Wood-Aged Beer Pirate Strong Ale

[Roughster]

I keg, so not sure to be honest.

My wife, my neighbors and I kicked this keg SO FAST. It was unanimously considered the best I have made, and I make many different styles. I tweaked the recipe a tad, but the base idea of this beer is phenomenal.

Second batch with further refinements is in the primary. It just sucks it takes a bit of time to get this back on tap!


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[whiskeyjack]

Subbed

 

[Joemomma]

Has anyone tried using a dry yeast such as Safale US-05 instead of the WLP060? I'd like to brew this over the weekend but won't have time to make a proper starter.

~Joe

 

[pwortiz]

I used the Belle saison yeast last summer due to the Temps in my basement. It worked out well, I think. The 05 is a neutral yeast so you won't have any odd flavors. However, I strongly urge you to use 2 packs assuming you are going for the original gravity/abv posted.

 

[Joemomma]

Did a BIAB 5.5G version of this yesterday.

Used 15lbs American 2 Row
9oz Special B (my LHBS doesn't stock CaraAroma)
18oz Torrified Wheat
0.6 oz Galena
1.1 oz Citra
2 packs Safale US-05

Kept everything else the same as the original recipe.

My OG came in low at 1.072. Maybe the grain wasn't crushed fine enough.

The wort smelled great and had fun brewing it. Can't wait!

~Joe

 

[ThreeStrandsBrewing]

Wow!!! Loved reading through this thread, and can't wait to brew this. This one is definitely on deck. For those that bottle, what has been your experience for when this is optimal to drink, grain to glass?

 

[pwortiz]

This stuff ages well, IMO. I actually have 1 left from my second batch done in July 2012 (my version with mango and some minor tweaks to rum type, vanilla bean qty). I actually have now 3 versions available of that to try all at once to see how it goes.

Anyway, I think you'll be pleased with the aging/cellaring of this.

 

[ThreeStrandsBrewing]

Awesome! Can't wait to try this.

 

[sportsaholic07]

This beer is currently in the primary for me. I am wondering about a couple things. First, I have .5 oz of the galena hops left over and was thinking about dry hopping with them. Would this be a bad idea with all the other favors going on in this beer?

Second, for the oak chips, should they be stored in the fridge while they're sitting in the rum or at room temp?

Thanks in advance for any answers to these questions.

 

[Roughster]

I keep the rum chips at room temp. As for dry hopping, I would say it depends on what you want from the beer. I personally really like the sweet rummy / tropical and caramelized flavors. I think dry hopping or pumping up the IBUs will mask or compete with those flavors, but don't think a small amount would have a big impact.

 

[NEMaker]

4 oz of oak chips seems like a huge amount - I've always been told to use a lot less (1 tsp/gal or 1oz/5 gal). Anyone finding that this is making it too oakey or harsh?

 

[pwortiz]

4 oz of oak chips seems like a huge amount - I've always been told to use a lot less (1 tsp/gal or 1oz/5 gal). Anyone finding that this is making it too oakey or harsh?

Before this recipe, I never used oak. After this recipe, I thought 4 oz of oak would be the right amount to use for EVERY batch...THAT was wrong.

I used 4 oz of American in my Bourbonized RIS (soaked the chips in Wild Turkey) and it was like getting hit in the mouth with an oak plank. 2 oz is all I should have used max in that.

In this beer, however, it just works. I don't know if it's the liquor or the beer itself that makes it....beautiful. It's just awesome with the way J1Laskey set it up and I believe you will NOT be disappointed.

 

[wtaylor3]

Just went through dough in, currently mashing and heating sparge water, this is both my first outdoor brew day (borrowed my dads propane burner) and the first batch to go through my counterflow chiller

 

[pwortiz]

Best of luck, man! Still one of my favorites and has remained a staple of my offerings. I prefer the mango version but others prefer this one.

 

[wtaylor3]

Apparently I'm modifying this recipe because I got everything out for the boil and I bought cascade instead of citra, checked my inventory and I only have an oz of fuggles and half an oz of ekg so I suppose the cascade is going to have to be it

 

[Rotor_Head]

Apparently I'm modifying this recipe because I got everything out for the boil and I bought cascade instead of citra, checked my inventory and I only have an oz of fuggles and half an oz of ekg so I suppose the cascade is going to have to be it

Plot twist! Good luck, man!

 

[wtaylor3]

Miscalculated grain absorption or something, boiling top off water now

View attachment 1426377134694.jpg

 

[pwortiz]

dear lord. that's like 3.75 gallons?! what was the SG there?

 

[wtaylor3]

dear lord. that's like 3.75 gallons?! what was the SG there?

Didn't check it until after I topped off, then it came in north of 1.090...sample was very sweet and I could taste the pineapple but not so much the cinnamon...going to be a long 6-8 weeks

 

[wtaylor3]

Just added the oak chips and vanilla bean last Saturday and while I had the BB open I saw fit to take a sample, not for a gravity reading mind u, but simple to give it a taste and man was it good.

I'm hoping to get this and my milk stout bottled over this weekend, hard to fit brewing stuff into my schedule though with warm weather hobbies taking over and working 80 hr weeks and my son coming May 1st

 

[wtaylor3]

Finally bottled this today, ended up with 52 beers after my capper snapped the neck off of one and I poured a full glass sample....my notes say the o.g. was 1.095 f.g. 1.011....that means I hit 11.03% ABV according to my calculator

 

[pwortiz]

Good lord. What yeast, volume of wort, and starter size did you use?

 

[wtaylor3]

No starter, just the american ale blend liquid yeast.

I'm not sure why it attenuated so highly, I just know that particular yeast strain is apparently amazing. Not exactly a lawnmower beer. Ha ha

 

[lex990]

May have to try this one next is there an all grain conversion


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[wtaylor3]

May have to try this one next is there an all grain conversion


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It's in this thread somewhere, I followed it and used 15lbs of 2-row with no extract. Everything else was per the o.p.

 

[wtaylor3]

Had one a week ago, not bad but still flat. Have one in the fridge now so hopefully that'll be carbed up...it's been about a month now

 

[wtaylor3]

Tried another today still not carbonated, never had one take over a month before but I have also never done an 11% beer

 

[pwortiz]

I think that happened to one of my first batches as well with this one. But I couldn't tell if it was because I kept it in the basement and it never got warm enough <-- that happened more than a couple times. 11% on a single vial of yeast is...nuts. I'd say it earned it's rest.

An option you might have is to shake up the bottles to resuspend the yeast and see if you can get any more carbing out of them. I also had to do that once and it worked for me.

Do you have an option to place in a warmer area for a week or two with some additional shaking?

 

[wtaylor3]

Might be a warmer spot but thermometer says its 76 degrees where they're at. Gonna try another one in a couple days, a coworker of mine brewed this a week before I did and he said his are just barely carbed....maybe it's time to build that kegerator haha

 

[wtaylor3]

Very lightly carbed today but tastyView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431982305.842022.jpg