12 replies to this topic

[Pseudolus]

Here's the beer I'm envisioning:

[*]~7-9% ABV
[*]deep brown in color
[*]complex malt character
[*]some residual sweetness
[*]not particularly bitter
[*]perhaps some hop flavor (earthy/spicy type) to add complexity, but in the background
[*]noticable but not overwhelming oak character in aroma, flavor, mouthfeel
[/list]I'm not sure quite what style this would end up in. Small barleywine? Old ale? Super-imperial mild? (Mostly kidding on that one, but milds did inspire my thoughts in this direction.)

So, to achieve that vision, maybe something along the lines of:


[*]base of M.O. Pale malt (to achieve a total OG of ~1.080)
[*]blend of English crystal malts - something medium, something quite dark - to total 1-1.5 lb (in a 6G batch)
[*]honey malt?
[*]a bit (1/4 lb? 1/2 lb) of something roasty/toasty like pale chocolate malt? or some munich?
[*]English-hop bittering addition to ~40 IBU
[*]possible small (1/2 oz) addition of EKG/Fuggles/etc. at 20 minutes?
[*]English or American yeast to ferment?
[*]oak cubes in secondary
[/list] Lots of question marks there. Any comments, suggestions?

[MtnBrewer]

What would you think about a wee heavy? Too sweet? If so, maybe something with the gravity of a wee heavy but more attenuation? Or an old ale, which wouldn't be that far from a more attenuated wee heavy I guess. To that end, I like all of the options in your "So, to achieve that vision.." section.

[Slainte]

Doppelbock?

[cavman]

Clone Skullsplitter and be happy, in other words a nice Scotch Ale.

[wertydc]

I oaked a barleywine (~1.090) that turned out well. Or you might go with a big Red Ale?

[MAZ]

With the exception of the hopping, your vision sounds similar to what I currently have in the primary:

Big Red '09

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.074 SG
Estimated Color: 15.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 82.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 62.00 %

9 lbs Munich II (Weyermann) (8.5 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
5.5 lbs Vienna Malt (Weyermann) (3.0 SRM) Grain 30.56 %
2.5 lbs Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 13.89 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
4.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 1.39 %
4.0 oz TF Crystal Malt - 45L (45.0 SRM) Grain 1.39 %
1.00 oz Magnum (whole) [13.50 %] (60 min) Hops 46.6 IBU
2.00 oz Santiam [7.00 %] (15 min) Hops 22.1 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade (whole) [8.40 %] (7 min) Hops 14.0 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade (whole) [8.40 %] (0 min) Hops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale


My efficiency for bigger grain bills is typically in the low 60's, so you'd probably hit 1.080+ if yours is better. The wort tasted amazing, one that would probably work well with oaking. I made a similar beer last year as well, and have used Pale Chocolate in it, which works very well.

[Pseudolus]

I don't think that a wee heavy or a doppelbock is quite what I'm after, but looking at recipes for those and knowing how I want my beer to differ helps me to narrow in on a recipe. I think I'm going to come up with a recipe and brew it, and worry about what style it is or isn't later. Here's a draft malt bill for comment:

A ProMash Recipe Report Recipe Specifics ---------------- Batch Size (Gal): 6.00 Wort Size (Gal): 6.00 Total Grain (Lbs): 17.25 Anticipated OG: 1.081 Plato: 19.48 Anticipated SRM: 20.4 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 % Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes Grain/Extract/Sugar % Amount Name Origin Potential SRM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 78.3 13.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3 11.6 2.00 lbs. Munich Malt Germany 1.037 8 4.3 0.75 lbs. Crystal 60L America 1.034 60 4.3 0.75 lbs. Crystal 160L (extra dark) Great Britian 1.034 160 1.4 0.25 lbs. Pale Chocolate Malt America 1.029 200

Hmm. 8.6% crystal seems lower than what I thought I wanted. But, maybe that number just looks deceivingly small since this is a 1.080 beer. Still a good 1.5 lb crystal. Plus I'll be mashing something on the higher end - 154ish? - depending on what yeast I decide upon. It will be a few weeks at least before I get to this. (Inlaws visiting, plus I'll probably want to do a "starter" beer first to get my yeast count up. Bitter? MLPA?) But I will get to it. Until then, plenty of time to tweak.

[Pseudolus]

I ordered the malt bill as drafted above. (From Brewmaster's Warehouse. Hadn't used this place before, but they have a nifty website - almost like an on-line promash linked to a "buy me" button. Quite cool.) And 002 yeast. Didn't order any hops but I have various stuff in the freezer to work with - US Goldings, Mt. Hood seem likely candidates.

[MtnBrewer]

Hmm. 8.6% crystal seems lower than what I thought I wanted. But, maybe that number just looks deceivingly small since this is a 1.080 beer.

It actually seemed a bit high to me for such a large beer. I usually limit crystal malt on beers that size to < 0.75 lb.

[cavman]

It actually seemed a bit high to me for such a large beer. I usually limit crystal malt on beers that size to < 0.75 lb.

I usually limit crystal malt to<.75# on any beer , as I like maltiness not sweetness. Ironically crystal use is based on British beers, although brewers from the UK use smaller percentages overall as cask beers taste more full bodied. A fellow homebrewer(slothrob at the GB) exchanges emails with the head brewer at a UK brewery confirming this, off my head I think the brewery is Thornbridge.

[MtnBrewer]

I usually limit crystal malt to<.75# on any beer , as I like maltiness not sweetness. Ironically crystal use is based on British beers, although brewers from the UK use smaller percentages overall as cask beers taste more full bodied. A fellow homebrewer(slothrob at the GB) exchanges emails with the head brewer at a UK brewery confirming this, off my head I think the brewery is Thornbridge.

I agree with that. Beyond that however, big beers have less need for crystal malt since they will naturally have more sweetness and body anyway.

[Pseudolus]

Brewed this today. 1.081 OG. Mt. Hood for bittering and 1/2 oz at 20 minutes. Pitched a healthy slug of 002 from a just kegged mild and she's fermenting nicely. I always taste the wort pre-boil and this was probably the tastiest I've had so far. Dunno what that portends for the final beer, but seems like a Good Thing. Looking forward to having something rich and decadent for wintertime.

[Pseudolus]

Guess that slug of 002 was pretty darn healthy. Started bubbling within a couple hours and is now down to 1.021. Still pretty cloudy, as if the yeast is still in suspension. (I've been giving it a swirl once or twice a day to try to keep it from prematurely floccing out.) I'll keep it up at ferm temp for another couple days at least and then chill it, toss it into a keg, and decide what kind of oak to drop in there.