, I use leaf hops and pour my cooled wort through a conical strainer. I rarely get more than 1/2" of trub anymore on the bottom. Usually it is a nice yeast cake without anything else as pretty much the majority of the break gets stuck in the hops and strainer.

 

[shaggynuts24]

Two things, it looks as if you may have that exposed to light? If so, move it to the darkness or cover it ASAP to avoid skunking. Second, when you transfer from your boil kettle to the primary do you either strain or whirlpool? If you do either, you'll eliminate a lot of the junk from the beginning. Personally, I use leaf hops and pour my cooled wort through a conical strainer. I rarely get more than 1/2" of trub anymore on the bottom. Usually it is a nice yeast cake without anything else as pretty much the majority of the break gets stuck in the hops and strainer.

i only took it out of the styrofoam cover to transfer it to secondary --- other than this one instance it has stayed completely in the dark (except the hole in the top of the styrofoam where the air lock sticks out. ( i still have the complete styro foam full body armor the carboy was shipped with -- i keep it armored at all times --- unless i am transferring and need to see what i am doing)


I tryed whirpooling before moving it to primary ---- i think i was a little hasty and didn't let it settle enough afterwards ..... but the good majority of it was definately yeast ( i guess the yeast went nuts multiplying after being dropped in to a 1.114 OG wort)

i did rouse this one a lot --- starting on day 4 --- twice a day i would gently swirl it around until it quit "belching" CO2.

i do think i got a lot of break in there --- thanks for the tip --- i will remember to use a strainer next time.

 

[shaggynuts24]

turned out great

no alcohol taste .... bitterness is on par with guiness (without the burnt taste and much much smoother). thick creamy head.

it has been aging in my garage until now.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

This is a pretty awesome brew story!!! Well done Shaggy, pushing the envelope is always awesome!