Home Brew Forum

Started making a 'Ditch' type stout but found that I couldn't get the medium spray malt .(sorry Ditch)Sooo it went something like this:-
1 can Coopers stout
1 can Coopers DME
500 grams Coopers brewing sugar
20 grams grated 85% dark chocolate

Og came out at 1080
FG (into secondry) 1015

Seems the ABV calculates out at around 9%? Could this be Black Barleywine?

That sounds like one to leave for a cold evening or for fuelling rockets...

Had a wee tasty out the SG tube - HOOHA! Bloody good stuff!

Another brew??? Are you selling this stuff or what dude??

I'd be sceptical that your brew attenuated to 9% given the (relatively) low amount of fermentables. I did a Coopers Sparkling Ale with more fermentables and got an OG of 1.056. I'd say the chocolate you used (which don't forget, is full of fats) probably threw off your OG reading. I was led to understand that brewers normally use cocoa/cocoa beans when brewing chocolatey beers. I guess you;ll know just how strong it is when you drink it...

@Paddy Bubbles
In my dreams! What normally happens is when this tiny little village I stay in gets word that a brew has been bottled, a few arrive to "just taste it so I can make up my mind to do my own or not". The SWAMBO has developed a taste for the stuff as well! So, anyway I have a fridge full of IPA & 23 litres of this stout in the secondary. With the stout I doubt that many bottles will disappear at one sitting 'cos they'll fall over after the first one! But it really does taste good already. I'll save you some.

LlewBru wrote:@Paddy Bubbles
In my dreams! What normally happens is when this tiny little village I stay in gets word that a brew has been bottled, a few arrive to "just taste it so I can make up my mind to do my own or not". The SWAMBO has developed a taste for the stuff as well! So, anyway I have a fridge full of IPA & 23 litres of this stout in the secondary. With the stout I doubt that many bottles will disappear at one sitting 'cos they'll fall over after the first one! But it really does taste good already. I'll save you some.

Sounds like your SMWBO has good taste in beers!

What IPA did you do??

Started off with the standard Coopers one but the OG was VERY low (1030) so climbed onto the net quickly & found one called Authentic IPA which called for 1KG of dme. I wacked in 700gms of dextrose as well - just for good measure. Then did a dry hop with 20gms Cascade. The OG increased to 1058 & the FG (into secondary) was 1007. Still busy conditioning but not too shabby at the moment. Quite citrusy, for me anyway. But wothehell, it's beer!

Trunky wrote:

LlewBru wrote:Started making a 'Ditch' type stout but found that I couldn't get the medium spray malt .(sorry Ditch)Sooo it went something like this:-
1 can Coopers stout
1 can Coopers DME
500 grams Coopers brewing sugar
20 grams grated 85% dark chocolate

Og came out at 1080
FG (into secondry) 1015

Seems the ABV calculates out at around 9%? Could this be Black Barleywine?

Nope. 3.4kg of liquid malt extract and 0.5kg of sugar in 23 litres is about 1.055, your hydrometer must be way off.

Thought so at first but checked out with tap water @ 20'c - came out a tad over 1. Either way, it tastes damn good. I will bottle it off in a few days time.

When you get a reading like that I think a double take would be in order?

I've edited this thread to leave just the actual technical content. Please don't make me have to do it again!