Alfreds XXXX Stock Ale

[onlooker]

Right, after a hell week and a 1/2 where my mum fell seriously ill, things have calmed down enougth for me to brew again. So today its Alfreds XXXX Stock Ale , which hopefully might be ok by mid winter.

Grist

Mash#1

- 5 kg marris otter pale malt

Mash #2

- 6 kg marris otter pale malt
- 150g Black Patent Malt

Adjunct

- 500g Brown Sugar

Hops

90g Super Alpha (60min)
60g Goldings (30min)
50g Goldings (20min)
50g Goldings (10min)

Yeast s-o4 in primary, and us56 in secondary.

Expected o.g. ? big as.

[tubby_shaw]

That's an awesome looking recipe onlooker
Do I understand your method correctly ?
Runnings from both mashes go into the same boil?
If so what's your final brew length ?

[maxashton]

Jesus. You could degrease engines with that.

[onlooker]

I do one mash and then use the runnings of that as the strike liquor for the second mash, due to my limited mash tun size. I use the same method for my imperial stout.

Works a treat. Degrease engines ? well perhaps help the cheese board go down at Winter Solstice.

Im a huge Thomas Hardys fan and Gale Prize Old. Aiming for something in that region.

[Andy]

Interesting - so you run off the 1st mash, collect the wort, heat the wort up to strike temp and remash with the 2nd grist mixture in the (cleaned out) mash tun ?

[onlooker]

Its a very traditional english , pre sparge arm era method. I got the idea from Jamil on the Brewing Network, but I have read Randy Mosher write of it before.

[onlooker]

Pretty much , I shovel the spent grain out and cart it off to the compost , and then set up the mill over the mash tun again, I donjt clean it between the two mashs and I leave the runnings in that are left under false bottom.

[Seveneer]

I have heard of this fairly recently but as usual I don't remember where I read it or heard it but it could have been the Brewing Network .

This beer's got to have an OG around 1.110 (assuming 5 gallons) and have somewhere around 12% alcohol. Will 10 months be long enough for it to reach its best

/Phil.

[onlooker]

absolutly not , but it should be good for a few bottles to be sipped, and then be in better condition for next years solctise. I hope I achieve the gravity you qoute, my efficiancy isnt always that good.

[Seveneer]

That's a great idea (to open a few bottles a year) and I've been thinking of brewing a really big beer too but I don't have the patience to let it mature. Maybe I'll give it a go anyway. After the first bottle I won't really care if it's matured or not .

/Phil.

[onlooker]

Also my southern hemisphere winter solcstice is June so it wont even have 6 months to age for this year. .

[onlooker]

I keep a cellar, with Prize Old, Hardys , Chimay Blue , plus my own Imperial Stout vintages. Its hard but rewarding to cellar.

[Seveneer]

Also my southern hemisphere winter solcstice is June so it wont even have 6 months to age for this year. .

Missed that Crikey good job you have a well stocked cellar

My siser had a kid a few weeks ago. I'm thinking of making a beer to put down for future birthdays. How long do you mature those cellared beers?

/Phil.

[onlooker]

A freind of mine cellars a bottle of Thomas Hardys for each of his children when they are borne to be opened on thier 21st.

[onlooker]

that waits to be seen.

You know how kids rebel, they will probibly be wine drinkers.