Looking to brew my first 10+% beer, any tips?

I have always had good clean results with 007. It should finish the bulk of fermentation within 14 days, but you will want to condition it for a few months, but that will all depend on how it tastes. I allow mine to go for at least 3 months. Are you adding anything to the beer after fermentation?

 

healthy yeast pitch, use a starter. WLP001 is a beast and does well in a stout. Oxygenate your wort, and be patient with the fermentation. Keep it on the cool side and let it do its thing. if you have a deadline it HAS to be done by, don't bother. Mine hung out for a few weeks before bottling.

 

Along these lines, if you had access to an oxygenation stone would you ever re-oxygenate (12-24 hours) after pitching? Does this make a difference at this OG?

 

Technically, the yeast will make better use of the O2 12 hours after pitching, but most people infuse O2 at pitching time without a problem. A second O2 infusion is something you might want to consider for REALLY big beers above 12%. Not sure what the ideal day would be for a second infusion since I don't make REALLY big beers, but would guess closer to 5-7 days after pitching.

 

Use a blow off tube.

 

If something goes right, you won't have a lot of beer, and that stuff has to sit around for 6 months to a year before it gets really good.

 

Ferment on the cool side of the yeasts tolerance. This helps prevent an aggressive foam and keeps off-flavors in check.

 

I recently brewed an imperial stout using wyeast 1762. It is still sitting in the fermenter and its been there for about a month and a half at 70 degrees. I took a sample the other day though and I really like the dark fruit sort of flavors this yeast gave to the beer. Just my two cents, but using a belgian sort of yeast in an application like this will definitely make your brew stand out.

 

Hop heavy gets really user friendly when you go past 8%. Usually. Lots of darker beers have more IBUs than I ever though.

 

Everyone is suggesting different yeast but nobody has asked exactly what you want out of this beer...so, what do you want this beer to taste like? Personally I like Wyeast 1028 or 1084...but again, it the yeast you should use is going to depend on what you're going for.

 

Big pitch of yeast is essential, they should be healthy, add the recommended dosage of yeast nutrients to the wort to give the yeast all the vitamins and minerals they need. Give the wort a big dose of O2 before the yeast is pitched. Another shot at 12 to 18 hours is good for the yeast. Then no more O2. Temperature control is key during fermentation, keep it cool to minimize fuels and esters. Ramp up towards the end of fermentation, reaching the top of the temp range for the yeast.

You can be drinking this in a few months if you have good high gravity brewing procedures.

 

Is another shot of O2 still a good idea if the initial signs of fermentation i.e., thin krausen islands ... are visible?

 

I think so as the yeast can still be in the exponential growth phase, where O2 helps a lot. British brewers did the double drop to give more O2 in Victorian times, or the Burton Union system to expose the yeast to more air.

 

Yes, in my experience it is. It's usually the next morning, I've got some thin krausen going on, I'll hit it with another 30-45 seconds of pure O2 before leaving. I've found the beers to finish lower, have less esters than needed from the yeast profile picked.

 

Be very patient while lautering... it takes a looooong time.