sudndeth
Well-Known Member
Did you end up Dry hopping like you talked about doing?
RIS with Old Ale blend...
- Thread starter smokinghole
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OP
OP
I think it had a combination of challenges. It was almost 15%, it sat a long time, and I'm not sure if I put fresh yeast in at bottling. So with the high abv and long fermentation any yeast would have trouble. Then with it sitting for so long there was very little CO2 retained and I don't think I accounted for the lower carb when adding my priming sugar. I used to use online calculators now I do it manually and figure for .3-.4 residual CO2 on the long term beers.
As for the dry hopping, I forgot. I will put a label on this year's batch to remind me to do just that before I bottle it up.
As for the dry hopping, I forgot. I will put a label on this year's batch to remind me to do just that before I bottle it up.
OP
OP
Today is brewday for this years iteration. I changed up my recipe a bit. Simplified it and made it to be sort of like an amped up version of courage RIS.
8 Gal batches
1.117 SG
70.6% Maris Otter
16.2% Brown Malt
7.4% Black Patent
5.9% Midnight Wheat
110 IBUs and a 8-9 month fermentation with 9097 added to secondary. I will primary with the house yeast from work because I never made up a starter so I need to swing by there today to get a big mason jar of slurry.
8 Gal batches
1.117 SG
70.6% Maris Otter
16.2% Brown Malt
7.4% Black Patent
5.9% Midnight Wheat
110 IBUs and a 8-9 month fermentation with 9097 added to secondary. I will primary with the house yeast from work because I never made up a starter so I need to swing by there today to get a big mason jar of slurry.
OP
OP
The new brew went ape****crazy. I stuck 8 gal from the first brew into the 60L Spiedel fermentor and it had krausened out later that night before I could get the second batch into there. So I sanitized a keg and did a no chill knockout for the second brew. Everything mostly calmed down from yesterday and I just added about 4 more gallons of wort from the keg. Depending on how it is later tonight I'll add the rest. I don't want to lose 2 gallons of beer to blow off.
OP
OP
I had a slurry saved. Plus I do have it frozen where I went to school (6 miles away) but I never got into the lab to grow it from the cryo vial.
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OP
OP
What did your's finish at? I got down to 1.026 which is about where I wanted. After sacch finished it was about 1.040, so brett was about 15% of my attenuation.
My RIS I primaried with 1056, which went from 1.109 to 1.038, then I added the Old Ale slurry, which dropped it to 1.025 at the time that I kegged it (which was 5 months combined primary and secondary). It may have continued to drop in the keezer, but probably not by much, and it was pretty good at that gravity.
My Old Ale, which got a 2000ml starter of 9097, went from 1.107 to 1.018 over the course of 12 months combined fermentation.
My Old Ale, which got a 2000ml starter of 9097, went from 1.107 to 1.018 over the course of 12 months combined fermentation.
OP
OP
I'm curious what you mashed at for the RIS. Last year I did decoction style temp raises and did my main conversion rest at 158. I didn't seem to quite hit the 158 though. This one I just did a single infusion at 158 and no mash out. I figure it will follow roughly the same pattern. The wort had a great flavor even with all the black and brown malt.
I didn't add yeast to the bottling bucket because my experience with the brett beers is that they carb fine, just slightly slowly. In retrospect I maybe should have added yeast but not sure what would have worked in this 13% beer very well (other than wlp099).
I didn't add yeast to the bottling bucket because my experience with the brett beers is that they carb fine, just slightly slowly. In retrospect I maybe should have added yeast but not sure what would have worked in this 13% beer very well (other than wlp099).
I mashed low, around 152F. I also did a Gordon Strong style addition of dark grains, adding the roasted grains when I began my vorlauf. It made for a very smooth beer, despite the addition of 2.25lbs of roasted grains.
I also kegged the final beer, had it on draft for about 3 months, then bottled off the rest of the keg using a racking cane.
Anything else you'd like to know?
I also kegged the final beer, had it on draft for about 3 months, then bottled off the rest of the keg using a racking cane.
Anything else you'd like to know?
OP
OP
Naah I was just wondering how our beers compared to each other concerning the stats. It's not like a lot of people are doing a big RIS with brett.
If you're itching to do another batch let me know I can get you the brett isolated from the strain, but I also hear it's just Wyeast lambicus. The truth to that I don't know because I imagine they have different versions of lambicus that they break out for special blends. Otherwise what's so special about it?
If you're itching to do another batch let me know I can get you the brett isolated from the strain, but I also hear it's just Wyeast lambicus. The truth to that I don't know because I imagine they have different versions of lambicus that they break out for special blends. Otherwise what's so special about it?
Saying it's brett lambicus is like saying it's sacch cerevisiae -- and we know how many variations there are of that 
In my experience, it doesn't taste the same as their straight lambicus, because I've done a couple of beers using their lambicus and it tastes completely different. That said, there were a other variables that could have make it taste different (but I doubt it). And I've heard that the WL brett L tastes different as well.
I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure they'll release it again before too long.
In my experience, it doesn't taste the same as their straight lambicus, because I've done a couple of beers using their lambicus and it tastes completely different. That said, there were a other variables that could have make it taste different (but I doubt it). And I've heard that the WL brett L tastes different as well.
I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure they'll release it again before too long.
OP
OP
So I'm at 60% attenuation after a solid week of primary. A touch higher than last year but I suspect it will drop a few more points in a week or two.
It tastes AWESOME so far.
Also seriously let me know on the isolation I'm a brewery lab tech and use wild yeast plates at work. I can certainly take one home and isolate the brett and culture it up. No sweat off my back really. I did it last year and had a pitchable quantity but I think I used it in something.
It tastes AWESOME so far.
Also seriously let me know on the isolation I'm a brewery lab tech and use wild yeast plates at work. I can certainly take one home and isolate the brett and culture it up. No sweat off my back really. I did it last year and had a pitchable quantity but I think I used it in something.
OP
OP
So I'm about to transfer this to a barrel as soon as I build a little cradle for the barrel with wheels. I am drinking a gravity sample right now and it's the best version thus far. The roast is perfectly intense and will smooth out and lose the rough edges before next year. It has flavors of coffee and dark chocolate with some fruity esters.
Failing_Ales
Active Member
Which brett strain is in the old ale blend? I have a 1.122 RIS that stopped at 1.042, and I'm considering doping it. As is, it's a bit thick for my tastes.
Edit: never mind, found it in the thread once at a computer.
Edit: never mind, found it in the thread once at a computer.
OP
OP
Well I took a gravity sample today to taste. It has made it down 1.032 at this point. Hopefully it doesn't go a whole lot further because it's pretty damn nice right now. If it drops closer to 1.025 too fast I'll brew up a pale malt/black malt mini mash and boil it down to a syrup to add back some body/gravity and hopefully prevent its fermentation.
OP
OP
Here is the 15 gal barrel I just modified for the stout. I am giving it a hot soak today and transferring into it tonight or tomorrow. It had two other hot soaks when I first got it to try and decrease the character a bit. Ive been keeping it wet with dark rum which I feel is a great compliment to the very toasty character of this years recipe.
OP
OP
I'm drinking a pint of the RIS I brewed and fermented with 9097 back in 2011. It's almost two years since brewing and it never carbed in the bottles. The beginning of the week I sani'd and purged a 3 gal keg and kept CO2 running while I dumped 26 bottles into the keg so they could be force carbed. I threw the keg in and chilled it today to give it a try. I had it sitting at room temp with 22psi so I should be at about 1.8 volumes. The taste is silky sweet malt, balanced roast bitterness, and a mild hop bitterness. There is little to no brett funk that I can pick out. There is a decent fruity ester flavor with a long finish of tingling bitterness on the tongue. There is a mild cherry flavor that is hard to pick out unless you're looking for the flavor. That'd be the brett contribution I think the barnyard like funk is hidden or was contained by the massive grist of black and other highly kilned malts. Even in my 2011 brew grist I used no caramel malts at all and it doesn't lack in sweetness that's for sure considering the 1.024 fg. If you're looking to brew a RIS and have patience I highly suggest using a nice fruity English yeast with Wyeast brett L. It makes for quite an interesting beer.
When it comes to the batch I brewed back in Oct 2012 that's getting bottle next month. In its place I will be refilling the barrel with a 1.095 stout that will be fermented with t58 and ECY02. I might throw up a new thread because that beer is a complete divergence from the style of RIS I've been brewing. It's crystal heavy and very low IBU due to the souring that will take place.
When it comes to the batch I brewed back in Oct 2012 that's getting bottle next month. In its place I will be refilling the barrel with a 1.095 stout that will be fermented with t58 and ECY02. I might throw up a new thread because that beer is a complete divergence from the style of RIS I've been brewing. It's crystal heavy and very low IBU due to the souring that will take place.
OP
OP
The batch brewed in 2011 is holding up awesome. Just finishing a bottle right now. Not sure how much more I have but I have plenty of the last year's batch. I also have 15 gal of the sour stout to bottle up soon.
sudndeth
Well-Known Member
Awesome. Mine is holding up well too. Has developed a hobenero type taste. When I finish my glycol chiller I'll brew this again.
