Pliny the Elder Clone

[duffman2]

One more initial q, the brewsheet says not to run off more than 6.25... why?

I've noticed this in the directions for all the AHS all grain kits. I think it's intended to be a generic guideline and something that doesn't have to be followed all the time. Especially for this situation. I myself did this kit and realized just like you that I needed much more than 6.25 gallons preboil for a 90 minute boil. :rockin:

 

[Suicided1954]

I mashed @ 150 for 60, performed iodine test, then I ran off almost 7 gallons. probably explains why I missed the 1.074 OG on the sheet. Mine was 1.067. But it was only my third all-grain on my system. I'm still working all the bugs out.

 

[Netflyer]

I've noticed this in the directions for all the AHS all grain kits. I think it's intended to be a generic guideline and something that doesn't have to be followed all the time. Especially for this situation. I myself did this kit and realized just like you that I needed much more than 6.25 gallons preboil for a 90 minute boil. :rockin:

Exactly what I figured, generic directions... Man, for something this special they should do a new brewsheet... Thanks!

 

[wildwest450]

Way to much is being made of this beer, it's good, not exceptional. It's simple to make with good results. Brew it as you would any other all grain beer, it just has a few more hops.

Fwiw, my preboil was 10 gallons!

 

[malvado78]

My friends and ordered one of these kits as well. Should Arrive today but I think we are supposed to brew up the November Brew (A couple months late) Denny's Imperial Bourbon Vanilla Porter first. Have really done and imperial yet and our next 2 brews will be. But anyway just reading to hear for everyone's impressions on the PtE Clone.

 

[Netflyer]

Just finished brewing er' ... Took me about 6 hours cause I'm slow. It was very cold and dry out and that combined with the silly amount of hops/trub even with a hops bag I only ended up with 4 gallons in the fermenter. My initial boil was 7.5 gal and it should have been 8.5... oh well. My OG was 1.075 and I could have added some water but didn't. The kit says 1.073 so I wasn't off by much. My clothes smell like hops and frankly it may be the best smell I have ever smelled like. SWMBO helped me brew this one but she hid in the house while I stood over the hop bomb inhaling... The final brew looked very clear and pale... I can imagine after the dry hoping I'll end up with like 3.25-3.5 gal.. pretty weak return... Go for larger boils, learn from my mistake!

:cross:

 

[harpo]

Made from the AHB store kit. Bought two kits as I do 10 gal batches. We brewed Sunday (yesterday).

I tried my hand a using HERMS on this, primarily for the protein rest at 122° to help clarify the finished product. SWMBO decided that my Christmas present would be that she would brew with me today. I was glad, and afterwards she asked me when we were going to brew again.

I over shot the protien rest by a degree or two, but then did a 40 min rest at 140° and a 20 minute rest at 150°. Then I got it up to 170° to mash out. My 1st runnings (which won't have any of the corn sugar yet from the kit) was about 1.086. My pre boil (still with no corn sugar) was about 1.071. This made me very happy with my mash. The OG when I went to flame out was about 1.092, right where I wanted to be. My trub was not at all excessive, and I used a new muslin bag for each of the hop additions.

I pitched slurry from my most recent pale ale recipe. I probably had about 500mL of good concentrated yeast in the slurry. I also add pure oxygen with an inline stone. I pitched at 3:00PM yesterday afternoon, and by 04:30 this morning when I was leaving for work, my blowoff tube was going like mad.

My HERMS attempt had me nervous for a little bit. I was nervous to stir the mash at each of my times to raise the temp, but without stirring, the mash temp seemed to not increase. I also ran a recirc at mash out to keep the runnings really clear. It helped to run the MO recirc for about 15 minutes, helped bring it up to 170°. Then I tried to keep to the rule of thumb for sparging (I fly-sparge) of no faster than one gallon of wort into the boil kettle every 12 minutes. Previously I had run faster, and consequently gotten lower SG readings.

I can't wait for this one to be ready!!

 

[Montanaandy]

"Way to much is being made of this beer, it's good, not exceptional. It's simple to make with good results. Brew it as you would any other all grain beer, it just has a few more hops."

Yeah, I brewed a Pliny Clone this past weekend (Hop Hammer from Classic Styles) and I guess that I too am wondering a bit what all of the fuss is about. I say this not having tasted a PTE because we don't get it in these parts.

While I believe that this will be a very good beer (hoppy) it resembles a number of the hop bombs that I have brewed (Columbarillo, Dogfish Head, Hopinator) all of which were/are outstanding. I will say that the addition of cane sugar in the recipe was different than the others and that the fermentation was very strong (still going 4 days later). Montanaandy

 

[Netflyer]

Shouldn't a 1.073+OG take at least 4 days to finish? I would think so, that's quite a bit of work for those yeasties... I'm blubbin' like crazy here 48 hours later, a blub or so per sec.

As far as this beer not being special, having never brewed this clone I don't know but I will say, the actual beer is an experience I won't forget. Nothing ordinary about the real Pliny the Elder. That is one amazing beer folks. If this clone can touch it I'll be really happy.

 

[Steelers77]

This same hype was out there when Dogfish 90 min became popular, and Hop Slam. Probably the west coast equivalent to big ol' beers like that. Im not saying it's not good but just the same hype. Also, the wow factor of having 17 ounces of hops I'm sure has something to do with it.

 

[duffman2]

Shouldn't a 1.073+OG take at least 4 days to finish?

I don't know about everyone else, but my Pliny baby has been working over time! It's been 16 days and its still going pretty damn strong :rockin: I've been wanting to give it a sample test, but was waiting for it to slow down a lot. I might have to open her up anyways, because I just have no idea where she's at!

Anybody else have a fermentation like this?

 

[Netflyer]

I started at 1.075 and I'm 10 days in and I'm still getting a bubble every minute or so but since I'm going to wait a while in the primary I'm not really worried about it. 1056 will do a nice job, I'm sure.

 

[harpo]

I brewed Sunday, Jan 31st. By Wednesday night (February 3rd) I had a SG of 1.009. I let it sit in primary until Saturday February 6th, and then racked to secondary. My FG on Saturday had a change of maybe one SG point, to 1.008. I am beginning to believe that (since I do use a secondary) as long as I have reached my FG target, I can rack off the yeast at that point. Then secondary is just waiting for it to clear (or in this case dry-hop). No sense in letting the beer sit on the yeast if it got to where I want it.

 

[Netflyer]

I brewed Sunday, Jan 31st. By Wednesday night (February 3rd) I had a SG of 1.009. I let it sit in primary until Saturday February 6th, and then racked to secondary. My FG on Saturday had a change of maybe one SG point, to 1.008. I am beginning to believe that (since I do use a secondary) as long as I have reached my FG target, I can rack off the yeast at that point. Then secondary is just waiting for it to clear (or in this case dry-hop). No sense in letting the beer sit on the yeast if it got to where I want it.

Dude, you attenuated that far, what was your OG? I would be happy w/1.017 on this one... haven't taken a gravity but I can't imagine I'll get that kind of attenuation...

 

[Suicided1954]

I brewed on 1/23. Used washed 1056 in a 2L starter. Had 1.067 OG. I dry hopped mine on 2/8 and had 1.008. I'll keg it on the 13th.

 

[harpo]

Dude, you attenuated that far, what was your OG? I would be happy w/1.017 on this one... haven't taken a gravity but I can't imagine I'll get that kind of attenuation...

The OG when I went to flame out was about 1.092, right where I wanted to be.

I pitched slurry from my most recent pale ale recipe. I probably had about 500mL of good concentrated yeast in the slurry. I also add pure oxygen with a home-made inline stone. My fermentation room (basement) usually hovers between 64°F and 66°F . My lag time is measured in hours, like less than 12. This is going to be one potent beer!!

Here is a pic of my stone. I use pure oxygen. I have nailed this down pretty well over the course of about 10 brews.

 

[remilard]

This same hype was out there when Dogfish 90 min became popular, and Hop Slam. Probably the west coast equivalent to big ol' beers like that. Im not saying it's not good but just the same hype. Also, the wow factor of having 17 ounces of hops I'm sure has something to do with it.

Pliny The Elder didn't just become popular, it predates Hop Slam and 90 minute which are in fact non West Coast versions of it.

 

[Netflyer]

The OG when I went to flame out was about 1.092, right where I wanted to be.
I have nailed this down pretty well over the course of about 10 brews.

Wow, way higher than my 1.075... that setup looks nice man, very nice!

 

[Brew-boy]

I brewed it on Saturday and I hit 1.08 but I added 3lb of base malt because my preboil is 8.5 gallons for a 90 min boil, I leave a gallon left behind in the kettle. It is fermenting strongly with the Pacman yeast. What a wonder smell from all those boil additions, I cannot wait for the dry hop.

 

[Steelers77]

Pliny The Elder didn't just become popular, it predates Hop Slam and 90 minute which are in fact non West Coast versions of it.

I'd like evidence of that. Dogfish opened in 1995 and Russian River opened in 1997. I'm assuming that 90 min was brewed before Pliny due to this fact. Not arguing just wondering.

 

[duffman2]

Just checked mine today and I got 1.026 after 17 days. Still bubbling, still going.

Go Pliny, Go Go!

 

[Suicided1954]

what a pain in the ass... I just racked mine to the keg. there is alot of hops in there....got plugged up three times before I finally got the hang of it. next time I will use a hop sack.

 

[petep1980]

I drank 2 of mine last night and they were epic just 10 days after bottling. The last IIPA I made came out at 1.006 and was dry as the desert. This one went to 1.008, so I knew to add some MD at bottling. I added enough to bump up to 1.010 and it made a world of difference. It was an all grain I hit like 52% efficiency on too because I really jacked up my mash, but it's a delicious beer.

Suicided you dry hopped >6oz w/o hop bags? Man, you crazy!!!

 

[Suicided1954]

Crazy?...Nah. ******* yes...I wasn't even thinking about racking when I dumped them in. Lesson learned.

 

[harpo]

I drank 2 of mine last night and they were epic just 10 days after bottling. The last IIPA I made came out at 1.006 and was dry as the desert. This one went to 1.008, so I knew to add some MD at bottling. I added enough to bump up to 1.010 and it made a world of difference. It was an all grain I hit like 52% efficiency on too because I really jacked up my mash, but it's a delicious beer.

Suicided you dry hopped >6oz w/o hop bags? Man, you crazy!!!

How much MD did you add and to how much beer? This is new to me.

I just transferred my 10 gal to kegs (2x) last night. the last 1.5 gallons or so was murder. I had to pressurize my fermenter to almost 12PSI to get the hops through the tubing and filter just to get everything. I also don't bag my dry hop additions with this one, but it is a PITA to transfer and filter. It pretty much makes the filter unusable afterward there is so much hop material in it.

 

[jgourd]

Too bad I missed out on this sale...

 

[Netflyer]

I just dry hopped 3 weeks in... my gravity now, it's my FG but I still have another week to go on the dry hop is 1.012 ... Wyeast 1056 got me from 1.075 to 1.012 ... 8.24% ABV, not bad It tastes very interesting at this point. My taste buds are still trying to figure it all out... I tell ya this, as it goes down I get a nice alcohol warming feeling... not bad at all...

 

[Suicided1954]

so how long after kegging should I expect this beer to be conditioned? or drinkable should i say...

 

[duffman2]

so how long after kegging should I expect this beer to be conditioned? or drinkable should i say...

Sounds like this one will be ready between 2-3 weeks of conditioning but I'm still dry hopping right now, so I don't know. All of my kegs seem to get better after 3 weeks to a month

 

[duffman2]

I dry hopped mine in the primary and it's been there for 4 days. Was debating on leaving it there for another week or moving to secondary for a couple. If I do that there's no way I'll be able to take the hop bag with it into the carboy.

One more thing - would this beer be a better candidate for kegging than bottling? Some have hinted that the hoppy aroma won't last long and therefore this beer should be consumed quickly and early. I have no problem with that if this is true, but if not I wouldn't mind bottling to be able to store some back for later on down the road when I'm craving some Pliny goodness! What do you guys think????