Alfreds XXXX Stock Ale

[BigEd]

onlooker, that looks like a great beer and should lay down very nicely. You have reminded me to work my barleywine into the brewing schedule soon. Cheers!

[onlooker]

Just coming to the end of the boil now, the house is full of the smell of goldings and bready, sweet malt. Awesome.

[onlooker]

O.G. = 1081.5

As I suspected not as high as might be expected but the efficiancy of my kit isnt the best.

Its tasting pretty damn good right now, hoppy as hell.

It will ferment like a bomb.

[maxashton]

This thread really makes me realise what i'm missing with the AG stuff.


I'm getting all emo now.

[maxashton]

I know i know.
I have my eye on a thermos coolbox that's been sat in my mum's garrage for about a biilion years.

[SteveD]

Ouchy! That will be big. I'm not sure how traditional a method that is though. Old English practice was to use the first runnings unsparged to make a seperate stout beer of huge gravity, subsequent liquor refills of the mash tun were run off to make progressively weaker beers, or later the 1st & 2nd or 1st, 2nd & 3rd 'mashes', in reality rinses, were sometimes combined to make one beer - the original meaning of 'entire'. Sometimes the weak last run off would be used as liquor for the next brew, and would then be called a 'return wort', but I've not heard or read of the first wort being used in that way.

[maxashton]

By the time that's fermented out, there will be enough ABV to use it as sanitizer for future brews!

[onlooker]

Steve, you are correct that first run would not have been used, but subsequent runs were often saved as liqour for a new mash, so theres the princple and I have adapted it to my needs.

Came home today from work and the fermentor had worked its way up far to warm, lots of fruity banana esters going on. cooled her down and its charging away at 23c.

[onlooker]

By the time that's fermented out, there will be enough ABV to use it as sanitizer for future brews!

But why would I want to when I could drink it and use sanitiser for that?

[onlooker]

Right today a second batch with a few alterations inorder to hopefully achieve a higher gravity, then I will blend the two batches prior to bottling. More hops, more sugar and longer mash's for this one.

[Bobwagon]

At 21 it'll be Smirnoff Ice or Bacardi Breezers I expect

I take exception to that...im 22 an ive been AG brewing for at least 3 years. If i'm ever caught drinking smirnoff ice anyone can feel free to slap me silly

[onlooker]

Wow , well things went better this time , alittle to well. I did a 3 hour boil to raise the gravity as well and ended up with the hydrometer going off the scale!! I had to dilute it by 40% and brought it down to a manageable o.g. of 1115 , damn.

[tubby_shaw]

I had to dilute it by 40% and brought it down to a manageable o.g. of 1115 , damn.

That is going to be one hell of a beer
How long do you plan on maturing it for ?

[onlooker]

As long as I can. The good thing about a double batch is there hopefully will be enougth to last some years.

I will no doubt enter it in some comps later this year and have some at winter solcstice.

[onlooker]

Well here I am sipping a snifter of my xxxx stock ale out of the keg. 1/2 of the batch is conditioning in a Jerry can prior ro bottling, the other 1/2 is in a corny keg and will be served on draft at my up coming Solstice party/non comercial winter ales festival.
Its amasing the changes this ale has gone thru already. Right now its tasting great, fruity, warming, with a resounding definite bitter finish. This one is going to age very well I suspect.