Troeg's Mad Elf

[1fast636]

Trying to think back to when they had naked elf on draft but can't remember it

 

[1fast636]

And since I brewed the clone figured I would end the night with a 2yr old bottle of the real thing

 

[1fast636]

Stupid phone here is the pic

 

[1fast636]

Judging from the bottom of the glass when the base beer color starts coming thru I think my color might be close once it ferments out and clears

 

[Dog House Brew]

Well mine was only 6gal batch so no where close to 60# grain bill lol mine was pretty easy think around 20#, I bottom feed my mash too with gravity for no dough balls and wow I will never do it another way again amazing how nice it mashed for like I said I might of gotten lucky too being my first time with manifold hit all my heating numbers and some how all Gravity numbers came out on the dot to. I'm pretty excited from this brew day that's for sure

So you go water into the grain filled MT? I've always dumped the grain into the water filled MT, and stir. Interesting

 

[1fast636]

Yea saw a vid on YouTube and figured I would give it a try and it worked like a champ just have to watch your volume in your HLT to hit your sparge water

 

[1fast636]

Here is the link to the vid that got me thinking about it and trying it

http://youtu.be/-c3TMwsJ-Yk

 

[Dog House Brew]

Thanks, easy enough to do. Looks like is mixes better than putting my mash into the water. Have to try it. I wish I could buy Mad Elf here. May have to road trip it to Cincinnati.

 

[1fast636]

Dam that's crazy I thought it made it out that way. Maybe we can make a trade on some beers what all can you get out your way

 

[1fast636]

Umm so yea you guys wernt lien about a violent ferment, wlp530 is going nuts in this, did a two vial starter with neutrient and energizer and O2 the wort lets just say the wife got startled while watching her show when she started to hear it gargling non stop lol

 

[1fast636]

So yes to draining water from the can or smash all together with water?

 

[aslander]

Read the ingredients and see if they put sugar in it. Also see how strong the juice tastes. If it has a ton of flavor I'd use it.

 

[seckert]

I normally just dumped in the whole can. After mashing up the cherries though. Came out great!

 

[1fast636]

The can says water, it's the Oregon canned cherries, only problem I'm having is finding the sweet Oregon canned cherries got the tart ones now on the hunt for the sweet, and thanks think I'll see what it's like and go from there Can't wait think I got 2 days till transfer onto cherries depending on gravity reading. Thanks for the quick responses guys that's why I love this place

 

[poptarts]

Just did a gravity reading on the real deal, it is 1.014. So still planning on brewing my recipe i posted way earlier this year with the cane sugar and .05 lbs/gal honey. The email info seems to be accurate.

http://files.samfoust.com/Uploads/madelf2.html

 

[1fast636]

What you do de gas a bottle for the reading? Haven't had this years offering yet how is it

 

[poptarts]

yea it was degassed, and it was a 2013 bottle, I cant get this stuff where I live so I have no idea haha. My clone is pretty close though, v2 should be pretty much on target I believe.

 

[1fast636]

Finally found the sweet cherries so transfered onto the cherries a few minuets ago, wlp530 did some work she's already sitting at 1.028 from OG of 1.101. Now how do I figure in the cherries sugars with what was left and my FG for final abv? Can't wait the sample tasted dead on Mad elf missing cherry hints and the ruby red color

 

[1fast636]

Another question I'm guessing a blow off isn't needed for the secondary I know I read about ferment ramping up again but wasn't sure if it was like when it started and had 3-4 days of straight blow off action

 

[aslander]

Nope no need. I didn't even use a secondary this year.

 

[aslander]

By the way, you racked to secondary very early. You brewed this a week ago. Your FG is way high, as mine always comes out at 1014. You either racked before it was done, or had a stalled fermentation from mashing high or some other reason. That's one reason why I don't secondary typically unless there's a damn good reason. And the cherries will add nominal alcohol so I would worry about that.

 

[1fast636]

Yea I was reading up on some stuff on mad elf and John from tröegs said they add cheeries after 3/4 of fermentation is done so was sorta playing around with that to be like how they do it. We will see what happens I know I was Shocked with my gravity reading that's for
Sure wasn't expecting it to be that low already, I did mash slightly high nothing crazy but alil more then I usually do and I aerated the wort before pitching and this was my first time actually doing that too

 

[smAllGrain]

So I have been reading through this thread as this sounds like an awesome brew to do and then let age for awhile. (Never had this BTW)... How long are you leaving the brew on the cherries? I was thinking 2weeks primary 2weeks on the cherries in secondary and then bottle and let it age.

Any advice on this?

 

[poptarts]

I made mine at the beginning of this year, its starting to get really really good now.

 

[aslander]

Yea I was reading up on some stuff on mad elf and John from tröegs said they add cheeries after 3/4 of fermentation is done so was sorta playing around with that to be like how they do it. We will see what happens I know I was Shocked with my gravity reading that's for
Sure wasn't expecting it to be that low already, I did mash slightly high nothing crazy but alil more then I usually do and I aerated the wort before pitching and this was my first time actually doing that too

Yeah I hear ya. I added 2lbs of honey mixed with 32oz organic cherry juice about 2/3 of the way through. The difference is doing it in primary. If you rack off the yeast before it is done then you risk fermentation stalling on you. It also can't clean up off flavors.

 

[aslander]

So I have been reading through this thread as this sounds like an awesome brew to do and then let age for awhile. (Never had this BTW)... How long are you leaving the brew on the cherries? I was thinking 2weeks primary 2weeks on the cherries in secondary and then bottle and let it age.

Any advice on this?

Two weeks is more than enough. I would probably do 1.

 

[1fast636]

Yeah I hear ya. I added 2lbs of honey mixed with 32oz organic cherry juice about 2/3 of the way through. The difference is doing it in primary. If you rack off the yeast before it is done then you risk fermentation stalling on you. It also can't clean up off flavors.

Ya I was worried about that but she's already fermenting away again started actually lastnight just a lil after transfer, the aroma coming out the air lock is full mad elf getting excited

 

[1fast636]

one week on cherries and 4 points off FG one more week to sit and clear. Made a side by side comparison of the real thing to the clone I think I might be close when it clears and I'm going to say the flavor is pretty dam spot on holly ****. Wow now I'm pretty excited for this to be bottled lol

 

[1fast636]

I think the original might be a bit darker but that's a poor photo to judge once mines bottled and carbed I'll get another original and do an actuall side by side

 

[poptarts]

It truly a very pretty beer, probably the prettiest ive made