questions about a recipe...

[Hoochin'Fool]

Saw a youtube video linked from reddit a couple days ago, and have questions (nobody mentioned anything last I saw on reddit, and youtube comments are mostly useless)!

Imperial Stout, 5.5 gallons OG: 1.100, FG: 1.024, IBU: 69
Dublin water profile
73% Maris Otter (13.7 lbs)
10% Caramunich 2 (2.1 lbs)
7% Flaked oats (1.5 lbs)
5% Carafa special 3 (1.2 lbs)
5% Roasted Barley (1.2 lbs)
Mash at 153F for 60 mins
Mash at 167F for 10 mins
Boil for 30 mins, lots of yeast nutrient (3x usual recommended) if using Kveik
Warrior hops at start of 30 min boil to get to 69 IBU
Lalbrew Voss Kveik dry yeast at 95F

Video claims fermentation is complete in 24 hours (at 8:00), and is very drinkable within 4 to 6 weeks (at 8:35, and again at 9:43)

Here's the video link

Anyways, here's my questions:
1) Seriously, 2 months and it's "done" ?!?
2) If I wanted to try a mini-mash, could I sneak in Briess Golden Lite DME or is that probably going to taste too different from the orig recipe?
3) Did anyone else start drooling, watching the pour at 10:10 ?

 

[Kickass]

I’d start by asking what your goal of using kveik is? I’m not a kveik hater but I don’t like using it unless I absolutely have to. If it’s mid summer, my fermentation chamber is full, and I’m doing a hoppy beer, only then do I opt for kveik.

1) Seriously, 2 months and it's "done" ?!?

It will be at terminal gravity by then and probably have completed all additional “unseen” activity in that time. I don’t think it’ll be at it’s best flavor that young but sure you can drink it. Maybe closer to six months it’ll be rounder and more harmonized.

2) If I wanted to try a mini-mash, could I sneak in Briess Golden Lite DME

You can add DME if you’re trying to boost abv. Mini mash or partial mash typically implies that most of the malt is extract and only a small portion is actual grain. This isn’t really the case. But sure, add DME if you want.

3) Did anyone else start drooling, watching the pour

I didn’t watch the video but simply reading the words “imperial stout” always makes me drool a little.

Good luck and enjoy your brew!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

2) If I wanted to try a mini-mash, could I sneak in Briess Golden Lite DME or is that probably going to taste too different from the orig recipe?

Briess Pale Ale DME (100% Briess Pale Ale Malt) may be a closer match to Maris Otter than Briess Golden Light (99% 'two-row' Brewers Malt).

What mash volume (1 gal? 2.5 gal?) are you considering? eta: with 27% specialty malts in the 5 gal batch, it seems like one would want to apply appropriate water adjustments to perform a quality mini- or partial- mash. Steeping some of the specialty malts is also a consideration.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

I've been led to believe that 6 to 7 lbs is probably the limit as far as trying to do this in my 5.5 gallon pot (biab). I read somewhere that you want an equal amount (by weight) of base malt to specialty/roast malts, and in this case, recipe specifies 5 lbs of specialty/roast malts, so that's already a no-go, unless I reduced the size of the batch. Alternatively, if I just steeped the caramunich2, carafa3 special, and roasted barley separately, I'd just have the oats that really need to be mashed (1.5 lbs oats, plus some equal or greater amount of maris otter), which would fit easily...

Maybe mash 4.5 lbs maris otter + 1.5 lbs flaked oats (6 lbs total)... I'm just thinking out loud here...

 

[brewSJ]

As a rule of thumb, 3 lb DME = 5 lb grain as far as gravity is concerned. Throwing your recipe into my spreadsheet, though, as-is it has barely enough diastatic power to mash the other grains though (I get 34.8 L). You'll have to modify it to get a workable partial mash recipe. I would replace the 13.7 pounds of Marris Otter with 6 pounds of regular DME and 3.7 pounds of 2-row pale malt (but double-check my math with your favorite brewing software). That should still mash and while it may not taste exactly the same, with all that roasted malt I'm not sure you'll be able to tell the difference.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

I’d start by asking what your goal of using kveik is? I’m not a kveik hater but I don’t like using it unless I absolutely have to. If it’s mid summer, my fermentation chamber is full, and I’m doing a hoppy beer, only then do I opt for kveik.

Just going with what the video mentioned (fermented in 24 hrs, cleaned up and tasting very good in 4 to 6 weeks). Seems pretty crazy to me, but I'd have no way to keep a bucket of beer that warm for 2 months.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

[OP will] have to modify it to get a workable partial mash recipe. I would replace the 13.7 pounds of Marris Otter with 6 pounds of regular DME and 3.7 pounds of 2-row pale malt (but double-check my math with your favorite brewing software).

What are you estimating for mash pH?

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

What are you estimating for mash pH?

BrewersFriend recipe editor thinks that everything mashed together (along with "Dublin water"), will come to 5.46 pH. But if I pull out the roasted grains, it jumps up to 5.73, which I guess is a little high. Putting back 1 lb of roast barley into mini-mash gets it back to 5.52

I think this might actually be do-able! (mini-mash: 4.5 lbs maris otter, 1.5 lbs flaked oats, 1 lb roasted barley)

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I think this might actually be do-able! (mini-mash: 4.5 lbs maris otter, 1.5 lbs flaked oats, 1 lb roasted barley)

+1.

I was assuming that the partial-mash would be with RO/distilled water and no additional salts. But if you're able to adjust the water's mineral content, a number of alternatives are possible.

Earlier @brewSJ mentioned that Maris Otter has a relatively low DP. The BrewersFriend recipe editor will help with the math so that you have enough DP to convert completely. If the DP is low, you may want to mash longer (say 45 min) to ensure the conversion is complete.