New Years Day Imperial Stout Brewday????

[Lugsy]

You might have a point. Rob recommends a maximum of 3-5% so I might reign it in a bit, maybe 300g instead and add some roasted barley to compensate. Given ryes tendency to turn to glue in my experience this might help with the run-off too. Ta!

[WishboneBrewery]

ahh, stuff it then, I've done a stout ages ago with about 5% in it, I just wasn't totally sure on the flavour so after reading the Brupaks thing I reigned in my percentage to 3% for the Imperial.

[Lugsy]

I've found extra-wide voile so I can put off learning to sew for another day, yay! Also got some blackstrap molasses, some unrefined molasses sugar and a friend is bringing some jaggery over from Leeds tomorrow along with whatever else she can get hold of in the Caribbean shops. So that's me sorted for the brew.

Now I just have to stop reading "Radical Brewing" before he talks me into something stupid like Ancho chillies

[leedsbrew]

Well, I'm gonna be weighing everything out tomorrow and getting everything ready for me to start ASAP on NYD morning! Can't wait!

[Tom_D]

I've just weighed out my grain and treated my water. Should make tomorrow run a little more smoothly at least. I believe I've earned myself a beer!

[Lugsy]

Another change of plan for me, I'm going to boil in the big new kettle. This doesn't fit in the bath for cooling so today I'm making an IC - 26 brews under my belt and I still haven't got one! Just got back from the hardware shop with a coil of 10mm microbore, a bending spring and a handful of plumbing fittings to finish off the plumbing for the big pan. Then I'm weighing out the grains and sorting my water treatment. Busy afternoon for me

[Lugsy]

Right, that's the immersion cooler sorted along with a rudimentary hop strainer (stainless steel pan scourer tied on with titanium welding wire - it's all I had lying around) so it's all go for using the big new pan. I've decided against the overnight mash, there's so much headspace in the pan the heat losses will be a killer so I'll mash in the morning when I can keep an eye on temperature and top up with hot water as needed. We've got friends round this evening so I'm not allowed to obsess about brewing all night! Happy new year and good luck with the start of your brews

[Spikesdad]

A much later start than what i wanted, but never mind finally doughed in at 10 30 with , as i suspected a very full mash tun. some pics on brewdays thread.

happy brewing folks

[WishboneBrewery]

Me too, I'm at it, Mashed in last night at 00:50! Mash lost 7c at about 9am when I added all the sparge liquor.
Pre-boil gravity came up short so I'm just doing an extra sparge while boiling down the first, this wasn't unexpected.

[barney]

Not started yet ran out of gas 20 mile round trip trying to get some.

[Befuddler]

I had to drop out of this due to having a stinking cold.. Does it still count if I brew it next weekend?

[leedsbrew]

Sure it does mate! I'm mashing in tonight to boil tomorrow as I've been in bed all day after the worst night shift ever in A&E NYE!

[Lugsy]

What's everyone's plans for conditioning this then? I'm thinking about secondary fermentation under airlock in a 5 gallon glass carboy in the cellar for at least a couple of months (maybe five or six) before bottling with a little bit of sugar. Any thoughts?

[WishboneBrewery]

my last ones didn't carbonate that well, so almost as soon as I get two consistent FG readings I'll prime and bottle, I'm hoping US-05 is going to have better legs than Nottingham.

[Lugsy]

As I'll possibly be resorting to using champagne yeast to finish mine off I'm concerned about it slowly chewing it's way through the more difficult sugars for the next year or two and causing carbonation/explosion issues! If by some miracle I get to somewhere near my FG with just my primary yeast (US-05 will apparently go as far as 12% but I doubt if mine has been given optimum conditions!) then I'll bottle early too.