Troeg's Mad Elf

[rgregoryirving]

Ok, so I'm originally from Harrisburg and I love Troegs everything! I would love to be able to brew this up but am limited by my equipment. So I've been trying to run some numbers and come up with a partial mash version of this based off of jmcm_brew's recipe from page 8:

Used this recipe.. Kegged it and after a month in keg did a side by side with the real thing blonde taste test could not tell the difference... One of my proudest moments

NAME AMOUNT USE
Pilsner 15.0 lb 72 % Mash
Munich Malt 2.0 lb 9 % Mash
Maltodextrine 8.0 oz 2 % Mash
Chocolate Malt 2.0 oz 0 % Mash
2-Row Brewers Malt 3.0 lb 14 %

At 152 60 mins

So I've planned to do a partial mash of the:
2# Munich
1/2# Caralpils
2oz Chocolate Malt
3# 2-Row

and then follow boil schedule beginning with 11.25# of Pilsen/Extra Light LME.

My questions are this: 1) will my 3ish gallon stockpot be able to support partial mashing 5 1/2 # of grain? I'm not to sure how that would affect water displacement. 2) does everything else look good?

 

[poptarts]

5.5 pounds of grain needs 2.16 gallons to mash
http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

Not sure about the extract conversion but I think so, only did 2 batches before going AG.
And on a good note, Im brewing this Saturday. Got the starter up to 2L so far...

 

[rgregoryirving]

Thanks for the link, that's really helpful!

I would love to go AG, even if I could do just BIAB rather than extract that would be great. But I'm a broke and recently engaged, so the money I do have is tied up elsewhere! So I gotta make do !

 

[poptarts]

You should get enough wedding money to buy a big pot and turkey fryer

 

[rgregoryirving]

Haha well we'll see what SWMBO has to say about that, although she is very supportive of my brewing.

 

[poptarts]

Just crashed the starter have around 250ml of yeast, time to decant and add another 2l tonight Brewday is confirmed to start at 5am Saturday, pretty excited.

 

[aslander]

Brewed this on Monday. Can't find cherries in the grocery store. They only had the pie cherries and I'm hesitant to use those.

 

[poptarts]

I found these, both tart and sweet at walmart in the canned fruit section. They are on amazon as well but only by the case, you could always make a pie or two that if you go that route.

 

[poptarts]

Starting to look like Jupiter, so much yeast.

 

[poptarts]

The final stages are here. Just pulled off 2 jars for future use and topped it up.

 

[ChefRex]

Poured a glass tonight, getting better with each pull!

 

[poptarts]

Poured a glass tonight, getting better with each pull!

When did you brew it?
My yeast is ready for action

 

[ChefRex]

When did you brew it?
My yeast is ready for action

November 2nd, I need to get some of this in bottles so if can age out till next winter, having another glass tonight.

 

[poptarts]

Mine was fermenting faster than anything I've ever seen in only 7 hours after pitching yeast crazy stuff

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[poptarts]

Ok so 5 Gallons of head space isn't enough for a 8.5 gallon batch haha. Already had 1 pint of yeast overflow

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[poptarts]

Pitched Saturday at noon and we are down to 1.025 already holy crap that yeast can eat

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[seckert]

Ok so 5 Gallons of head space isn't enough for a 8.5 gallon batch haha. Already had 1 pint of yeast overflow

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Home Brew mobile app

Remember what i had said to you..."blow off tube!"

that yeast is crazy!

 

[poptarts]

There is one one there don't worry.

 

[aslander]

I found these, both tart and sweet at walmart in the canned fruit section. They are on amazon as well but only by the case, you could always make a pie or two that if you go that route.

I found a grocery store carrying that kind. They were $5 a can. I wound up finding cherry juice at the same place. This looked like it could be more promising and cheaper. It says it has some apple juice in it, but I figure that still might come out okay.

 

[seckert]

I found a grocery store carrying that kind. They were $5 a can. I wound up finding cherry juice at the same place. This looked like it could be more promising and cheaper. It says it has some apple juice in it, but I figure that still might come out okay.

just make sure there isnt any pottasium sorbate in that juice you are going to use. It will kill the yeast off and stop fermentation. The cherries' sugar is very important to this beer since the sugars are fermented and add that special flavor. Also, if it doesnt ferment out those sugars it will be very sweet and not taste correct at all.

 

[poptarts]

Standing by my airlock this morning and didn't notice any activity for over a minute, might check gravity this weekend and add ma cherries

 

[aslander]

just make sure there isnt any pottasium sorbate in that juice you are going to use. It will kill the yeast off and stop fermentation. The cherries' sugar is very important to this beer since the sugars are fermented and add that special flavor. Also, if it doesnt ferment out those sugars it will be very sweet and not taste correct at all.

The only ingredients are cherry juice, and apple juice. It is very dark so I am assuming it is mostly cherry. Thanks for the info though!

 

[aslander]

Standing by my airlock this morning and didn't notice any activity for over a minute, might check gravity this weekend and add ma cherries

You may want to wait a couple more weeks before transferring to primary. This is high gravity, so you should allow the yeast time to clean up. I brewed mine a week sooner and haven't transferred to secondary yet. I also added the honey after high krausen was over, to leave more honey flavor.

 

[theck]

You may want to wait a couple more weeks before transferring to primary. This is high gravity, so you should allow the yeast time to clean up. I brewed mine a week sooner and haven't transferred to secondary yet. I also added the honey after high krausen was over, to leave more honey flavor.

I was going to suggest the same. Not sure now long they've had it there but I did about 3 weeks in the primary and did 2-3 more in the secondary. I have a trippl in the buckets now, 9ish %, and even after 3 weeks it's still working though I have no to little bubbles, dropped from 1.04ish last week to 1.02ish today.

 

[aslander]

I was going to suggest the same. Not sure now long they've had it there but I did about 3 weeks in the primary and did 2-3 more in the secondary. I have a trippl in the buckets now, 9ish %, and even after 3 weeks it's still working though I have no to little bubbles, dropped from 1.04ish last week to 1.02ish today.

Wow that's wicked low. Was that the estimated FG? I haven't had anything end that low but I believe I've heard that gravities like that can make it flavor less and fusely

Edit: read your numbers wrong haha, thought you said 1.002

 

[theck]

Wow that's wicked low. Was that the estimated FG? I haven't had anything end that low but I believe I've heard that gravities like that can make it flavor less and fusely

I'm shooting for 1.014ish... going to check it in a couple days and probably pull. I've loaded up apple juice with 4lbs of brown sugar and used washed ale yeast and it's gone from 1.08-9 to <1.00. It was SUPER dry, more like wine... learned from then out to pull cider at 1.14, that was the best so far.

Also, when you get the Mad Elf in the keg or bottles, let it mellow for a good couple weeks. I started drinking it at 2-3 weeks in the keg and it was awesome, almost too awesome as we would drink it down no problem, till the next day.

 

[seckert]

You may want to wait a couple more weeks before transferring to primary. This is high gravity, so you should allow the yeast time to clean up. I brewed mine a week sooner and haven't transferred to secondary yet. I also added the honey after high krausen was over, to leave more honey flavor.

Last time i brewed this it was 3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks in secondary, one week cold crash, moved to keg to carb, then it wasnt really good for another 2-3 weeks. It was very warm in the beginning. once this mellows though you have no idea that 2 of these will get you buzzed...goes down soooo smooth.

 

[poptarts]

righto then ill let it sit another week or two before adding cherries. Although wasnt planning on racking to secondary so not sure that it matters when I add them as long as its done or close to done fermenting

 

[theck]

righto then ill let it sit another week or two before adding cherries. Although wasnt planning on racking to secondary so not sure that it matters when I add them as long as its done or close to done fermenting

If your not going to use a secondary I'd check the gravity before adding to make sure it's close to where you want it. I just moved mine from one bucket to the other clean one and put the cherries on the bottom before I move it. Not sure if it makes much of a difference but I did it to remove the cake so it might be a little cleaner when I put it into the keg.

 

[aslander]

righto then ill let it sit another week or two before adding cherries. Although wasnt planning on racking to secondary so not sure that it matters when I add them as long as its done or close to done fermenting

Good time to order a vessel for secondary, if you are going to have to wait a week or two anyways!