Old Ale experiment recipe -- lessons learned

[MattD]

So here's a new extract recipe. It is more or less totally made up by me, so I wouldn't go off and make it until a taste test is done in a month or so

1# Crystal Caramel 60L
.5# Flaked Barley
.25# Chocolate Malt

9# Light DME
2# Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Molasses

1 oz Target hops pellets (60 min boil)
1 oz Cascase hops pellets (2 min boil)

White Labs #WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale

Beersmith estimates an OG of 1.102 and a FG of 1.021, so an ABV of 10.6.
Measured OG at first was 1.050, so I was not too happy, but after stirring it up real good I took another measurement and got 1.080... I'm hoping the sugars still weren't suspended well so maybe the gravity isn't that far off. Wort was pitch black (2 gal boil) and cooled to a deep caramelly red/brown after dilution to 5 gallons. Any thoughts or comments on the recipe? THink the yeast will hold up to the alcohol if it does start getting up in the 10% range? Thoughts on dry hopping?

Now for the lessons learned. I really thought that my 6.5 gal carboy was big enough to contain the krausen, so I just stuck a cap and airlock on and went to bed. One bang and an hour of scrubbing the bathroom walls later, I've learned to use a blow-off tube until the krausen falls Also, while it IS possible to dissolve 9# of DME, 2# of brown sugar, and a cup of molasses into 2 gallons of water, don't think it's not gonna boil over

So much fun!

 

[Silenius]

Thanks for the lesson notes. Let us know how it tastes!

 

[Turricaine]

Thats interesting that by stiring it real good helped you get a different hydrometer reading. I also understand that temperature also affects it. It's interesting that these factors always make the brewer think he did something wrong and never give him a false sense of confidence.

I noticed a few days ago when I was decanting my wort prior to the boil that there was distinctly two layers, a heavy dark lower layer and a lighter upper layer. The thing is there is not much info on trouble-shooting when you miss your target so I nearly always feel let down like I did something wrong or that there is a problem with my hydrometer.

 

[MattD]

Yeah, I agree it would be nice to have a good method of troubleshooting. I'd bet that some of those aeration paddles I've seen people with that they chuck into a drill and stir like mad would get the wort mixed thoroughly enough for an accurate hydro reading, but I don't think I'm interested in buying equipment just for that purpose. I kind of agree with the sentiment that hydrometers only make you worry. If I knew a way to determine final ABV without having two gravities to compare, I probably wouldn't bother with the hydro. I'd also bet that low hydro readings are a much bigger problem with partial boils (like what I do). After all, you pour the dense liquid in, then add lighter water to the top to reach your batch volume. It's understandable that there'd be some pretty major stratification without a good stirring method. Anyway, that's a long winded way to say I agree with you

I wonder if there IS a way to take a sample of your final product and test it for ABV....?