With winter looming...

Discussion on brewing beer from malt extract, hops, and yeast.
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rootsbrew

With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:19 am

Not there was much of a summer after mid July, this year!

Anyway I've done most of the shopping for this one. Just need a little guidance...
- 3kg Coopers Dark LME
- 1kg Muntons Extra Dark Spraymalt
- 500g Lactose
- 5 vanilla pods
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 20g cardammon pods
- 50g orange peel +maybe a little juice
- 25g cocoa nibs.

Q1. How much water should be added to achieve a brew that teeters on the balance of big & luxurious vs. Refreshing enough vs. will condition to peak in 4 months?

Q2. Which hops would compliment with this dark warming thing? To hand I have: Cascade, Sorachi, EKG and Saaz in leaves and Chinook in pellets.

Q3. Which yeast would munch through those heavy sugars cleanly and still leave good body - and even a.bit of RS?

Help and thoughts greatly appreciated.

McMullan

Re: With winter looming...

Post by McMullan » Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:19 am

I'd aim for about 12L in the primary, expecting about 10L after losses in primary and secondary. That should give you about 1.090 OG. Adjust from there, depending on what you're hoping to achieve. Any hops for bitterness, but I'd use EKG. EKG for any late additions, not much, though. WLP007 is likely to attenuate well (with a big starter) but leave a little sweetness. I'd forget cardamom, especially that much. It tastes like 'washing-up liquid', if over used. I'd consider lowering the amount of cinnamon and vanilla too. You could always add more later.

Edit: I missed out your kg extra dark :oops: So, about 16L :mrgreen:

rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:38 pm

Fantastic! Thanks. This is going to be like ever so sparkling tar. Should put a smile on faces when the mercury dips with an OG of 1.090, even if it stops at 1.040 - 1.035 :D

I'm trying to emulate your calculation - where did you get those numbers from? Is there data somewhwere about the amount of glucose vs. unfermentables in well known extracts?

Good point about the spices. Black soapy soup wouldn't be nice. My reason for considering cardamon was I want it to have an obvious hit of a sweet floral nature, before the roastytoasty character. Maybe some Bourbon cask chippings in the secondary? As for hops - think you have the measure of what I'm after: no obvious character but just enough bitterness to match the malt & lactose.

Just found an in-date sachet of BRY-97 or would that be rubbish? I'm keen to get this started, knowing how long it'll take to mature and how much I procrastinate about bottling. At least it won't take up too many crown caps at 16 litres!

Secla
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 637
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:26 am

Re: With winter looming...

Post by Secla » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:45 pm

if using dried yeast at that og you will need more than 1 packet

rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:14 pm

Secla wrote:
Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:45 pm
if using dried yeast at that og you will need more than 1 packet
Mmm. Hadn't thought of that. What's the highest OG that one sachet could work with, or would that just be a thin imitation of what I'm aiming for? Does making a decent slurry improve things? One option might be to get the ball rolling and then pitch a bit more asap.

Secla
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 637
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:26 am

Re: With winter looming...

Post by Secla » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:25 pm

re-hydrate it, youll need around 14g or yeast for 16l at that og

rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:44 pm

Ah OK. Thanks. How can I calculate yeast requirement for myself?

Secla
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 637
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:26 am

Re: With winter looming...

Post by Secla » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:52 pm


rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Fri Aug 25, 2017 10:09 pm

Thanks. It requires flashplayer, so I'll check when I'm next at a computer. I'll report on how the goes, once it's bubbling.

rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Tue Aug 29, 2017 5:22 pm

Finally under way. FV vapours smell like a choclate orange.

3.0kg Coopers dark LME,
1.0kg Muntons extra dark DME,
0.5kg Lactose,
15ltr Water.

@20mins & staying in FV:
35g Cascade (to go with BRY-97),
7 Orangaaaaes‘ shaved peel,
3 Cinnamon sticks,
40g Cocoa,
6-7 cloves.

Wort: 19litres @ 1.078 OG.

Start of fermentation was a bit of a nightmare but it's bubbling away now - ended up pitching about 40g yeast in 3 batches. My previous pale and amber brews (with OGs around the 1.050 mark) have all shown some evidence of fermentation at 3-4 hours. Was it the high gravity, dark malt or something else that meant the FV showed no signs of life for more than 12hours?

rootsbrew

Re: With winter looming...

Post by rootsbrew » Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:16 pm

This stuff is like tar - it's amazing! Been about 6 weeks and can't get the gravity below 1.035, so about 5.6% abv.

As an aside, despite putting the zest of 7 oranges in the brew, it has very little orange character now.

The main question is - although I'd expect it to taste a bit sweet and creamy from the lactose, I'm worried 1.035 is still to high, so would the use of a more alcohol-tollerant yeast, like Safale T-58, be advised to prevent bottle bombs?

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