Dual Spires Black Lodge Ale

[FlyDoctor]

Bottled this last night after 2 weeks in the primary and a week in the secondary. The final partially filled bottle was so good I drank it warm and flat... This could turn out to be a very good beer; more to come.

Pretty easy; only did a 45 minute boil:
Time - Additions
45min - 3lb sorghum, 3lb rice syrup, 1lb D-180 Dark Candi, 8oz Blackstrap Molasses, 5oz Dextrose, .5oz Cascade, .5oz Northern, 8oz maltodextrin, 1tsp gypsum
22min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern
15min - 1tsp irish moss, 0.5tsp Yeast Nutrient
5min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern

OG - 1.056
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.9
IBU - 35
SRM - 27

Best beer name!!

 

[rlbois1]

Thoughts on a hop schedule of how to transform this into a black ipa? Would you also need to increase the fermintables?

Funny you should ask, I was going to wait to post about it, but here it is...

 

[rlbois1]

Best beer name!!

A fellow Psych and/or Twin Peaks fan?

 

[FlyDoctor]

A fellow Psych and/or Twin Peaks fan?

Both! Never saw the original twin peaks, but when I saw the dual spires episode of psych, I downloaded both twin peaks seasons. N the middle of season 2 now!

 

[Cainepolo12]

I can report that the extracts are a TERRIBLE IDEA, at least in that quantity. The almond flavor is overpowering and there is not enough hop flavor for my taste. I also made a rookie mistake confusing dextrose and maltodextrin, so I ended up subtracting body instead of adding it. Maybe some things will get better in the bottle, but I think this will be noted as a learning moment. Disappointed at some of my poor decisions, but you live and learn.

 

[spaced]

I brewed this today. Almost exactly the same as your original recipe but I swapped the dextrose for 100 grams of light muscavado sugar. Og is 1058

Smells and looks great. This is my first time with northern brewer and I love it, so piney

 

[wolves63]

Bottled this last night after 2 weeks in the primary and a week in the secondary. The final partially filled bottle was so good I drank it warm and flat... This could turn out to be a very good beer; more to come.

Pretty easy; only did a 45 minute boil:
Time - Additions
45min - 3lb sorghum, 3lb rice syrup, 1lb D-180 Dark Candi, 8oz Blackstrap Molasses, 5oz Dextrose, .5oz Cascade, .5oz Northern, 8oz maltodextrin, 1tsp gypsum
22min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern
15min - 1tsp irish moss, 0.5tsp Yeast Nutrient
5min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern

OG - 1.056
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.9
IBU - 35
SRM - 27

I used this recipe but did some minor changes. I added 2 lbs of buckwheat honey at 45 minutes and moved the sorghum to burnout. Hoping to kill the tin taste. OG was 1.070, hoping for a bit higher alcohol content. I will let you guys know how it turned out.

 

[spaced]

Deadset this beer is easily in my top 5 brews. The flavour is great and the molasses really hangs around. My wife (my quality control engineer) loves it.

I suggested dropping back the molasses next time but she wouldn't hear of it.

Can't wait to do a black ipa off this base.

 

[rlbois1]

Deadset this beer is easily in my top 5 brews. The flavour is great and the molasses really hangs around. My wife (my quality control engineer) loves it.

I suggested dropping back the molasses next time but she wouldn't hear of it.

Can't wait to do a black ipa off this base.

Wow; that's great to hear. I have high hopes for the rasberry ale I've got in my primary right now (no rasberries in it yet...), although I did screw up on brew day. After I chilled the wort and poured it into the fermenter, I ended up having to scrape a bunch of sorghum off the bottom of the kettle. I must not have stirred after adding the sorghum at flame out...

 

[spaced]

Wow; that's great to hear. I have high hopes for the rasberry ale I've got in my primary right now (no rasberries in it yet...), although I did screw up on brew day. After I chilled the wort and poured it into the fermenter, I ended up having to scrape a bunch of sorghum off the bottom of the kettle. I must not have stirred after adding the sorghum at flame out...

Had exactly the same issue before, didn't stir it enough. It shouldn't be a problem though. Look forward to hearing how you go.

 

[spaced]

I screwed up the name but I've posted two reviews of this beer to my blog.

http://gfhomebrewing.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/dark-spires-black-lodge.html

Again. Hell of a beer.

 

[Lordthadicus]

Bottled this last night after 2 weeks in the primary and a week in the secondary. The final partially filled bottle was so good I drank it warm and flat... This could turn out to be a very good beer; more to come.

Pretty easy; only did a 45 minute boil:
Time - Additions
45min - 3lb sorghum, 3lb rice syrup, 1lb D-180 Dark Candi, 8oz Blackstrap Molasses, 5oz Dextrose, .5oz Cascade, .5oz Northern, 8oz maltodextrin, 1tsp gypsum
22min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern
15min - 1tsp irish moss, 0.5tsp Yeast Nutrient
5min - .25oz Cascade, .25oz Northern

OG - 1.056
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.9
IBU - 35
SRM - 27

Ok I just brewed my first batch of beer the other day. So sorry for the newb questions. My wife wanted a gf beer as my first smelled amazing as I put it in to ferment. Should be ready to bottle in a couple days. I used a kit for this, it is irish stout. I was wondering on this recipe do you just start out warming the water then just before boiling point is reached, and I assume this is a soft boil? Then just add the first list of ingredients? Also when fermenting why and how to determine if you should double ferment? if I understand correctly it's to mature the flavor of the beer? thanks for answering my questions.

 

[rlbois1]

Ok I just brewed my first batch of beer the other day. So sorry for the newb questions. My wife wanted a gf beer as my first smelled amazing as I put it in to ferment. Should be ready to bottle in a couple days. I used a kit for this, it is irish stout. I was wondering on this recipe do you just start out warming the water then just before boiling point is reached, and I assume this is a soft boil? Then just add the first list of ingredients? Also when fermenting why and how to determine if you should double ferment? if I understand correctly it's to mature the flavor of the beer? thanks for answering my questions.

For the Dual Spires, here's how my boil went:
- Bring 4-5 gallons of water to a boil (been doing 4 gallon boils lately, then topping off to 5 gallons in the primary)
- Remove from heat and add all 45 minute additions EXCEPT the hops
- Return to heat, stir it up, bring it back to a boil, then add 45 minute hop addition and start the clock
- Along with the 15 minute additions I also add the wort chiller to make double sure it is sanitized.

As for your question on utilizing a secondary fermenter, if you search this site you are likely to find much debate on whether it's "really" needed or not. As part of my brewing process, I always use a secondary fermenter after initial fermentation in the primary is complete. I do it to help further clear the beer and to get it out of the trub left in the bottom of the primary. While a must if you want to dry hop, add fruit, etc., from what I understand, a secondary fermenter is not otherwise a must.

If you don't have a wort chiller, I would recommend buying (or building) one before buying a secondary. Hope this helps.

 

[Lordthadicus]

Great thanks for that. I just made my own wort chiller, pretty ready to do, soft copper hose clamps, house bib adapter, clear tubing, BAM. Thats a great top on the chiller putting it in the pot last fifteen minutes to double insure it's sanitary. Won't it give an off taste though?

 

[max42]

It's standard practice to put the immersion chiller in the boil kettle during the last 15 min.

 

[Lordthadicus]

If you read my above comment you will see this is my first batch of beer, so nothing is standard yet

 

[max42]

Hope you didn't take my comment as negative. My comment was that its a standard practice and it had no bearing on whether its your 1st or not, just that you didn't know and I was trying to assure you that was the normal process. We all had questions like this at one point.

I feel like I'm starting over with the switch to GF brewing. Cheers

 

[mtbskier]

Bottled up a version of this last night...received the wrong hops ( no northern brewer) from an online order so subbed Columbus for the NB. Should still turn out good. I also dry hopped w 1 oz of cascade for 5 days....I'll report back in a month or so once it's ready.

how long before yours was drinkable? I am finding 1-2 months is when my beers start to get good

 

[wolves63]

Just bottled today. Tasted initial after I bottled from a cracked bottle that would carb. Tasted pretty good. Strong blackstrap molasses flavor with hobs undertone. Had a bit of effervescence on the nose but hoping that will mellow with age. Excited about this one. I will post when it has conditioned.


OG 1.070
FG 1.020
ABV 6.55

 

[Lordthadicus]

Hope you didn't take my comment as negative. My comment was that its a standard practice and it had no bearing on whether its your 1st or not, just that you didn't know and I was trying to assure you that was the normal process. We all had questions like this at one point.

I feel like I'm starting over with the switch to GF brewing. Cheers

No I didn't. Just saying that my standard is still chaotic until I brew more is all.

 

[tommyguner03]

i plan on doing this recipe on monday first real 5gallon batch .. wish me luck.. anyways my question is that my LHBS did not have safale 05.. i went with safale 04.. anyone know if i should get the 05? or try it out with the 04? thanks

 

[rlbois1]

i plan on doing this recipe on monday first real 5gallon batch .. wish me luck.. anyways my question is that my LHBS did not have safale 05.. i went with safale 04.. anyone know if i should get the 05? or try it out with the 04? thanks

04 will be fine; let us know how it goes.

 

[tommyguner03]

the pot is on and waiting for a boil... :rockin: hope all goes well from here...

 

[tommyguner03]

well.. i can say this .. water took for ever to come to full boil so i had to use a lid and have it half on. other than that it went good EXCEPT.. i forgot ICE to cool the wort!! so my question to you is I ran cold water onto the pan and then went and got ice.. now how long can this wort sit out for .. its been an hour and its covered and ive read a lot of forums about this .. anyone ever have this happen to them?? .. next time i will be fully prepared and by that i will have a wort cooler

 

[ChasidicCalvinist]

eh...I forgot ice once and it sat out for a long time. The beer was awesome.

 

[tommyguner03]

Good to hear.. I finally got it to cool down and I'm not sure if I read the reading right but I read 1.060? Maybe ..

 

[Cainepolo12]

That's probably right tommy. Discrepancies are probably due to different temps when people are taking gravity.

 

[tommyguner03]

good to hear.. now is the waiting game ..

 

[tommyguner03]

just took a hydrometer on day 5 read 1.020.. smell amazing looking real good .. should taken a pic and a taste test .. going to let this one sit the full two weeks and then into secondary

 

[mtbskier]

I tried one of these last night after 3 weeks in the bottle. Could still use a bit more aging as carbonation was not quite there but I really liked this beer.

Still a bit lacking in maltyness and the body could be thicker for a dark beer but overall I was very happy and maybe the best gf beer I have brewed to date

I used Columbus instead of NB hops as I had them on hand already. The beer has a nice sweetness and complexity that many if my other gf beers have lacked. Must be the d180 and molassss.

When I brew again I may bump up the maltdextrin to 1 lb and increase the hops slightly

Might also be good to add some burbon, coffee or smokiness in secondary or at bottling