Good Bad & The Monkey
6 hours in, just started hopping.
Initial runnings during the sparge were 1.080+, with secondary runnings at 1.040+. We ended up with about 7.5 gallons of raw wort, now boiling it down to about 5.5-6 gallons, while hopping as well. Hoping for a goal SG of >1.110. We'll see. Soon.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
7 1/2 hours total brew time, with help from 3 friends. Recipe Variance/Details follow:Mash in 7 gal @ 120 + 1 gal @ room temp- Decoc 1 @ 110 (too hot!), with boil x 30 min- Decoc 2 @ 125, with boil x 30 min- Decoc 3 @ 150, with boil x 30 minFirst runnings of 6 gal @ SG 1.080+Second runnings of 1.5 gal @ SG 1.040+Hop with- 2 oz kent goldings (the closest my LBS had) for 80 minutes (to get SG up)- 3 oz fuggles for 20 minutesEnd with ~5.7 gal @ SG 1.110+Primary using White Labs Dry English Ale, WLP007
Prince of Fatness
That is a big beer.
MTA: Do you expect any issues with alcohol tolerance from that yeast strain?
Not at it at all.
Planned on brewing this evening but alas, the yeast starter that I pitched Tuesday never started. Date on the pack was May but I have used them that old in the past. Off to get another pack I guess and delay brewing until early next week.
Yeast pitched. Final SG this am 1.120. BIG. 16% potential. The yeast is rated to ~12%, which will leave some residual sweetness common to this type of beer. I may also add another yeast rated for barleywines to ferment it a bit dryer. Taste this AM is thick, syrupy sweet with a rich burnt, roasty note that coats the mouth. Be interesting to see where this goes with fermentation and age.
I have heard of using a champagne yeast for that sort of purpose. It will be interesting to follow this along. I have done some decent sized beers but only up to the 1.080 range.
Yeah, this was 1.080 before I boiled it down.
So Trent, how did you maintain mash temp? You don't use a cooler right? Too big a pot for the oven I would guess. Just apply heat and stir?
Simple answer to your question: I used a cooler.
All the boils were done in my big pot. I had a 6 gal pot but it seems to have vanished from the known universe. So I used my 4 gal pot. It was not big enough.
Then again, my huge cooler was not big enough either for this massive volume...
You did a decoction but I ran your numbers through a calculator. 29 lbs mashed at 1.25 quarts per lb requires a vessel over 11 gallons. My 10 gallon cooler would not handle that. Must have been fun. Should have got pictures.
Ya, my cooler is 10 gal as well. It was at the edge of overflowing. However, once I started the decoctions, the volume boiled out a bit.
I was really surprised at the lack of thermal inertia in the dry grain bed. That is why the hot water ended up with a too-hot mash in the first round. Alas.
Pitched 14 hours ago, still no obvious activity. I want to see how my blowoff setup works.
What are you using? I use an airlock with a tube (1/2"?) attached to the inside portion. Fits nicely. I also clipped off the bottom portion of the airlock carefully. That allows for more throughput. Then run the tube into a gallon jug that has sanitizer in it. Fun to watch the krauzen blow through the tube.
There ending up being some krauzen in the starter after all. Just not much. Went to the LHBS last night and talked to them about it. Should be OK to go with it. I'll brew Monday night. Worst case is that it doesn't take off and I go get another pack and pitch it a couple of days later.
Still no obvious yeastie activity here ~24 hours. Not worried just yet, the super high gravity can impede the start, and the temp has dropped a bit below 70.
Everything is in a 7 gallon primary right now, with a 1/2" tube going from the bung hole at the top into a half-filled water jug.