Extra strong beer advice

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Beerswimmer, Aug 14, 2015.

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  1. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    Inspired by my 18% quad I just made and reading about using WLP099, I think I want to make a HUGE beer to put away for my retirement from the military in around 3-4 years. My idea is to make the same quad I just made ~1.160 and let it get to terminal(around 1.02)with my Belgian yest of choice, probably Chimay since it's a great attenuator. Then rack to a larger fermentor with a 2 gallon starter of WLP099 and let it get going and then start adding a lb of dark candi syrup every other day until I get to terminal, then bottle with some more syrup and hope it's still good in a few years.

    My recipe was actually a partial extract with aromatic and flaked wheat, the rest was Pils DME and 3lbs of dark candi syrup added 2 days into fermentation. Should I add some dextrine for body? I can't fit an all grain recipe this big in my mash tun.

    Any issues that I'm not thinking about?

    I've never made a beer this big, any advice would be appreciated!
     
    #1 Beerswimmer, Aug 14, 2015
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    I want to see this happen. :slight_smile:
     
    #2 inchrisin, Aug 14, 2015
    machalel, corbmoster, LuskusDelph and 1 other person like this.
  3. CADETS3

    CADETS3 Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2014 Texas

    dayummmmm
     
    #3 CADETS3, Aug 14, 2015
  4. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,891) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    Looks pretty good to me. I did something similar with a belgian barleywine a few years back - after primary fermentation, racked to secondary and pitched the WLP099. Multiple sugar additions every day for 1 week. Granted, mine was around 15% abv. As long as you aerate well, and pitch enough yeast (which sounds like you are) you should be good. 4 years should be enough time for this beast to mellow out :slight_smile: Mine is just now getting there, and it's been almost 2 years since I brewed it.
     
    #4 Lukass, Aug 14, 2015
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  5. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    What do you mean by "until I get to terminal?"
     
    #5 VikeMan, Aug 14, 2015
  6. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    until it gets to terminal:wink:
     
    #6 Beerswimmer, Aug 14, 2015
  7. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    No, I knew you meant "it," but what do you mean? What's getting to terminal what?
     
    #7 VikeMan, Aug 14, 2015
  8. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    Sorry, final gravity. Or when the yeast stops fermenting the sugars.
     
    #8 Beerswimmer, Aug 14, 2015
  9. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Ah, I though that might be it. The problem with adding sugars until the yeast quit is that the sugars (syrup) you then add at bottling isn't going to carbonate the beer.

    ETA: I think @Stealth has a thread in here somewhere about something similar he did with a Stout.
     
    #9 VikeMan, Aug 14, 2015
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  10. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    @stealth kegs, so feeding his stout sugar until the yeast quit isn't an issue
     
    #10 CurtFromHershey, Aug 15, 2015
  11. stealth

    stealth Pooh-Bah (2,023) Dec 16, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    Yeah big beers have kind of become 'my thing' I guess. My stout that is conditioning right now is 30.6%. If you have any questions along the way drop me a PM!

    As for bottle conditioning a beer this big - not going to happen unless you catch it mid-fermentation after a sugar addition when the yeast are still kicking, and that's going to be pretty iffy (unpredictable amount of carb) and your end product is not under as much control as if you'd let it attenuate fully then condition it like you would normally.
     
    #11 stealth, Aug 15, 2015
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  12. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    @Beerswimmer Don't drop a pm. Let it all hang out. Not much talk on big beers here. I'm kind of curious how you @stealth and others get away with this stuff without having to distill.

    So typically you just have to keg one of these beers?
     
    #12 inchrisin, Aug 15, 2015
  13. bevoduz

    bevoduz Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2007 Illinois

    Very interested in hearing about a 30% Stout. Big Stouts are mainly what I brew, but 18% is about as high as I've gone, though I've never tried to go above that. I did a 20%+ 120 clone many years ago that turned out awesome, but I'm a Stout guy now.
     
    #13 bevoduz, Aug 15, 2015
  14. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    Well, I really had hoped I would be able to bottle this beer. I was thinking that I could check the gravity and see when the FG starts to go up after feedings, then use a small feeding as the carb feeding. If I have to keg, this may change my plans since I'll be moving next summer. Moving a box of bottles would be easier than a keg(would it??). I wanted the abv % to equal the number of years of service, 20 minimum. Maybe stopping at 20% so I can bottle would be a better idea?
     
    #14 Beerswimmer, Aug 15, 2015
  15. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    I went to the beach today and was surrounded by tight bodies in bikinis and all I could think about was how in the hell I'm going to brew this beer. I started to come up with a plan of action and will start buying ingredients on Monday. I'm going to brew a 5g batch of pale with the Chimay yeast to get a good cake to pour the quad onto. Once the quad gets going and the candi sugars are added, I'll brew a quick 5g batch of just some extract at around 1.030 for the WLP099 to build up a good cake. When the quad is done fermenting I'll pour, not rack, it onto the 099 cake(for some O2) and aerate(I don't have an O2 bottle)it every few hours by shaking for a few minutes. When this reaches final it's gravity, I'll wait 24hours and add a pound of dark candi syrup and check the gravity after 12hours. That's my starting point really. From there I will be able to guesstimate how the yeast is eating so I can see if I need to increase or decrease the time between feedings. I'll also have a sort of baseline FG so I can tell when the yeast is starting to give out. I want to bottle this beer, so I need to know when it still has enough ass left to be able to carbonate. So my real abv goal is only 20%, but I will keep feeding until I think it's time to stop. Worst case scenario is around January and the bottles have no carb in them I'll keg it.
     
    #15 Beerswimmer, Aug 15, 2015
  16. Beerswimmer

    Beerswimmer Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2013 Texas

    Oops, I meant 24hours, not 12 for the gravity check.
     
    #16 Beerswimmer, Aug 15, 2015
  17. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    So conflicted about how to respond to this.
     
    #17 VikeMan, Aug 16, 2015
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  18. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    There's more to beer than just the ABV...I think there's an analogy here somewhere...
     
    #18 GreenKrusty101, Aug 16, 2015
  19. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    You could always force carb in the keg and then bottle from that.
     
    #19 MrOH, Aug 16, 2015
  20. bevoduz

    bevoduz Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2007 Illinois

    ^^^ agreed, I would force carb any high abv beer, even if you have to borrow equipment. Odds of it carbing in the bottle properly are slim, and if the yeast are active enough to carbonate it bottle bombs could be a huge possibility.
     
    #20 bevoduz, Aug 16, 2015
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