RIS BA query

[Twotaureanbrewing]

Not sure if I should have posted in bottle/keg forum but here I go.

Brewed a big RIS stout, BCBS esque. OG was higher than intended @ 1.160, finished @ 1.057, approximately 13.49% ABV. After fermentation I CO2 forced over, to a CO2 filled, rye bourbon barrel and it been sitting there since October last. Have sampled and tastes fantastic! Ultimately my question is how am I going to bottle and carbonate while minimizing oxidation. My 2 thoughts or questions.

1. CO2 force, from barrel, to CO2 pre purged keg. Carbonate in keg. Fill bottles from there. (Mind you, haven't had the best luck carbonating in keg even though it seems idiot proof)

2. Add bottling yeast to barrel. Thinking ec 1118 or kv1116, since abv is so high. Been told either will work. Then CO2 force from barrel to bottle.

I really don't want to bottle bucket and fill, trying to minimize oxidation. If those 2 ideas are screwy, let me know. Open to suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Rob2010SS]

First of all, dayuum that's a big stout!!! What size batch was it?

On to your questions...

I have an RIS that I'm force carbonating in a keg right now as well. I plan to let it finish this week in the keg and then I'll bottle from there. I don't see much wrong with that method at all to be honest. I've never done it but I think i'm going to like it more than the bottling bucket approach.

In regards to adding the yeast to the barrel, I've never done it but I would worry about even distribution of the yeast in the bottles...? Again, not sure because I've never done it.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

It was a 5 gallon batch. First that big. Was a great first try and got the math to tweak next batches that size.

Good point adding the bottling yeast to the barrel is a bad idea. Could force to keg with bottling yeast and fill bottles from there, to minimize oxidation.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I'd be curious to hear about your recipe and process. I have a BCBS clone in the "barrel" now and I did not come close to that OG number. I'm not sure I could w/o using DME.

I had 25 lbs grain, got about 70% brewhouse efficiency.

OG was 1.128
FG was 1.030 (I mashed high hoping for 1.037)
It should be about 12.8%...a little higher when I add some bourbon and oak.

The last gravity sample tasted very promising, but it needed some aging.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

brewgr.com/recipe/44304/initium-recipe?public=true

Sorry for the delayed response. There's the recipe. Hopefully the link works. I used a lot of Patagonian malts because they had so much more flavor than the others. I buy at a HBS that encourages munching on grains before you buy. The grains were so rich in the coffee and chocolate flavors we were looking for.

As you can see I used 32lbs of grain. Researching BCBS and big RIS that were similar, I found that these were first running beers and boil time was around 4hrs. This is done to get the thickest, slow boiled, flavorful, viscous stout possible.

I started this as any other brew. However I need 2 mash tuns, as the max my 10 gallon round "cooler" mash tun will hold is 23lbs. So I borrowed a 5 gallon round cooler. I milled the grains and divided between the two. I figured my own water calculations at 1.33 liters per lb of grain. I mashed at 148-150 for over an hour.

I also had to borrow a 15gal kettle. I spend a lot of time when I vorlauf. Run the entire volume through probably twice. I feel helps efficiency, want to pull everything out of those grains, sugar and flavor that I can. Lautered as much as I could and only spared to bring up my prevail volume. Here's where it gets a little silly. At a boil off rate of about 1.3 gals per hr, for 4 hrs, and I wanted finished volume around 6 gallons, My pre boil volume was 11 gallons. Yes I boiled off over 4gals. So basically I acheived OG by boiling off a lot of water and using tons of grain. Good thing we had a lot of beer that needed to be drank!

I had read for BCBS, to use 4-5 packs, if using wyeast. I made 2 large starters and on smack pack the day of. I saved money only having to buy 3 packs this way. Looking back I don't know if that much yeast was necessary. I used 1056 ale yeast. I found in the past brewing big dipas, that I used one large starter and the yeast was still able to finish at 13.5%. For me that's the max I can get 1056 to finish at. OH and of course I oxygenated the he'll out of it with tank and stone, very important.

After about 3weeks to a mouth a pre-filled my barrel, fresh from Journeymans Distill, with CO2 and forced in to the barrel using CO2 to minimize oxidation. I've read, asked, and discussed that there's no "optimum" time to barrel age. It's all personal preference. Just keep sampling until you like what you got. That said I wouldn't bother sampling under 2 months. Getting ready to bottle soon. All the extra work, money, and time seem well worth it. This RIS coats the sides of the glass and tastes amazing!

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

That's one happy hydrometer!

 

[Rob2010SS]

Well done man. That's a massive stout! Mine was 25# of grain and I maxed out my mash tun for sure. Definitely an intense beer to make. I just bottled mine and will be putting labels on it soon. Where you from, interested in stout trade? I had mine in the barrel for a month and then did cacao nibs and vanilla beans.