Help with first time brew and recipe

My Opinion: High gravity beers and Whiskey additions are a little advanced for a first brew.

Another opinion in case you're going to do it anyway... start with a light/pale DME and use specialty grains to add dark/roasty/caramelly colors/flavors. You probably don't know what's actually in that Dark DME, and neither do we.

 

I would let it ferment for at least two weeks and make sure fermentation has stopped by checking the gravity 3 days apart before bottling. I let my big stouts sit 3-4 weeks in the primary before bottling.

When I have added whiskey I add around 4-6 oz but it is only because I use it to soak vanilla beans, cacao nibs and oak cubes. I usually strain the beans and nibs and add it at week 3 with the oak cubes and bottle at 4 weeks.

Anything over 9% I add yeast at bottling to make sure it fully carbonates in a timely manner. It isn't necessary with some yeasts as long as you had a healthy fermentation but not worth taking the chance with your first beer.

Plan on making a starter if you go with liquid yeast. If it were me I would probably use 2 packs of dry us-05 for your first big beer. It will get the job done and produce a clean beer if you keep the temps under 70F.

 

I generally recommend the KISS strategy, especially for new brewers. However, for some, the attraction to homebrewing is the ability to go crazy.

I recommend you use a yeast that is a known entity. I have read nothing about WLP045, Scotch Whiskey yeast, except what they say on White Labs page. http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp045-scotch-whisky-yeast
The thing about yeasts used for spirits is that they do not necessarily need to taste good, because when you distill the fermented product, you will get rid of most of the impurities that create off flavors. Therefore, I have low expectations of this yeast until someone tells me otherwise. There are lots of brewers here who do high gravity beers. I hope they can give you some advice on this strain or offer a more reliable one

 

Listen to these guys... also, your fermentation is done when it's done, verified by hydrometer (no change in gravity for at least 3-4 days for a big beer), rather than planning to bottle after x days. Later is usually better than sooner. I'd be afraid to use distillers yeast unless I tried it in a 1 gallon test batch first.

 

It sounds like you should probably go back to the drawing board if you'd like to have a semi successful day.

First brews are always an adventure, and I can almost assure you, the first beer won't that be that great if you continue to brew and find out all your short comings.

A 1.080+ OG stout, with whiskey, and vanilla would fall into the "wait until later" section.

But if you must. Use pale DME instead. Your grains look a bit off. I'd add some crystal 80 or 120L to the grist. Cut back on the black patent malt by half a pound.. You'll get plenty of color, and roast, steeping the roasted barley, the crystal, and the black patent malt.

I would use a different yeast. You've chosen a distillers yeast. It'll work for beer, but I haven't seen it sold in many places, and many don't have info on it. That, and I suspect the chances are high you don't have temp control for your fermentation.

So my simple suggestion, is to use 2 packs of US-05 yeast for this beer. You'll need a fair bit of cells for a larger beer, and one vial, or pack of something will be under pitching by a fair bit. You'll want to make sure it ferments out, and as a new brewer you have little idea of yeast profiles. I like US05 for big stouts myself, I think it works fine, especially if you ferment really low, and keep it clean.

As for fermentation time, who knows. I'd suggest that it'll probably take 2 weeks minimum, and I'd let it sit for atleast 3 weeks myself. Take a gravity reading at 2 weeks, and then take one around the 17th and 21st day and see if there's any change at all.

Hop bill, I haven't looked to see IBU's, what are you shooting for?

I'd suggest skipping the whiskey. Doesn't taste like a barrel aged beer if that is what you are going for.

Vanilla is do-able. Add it just before packaging to taste in your bottling bucket.

But I still stand by my original statement.. I'd pick another beer, seriously.

 

Be prepared for a violent fermentation. Use a blow off tube instead of an airlock, and keep in mind that fermentation temp will be upwards of 10 degrees warmer than the ambient air temperature during the peak of activity. Make sure you have a plan for keeping the fermentation temperature under 70, especially during the first 3 or 4 days.

But I'll second or third the suggestion to pick a tamer brew for your first batch. Perhaps a porter or saison would be good flavorful options. I thought I had my first brew day planned out perfectly, and about 13 things went wrong. I was brewing a fairly simple extract IPA recipe, too.

 

I like your enthusiasm for a big brew the first time. However, as others stated- I would probably stay clear of this big of beer the first time. If you want a good bourbon beer- I would start with Northern Brewers Bourbon Barrel Porter kit they sell. Simple to follow and ages well.

 

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/bourbon-barrel-porter-extract-kit.html

 

I brewed NB's porter as my 4th or 5th batch and it turned out well. I thought it really hit its peak after 6-8 months once the bourbon and oak flavor smoothed out. I still have a bottle left that I am saving for the 2 year mark this fall.

After thinking about it I would suggest something else for your first beer. Not because of difficulty but because the time it takes for the beer to be ready to drink. For my first beer I was excited to drink it the moment I brewed it. If I would of brewed the porter first I would not of let it sit long enough to enjoy it at its best. I would brew something you can be drinking in 4-5 weeks. Get another fermenter and brew the porter or another big beer a week or two after.