Long fermentation advice

[ShimokitaJer]

Hello all,

I'm going to be out of the country for six months in 2015, and rather than griping about my inability to brew for six months I thought I'd try to see this as an opportunity. Does anybody have an idea for a beer that can stand, or even be improved by, a six month secondary? If I plan ahead, I even have a place I could keep it refrigerated for lagering. Any advice?

Jer

 

[Kee]

Hello all,

I'm going to be out of the country for six months in 2015, and rather than griping about my inability to brew for six months I thought I'd try to see this as an opportunity. Does anybody have an idea for a beer that can stand, or even be improved by, a six month secondary? If I plan ahead, I even have a place I could keep it refrigerated for lagering. Any advice?

Jer

Have you thought about mead? I mainly brew beer but lately have been reading a little about making mead. Unfortunately many mead recipes take months to ferment. How does someone have that much patience?

Just a thought.

 

[ShimokitaJer]

It's an interesting idea, but I've never been a big fan of mead. If I can't come up with anything else I might give it a try, though.

 

[RM-MN]

It's an interesting idea, but I've never been a big fan of mead. If I can't come up with anything else I might give it a try, though.

Big dark beers should be good for that long ferment. Maybe an RIS? You do have a chance of autolysis but I think it would be small.

 

[theonetrueruss]

As long as you get it into a glass secondary before you leave any high gravity beer should work out pretty well.. RIS would be great as would a Belgian dark strong or even a barley wine.. or an old ale. Or if you have good temp control lager something for that length of time. So many options.

 

[flars]

Brew extra volume, to make up for losses, to minimize the head space in the secondary.

edit
Will someone be available to keep Starsan in the air lock?

 

[Cyclman]

I would do a Doppelbock, an RIS, or this, a Bourbon Barrel Cherry Quad:

Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.088
Final Gravity: 1.011
IBU: 24.8
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 27.9
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 66F to 1.024
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 73.5 for 21 days
Tasting Notes: Nice and dry for a big beer, oak/whiskey flavors come through nice w/ the dark fruit

11.60 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.2 %
0.83 lb Carafa I (337.0 SRM) Grain 5.0 %
0.73 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 4.4 %
0.62 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3.8 %
0.25 oz Warrior [13.70%] (75 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
0.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40%] (75 min) Hops 6.9 IBU
0.13 oz Warrior [13.70%] (90 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 5.1 IBU
1.50 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40%] (5 min) Hops 4.0 IBU
1.00 lb Candi Syrup, Dark Belgian (90.0 SRM) Sugar 6.0 %
0.75 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 4.5 %
0.50 lb Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM) Sugar 3.0 %
0.50 lb Brown Sugar, Light (8.0 SRM) Sugar 3.0 %
1 Pkgs Trappist High Gravity (Wyeast Labs #3787) [Starter 5000 ml] Yeast-Wheat

Mash Profile:
147.2 F for 50 min
154.4 F for 20 min
163.4 F for 15 min
Sparge 167.0 F

Notes
Sugars added with 15min left in the boil.
Target Pre-boil Gravity: 1.065 (7.5g), Post Boil: 1.088. I overshot my gravity a bit and ended up with 6g of 1.091 post boil. I ended with 1.012.

Ferment at 66 until gravity is 1.024, then increase temp to 73.5

 

[MaxStout]

Your airlock might run dry during that time. Will anyone be checking on your house while you're gone? Have that person top it off if it runs low.

 

[Chrisl77]

If you keg you could primary it and put it in a keg to age instead of a carboy.

 

[turbotime69]

What about a blow-off in a deep bucket of water instead of an airlock? It would take a long time for 3-5 gallons to evaporate.

But as for the beer I agree with the guys above anything big and or dark should be fine assuming the temperature will remain pretty steady. If it were me I'd experiment. Maybe a gallon in a small oak barrel, one straight gallon in glass, maybe one on cherry or cocoa nibs/coffee beans. Lots of room to have fun here.

 

[smithabusa]

Belgian trippel

 

[catdaddy66]

I just did a Russian Imperial Stout two weeks ago and I plan to leave it in primary for 6 weeks, maybe 8. Then I'll bottle condition for 4-5 months. I just bottled a small American stout that I got with my mash out/2nd runnings and liked it a lot. I must be patient but I'm excited about the RIS!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[clone63]

A sour could be an option.. Depending on the conditions of the brew while you'll be gone.
Otherwise I'd say RIS like others mentioned. Ages well.

 

[ShimokitaJer]

Thanks for all the ideas. I could get someone to change the airlock occasionally, so that shouldn't be an issue. A couple of you have mentioned glass carboys, though. I typically use the Better Bottles for my secondary fermentation. Any reason I'd need glass? Just to avoid the beer flavor seeping into the plastic or is there another reason?

 

[Trox]

Oxygen can pass through plastic but not glass, so there could be a risk (even though a small one with a better bottle) that your beer can get oxidized in that time. If you were going to store it for that long I would look into getting a 5 gal glass carboy.

 

[bluemoose]

Utopia clone! Once fermented mine sat for almost a year before bottling.


Sent from the kingdom of beer.

 

[amanwilldrink]

May want to try a sour ale like Williams Rodenbach Ale...it's an extract but to get the sour you need to secondary feen get for at least four months...six months would likely give some robust flavors to it.