Midnight Sun M

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by tylermains, Apr 24, 2012.

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  1. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    Has anyone come up with a decent recipe for this? Anyone actually gone through with brewing it?
    Oldsock has a pretty nice looking recipe up at HBT, I'm sure he's fine with me posting it here. I'm taking no credit here, this is all Oldsock:


    Recipe Specifics
    ----------------
    Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
    Total Grain (Lbs): 22.50
    Anticipated OG: 1.114 (Plato: 26.76)
    Anticipated SRM: 42.5
    Anticipated IBU: 109.2
    Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
    Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

    Grain/Sugar
    -----------
    44.4 10.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
    22.2 5.00 lbs. German Munich Malt
    8.9 2.00 lbs. Smoked(Bamberg)
    6.7 1.50 lbs. Candi Sugar Syrup (dark)
    6.7 1.50 lbs. Crystal 90L
    4.4 1.00 lbs. Special B Malt
    4.4 1.00 lbs. Victory Malt
    2.2 0.50 lbs. Carafa Special II

    Hops
    -----
    3.00 oz. Magnum (Pellet 14.00% AA) @ 85 min.

    Extras
    ------
    2.00 Oz Oak cubes soaked in Bourbon 90 Days

    Yeast
    -----
    530/550/001/002 or 3787/3522/1056/1968 ("Four completely fabulous yeast strains, two of Belgian origin.")

    Mash Schedule
    -------------
    Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 60

    Notes
    -----
    Bourbon oak

    Final Gravity around 1.079 (If 37 P and only 11.6% ABV can be believed)

    Commercial Description:
    On this 10-year mark, Midnight Sun Brewing Company proudly releases its 1000th batch of beer - a larger-than-life Belgian-style Barley Wine (if such a style exists) simply called M - in commemoration of the enduring spirit that founded and sustains this little brewery in the extreme Northwest. Making M required a massive grain bill - seven seductive malts - boosted by strength-inducing Belgian candi sugar. Once original gravity hit 37 Plato, a frenzied fermentation ensued: four completely fabulous yeast strains, two of Belgian origin, transformed this sweet concoction into all that is beer. But not just any beer. A beer of madcap magnitude - 11.6% ABV. Character and complexity increased exponentially while M meddled and mellowed for several months in all-American bourbon oak barrels. Blending the aged beer before bottling ascertained smoothness. M is mesmerizing, pouring dark and silky. Caramel and spice waft up from the glass; bourbon, molasses, leather and vanilla follow. The first taste proffers tobacco, burnt sugar and raisin with a sublime port-like finish, but bourbon - smooth, sensuous, brooding bourbon - is ever-present. The finish, a bit edgy like an American take on barley wine, provides the necessary leap toward overall balance. M is a precious gift to ourselves as well as you, seekers of beer-that-is-beyond-beer adventures... We are but mere mortals in the presence of M.
    Thoughts?
     
    #1 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  2. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    After rounding up suggestions here, I plan on brewing this and putting it in a brandy barrel.
     
    #2 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  3. bum732

    bum732 Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2008 Lesotho

    That final gravity is insane, if correct.

    edit: do you have link to the HBT thread about this?
     
    #3 bum732, Apr 24, 2012
  4. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    #4 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  5. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    I'm thinking they meant to say 27 plato instead of 37 in the description. OldSock seems to agree by his calculated OG
     
    #5 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  6. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Given an OG of 1.114 you are looking at a FG of about 1.025 to 1.026 to hit 11.6%
     
    #6 OddNotion, Apr 24, 2012
  7. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    I think an OG of 1.114 and FG of 1.025 is manageable. My main concerns are the 2 lbs of Smoked malt, along with the rest of the grainbill, and the hop profile. It would be so much easier if I had an M sitting in front my face!
     
    #7 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  8. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Have you ever had M before? I know its a long shot but always worth asking! I have never had it (as I would assume is the case for most) so I have no clue as to what goes into the beer or the end product. I have not used smoked malt so I am not sure how strong it would come through here but the rest of the recipe seems like it would taste good but it would be super expensive, especially with the 4 yeasts. The hops look like they could be fine as they are there for balance since this recipe looks like a yeast and malt driven beer. I would suggest mashing at a low temp for a long time to help with the fermentability of the wort.
     
    #8 OddNotion, Apr 24, 2012
  9. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    Nope never had an M. If anyone wants to donate one to me for cloning purposes... by all means do it! Hahah

    I asked Oldsock about the hop profile and I think he's right, this isn't a hop driven barleywine. I'm just concerned about 2 lbs of smoked malt. I don't want this to be a smoked barleywine.
     
    #9 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  10. jlpred55

    jlpred55 Initiate (0) Jul 26, 2006 Iowa

    2.00 lbs of smoked malt in this grain bill isn't very much and isn't going to give you much noticable smoke- IMO
     
    #10 jlpred55, Apr 24, 2012
  11. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    Hmm, maybe so. I'm reading over the reviews for M and there aren't many claims of tasting or smelling any smoke. I wonder what replacing 1 lb of smoked malt with 1 lb of chocolate malt would do. Or maybe even rye.
     
    #11 tylermains, Apr 24, 2012
  12. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    Make sure to take in account of the age of the beer at the time it was reviewed. Smoke fades, which could be why, if there was any smoke malt added it is no longer apparent. With such a small percentage of smoked malt I doubt it would really lead to anything unexpected, other then some added subtle complexity.
     
    #12 jamescain, Apr 24, 2012
  13. waltersrj

    waltersrj Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2010 Washington

    ISO: Tyler's M! Put it in Unwanted Whales 3.0 :wink:
     
    #13 waltersrj, Apr 24, 2012
  14. carteravebrew

    carteravebrew Initiate (0) Jan 21, 2010 Colorado

    Yeah, I assume that Bamberg smoked malt (never used it) is more comparable to Weyermann smoked malt, which in a beer like this would probably need to be at least 50% of the grain bill to make you say, "Whoa, this beer is smokey." Now if it were something like peat-smoked malt, 2 lbs...:astonished:

    The 2 lbs of Bamberg may help attribute to the tobacco or even some of the leather described (I get a little of that from smoked malt, personally). All in all, it looks like a really fun recipe!
     
    #14 carteravebrew, Apr 24, 2012
  15. Pnell316

    Pnell316 Initiate (0) Aug 16, 2010 Pennsylvania

    I'm already planing on when/how I'm gonna do this one. Quick question on the oak cubes, how long do you let them soak in bourbon before they're ready for pitching (never done this yet).
     
    #15 Pnell316, Apr 25, 2012
  16. LostTraveler

    LostTraveler Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2011 Maine

    Longer the better....

    ISO: M Clone
     
    #16 LostTraveler, Apr 25, 2012
  17. cpinto6

    cpinto6 Initiate (0) Feb 25, 2010 Georgia

    Try to find the oldest reviews on here and RB though the ones over there are much less detail oriented so if the smoke was subtle it might not be mentioned. Otherwise start a thread in w/e regional forums is for alaska and ask the opinions of the people there who had it fresh, whether they remember any smoke at all or not. Its been a long time but I'm sure some remember.
     
    #17 cpinto6, Apr 25, 2012
  18. Pnell316

    Pnell316 Initiate (0) Aug 16, 2010 Pennsylvania

    so longer like a week or longer like a year?
     
    #18 Pnell316, Apr 25, 2012
  19. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    25 years is really optimal.
     
    #19 stupac2, Apr 25, 2012
    spry likes this.
  20. LostTraveler

    LostTraveler Initiate (0) Oct 28, 2011 Maine

    Remember when breweries age in bourbon barrels, they contained bourbon for years and years to mature. I would soak the oak as long as possible. If you have the oak now start soaking now. If you get it when you brew, then by the time you are ready to bottle after a few weeks fermenting thats fine too. Only gets better with age, just remember to pour out the bourbon when you you use the oak NOT THE BOURBON. It will leech the tannins from the oak. I soaked oak in sport for about 6months for my RIS.

    What are you using for a mast tun? I would check http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml to make sure you can mash it. I brewed a Kate clone that literally put my tun at absolute max (it was about 22lbs of gain +/-). I didnt hit my OG though, the taste was there though (its what I used the port oak on).

    Good luck, I would trade for 1 when its all set and you are proud of it.
     
    #20 LostTraveler, Apr 25, 2012
    hmmmmmm likes this.
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