The 1100 Club

[Tony]

Hi all.

I brewed my biggest ever beer today...... a 1.110 Doppelbock. I had to water it down to 1.106 to top it up in the cube but still bloody big. It was AG..... no sugars, extract ect.

double decoction mashed it and boiled it fo 2 hours.

No Melanoiden malt either

I boiled it in my new kettle and it worked great. FB held all the hop flowers and they actuall worked as a filter to hold the break. I got bugger all i the cube.

The wort was the clearest wort i have seen hot. It was crystal clear with very well formed hot break that dopped out very quickly.

I was wondering who else has brewed a beer over the 1.100 mark and what was it?

cheers

 

[newguy]

My last barleywine had an OG of 1.107. I had to boil that one for 3 hours (normally boil for 1/2 that) to get my volume down. I brewed it in August 2006, and it's just now coming into its own. The only problem with it is that the bottles didn't carbonate. FG was 1.030. A friend heard of a trick from one of Zamil's brewing podcasts on how to carbonate big beers. Put them in a cooler with an aquarium heater set to 27C for 2 weeks, and apparently they'll carbonate. I just started this procedure a few days ago, hopefully it works.

 

[Zwickel]

Congrats Tony,

Id like to know what yeast youre gonna use. The most of known beer-yeast strains cannot handle that big amount of sugar (vide crabtree effect).
Perhaps a Port wine yeast could do the work.

Cheers mate :icon_cheers:

 

[Keith the Beer Guy]

Id like to know what yeast youre gonna use. The most of known beer-yeast strains cannot handle that big amount of sugar (vide crabtree effect).
Perhaps a Port wine yeast could do the work.

Zwickel,

there are plenty of beer yeasts that will chew up that much sugar. For my last Barley Wine I used a dried yeast, US-56 (US-05), O.G. 26.25 deg plato AA=78.5%, for my next to last Imperial Stout I used Wyeast Irish Ale 1084, O.G. 29 deg Plato AA=72%.

The secret is to aerate well and pitch a bucket load of yeast.

... a trick from one of Zamil's brewing podcasts on how to carbonate big beers. Put them in a cooler with an aquarium heater set to 27C for 2 weeks, and apparently they'll carbonate. I just started this procedure a few days ago, hopefully it works.

This will work if the problem was that the yeast went dormant when you bottled. This can happen if you bottle and then store the bottles somwhere a a bit cooler. To this method I would add the suggestion that you give the bottles a gentle shake, just enough to lift the yeast from the bottom and suspend it in the beer. If it doesn't work, given you have put a lot of effort and time into your year old beer, you might make a post, I am sure someone will detail the idea of taking off the caps and adding a small amount of yeast, good luck.

Cheers,

Keith

 

[newguy]

This will work if the problem was that the yeast went dormant when you bottled. This can happen if you bottle and then store the bottles somwhere a a bit cooler. To this method I would add the suggestion that you give the bottles a gentle shake, just enough to lift the yeast from the bottom and suspend it in the beer. If it doesn't work, given you have put a lot of effort and time into your year old beer, you might make a post, I am sure someone will detail the idea of taking off the caps and adding a small amount of yeast, good luck.

Cheers Keith,

I'm pretty sure the yeast simply went dormant. I've tried gently swirling each bottle every day for 2 weeks to resuspend the yeast, but that didn't work. The yeast would just drop out of suspension by the next day. Just before I put them in the cooler with the heater, I swirled again. This time, the yeast is staying in suspension, 3+ days later. I'm assuming that means they're happily munching some sugar. I'd be happy with low carbonation instead of the nearly zero fizz I have now.

As a last resort I have a couple packets of champagne yeast. I may try adding a bit to each bottle, but I'm really afraid of this method. Given the high FG (1.030), I have no idea where the champagne yeast will stop. I don't want bottle grenades.

 

[Zwickel]

....
there are plenty of beer yeasts that will chew up that much sugar. For my last Barley Wine I used a dried yeast, US-56 (US-05), O.G. 26.25 deg plato AA=78.5%, for my next to last Imperial Stout I used Wyeast Irish Ale 1084, O.G. 29 deg Plato AA=72%.

hmmm...Keith, that sounds quite interesting.

I dont have any experience by myself with that high amount of sugar, I know only from theory there might be a problem caused by the crabtree effect.
Thats why Im asking, Im very curious how it tournes out.

Cheers :icon_cheers:

edit: spelling

 

[Darren]

Hi all.

I brewed my biggest ever beer today...... a 1.110 Doppelbock. I had to water it down to 1.106 to top it up in the cube but still bloody big. It was AG..... no sugars, extract ect.

double decoction mashed it and boiled it fo 2 hours.

No Melanoiden malt either

I boiled it in my new kettle and it worked great. FB held all the hop flowers and they actuall worked as a filter to hold the break. I got bugger all i the cube.

The wort was the clearest wort i have seen hot. It was crystal clear with very well formed hot break that dopped out very quickly.

I was wondering who else has brewed a beer over the 1.100 mark and what was it?

cheers

Hey Tony,

Is that tomato sauce you are making there?

My experience with BIG beers is they will not carbonate in the bottle. I would force carbonate in keg then bottle. After all these styles should be crystal clear and autolysis will happen with the amount of alcohol in them.

cheers

Darren

 

[mikem108]

US Barley wine I made currently aging in a keg was 1.115, and took about 300gms of hops to tame.
Also made for a hell of a long brew day, luckily you don't make one of these every brew day!

 

[warrenlw63]

Zwickel,

there are plenty of beer yeasts that will chew up that much sugar. For my last Barley Wine I used a dried yeast, US-56 (US-05), O.G. 26.25 deg plato AA=78.5%, for my next to last Imperial Stout I used Wyeast Irish Ale 1084, O.G. 29 deg Plato AA=72%.

Keith

Could be a small misunderstanding there. I suspect Zwickel is talking about lager yeasts because Tony made a Doppelbock. :unsure:

In terms of lagers there could be one strain worth considering... Whitelabs WLP885;

* WLP885 Zurich Lager Yeast
PLATINUM STRAIN Sept./Oct.
Swiss style lager yeast. With proper care, this yeast can be used to produce lager beer over 11% ABV. Sulfur and diacetyl production is minimal. Original culture provided to White Labs by Marc Sedam.
Attenuation: 70-80%.
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 50-55F
Alcohol Tolerance: Very High

Warren -

 

[Tony]

I have a vial of WLP 833 German Bock yeast to build up and pitch. ITs a fierce attenuator like US-05 and i have consistantly got 80% attenuation.

As for big beers not carbing up...... my 11% IIPA that went from 1.090 to 1.006...... no thats not a misprint....... carbed up fine after sitting in secondary and dry hopping for over 5 weeks.

I am confident the good old 833 will see me through.

only one way to find out

cheers

 

[Muggus]

Sounds like one hell of a dopplebock Tony!
Never tried making a bock with WLP 833. I've tried similiar beers all around the 1.070SG mark with WLP820, WLP830, and S-23. Oddly enough S-23 did the best job as far attenutation and carbonation goes.

Yet to try making a lager of the 1.110 mark, i'm skeptical that i'd be able to pull it off without the tasting result tasting like rocket fuel or candy.

 

[kevnlis]

I actually have a WLP833 in the fridge which I was saving for a 1.097 Dopplebock next week. I am more confident in pitching it now, though I may make a stir plate before I have a go. The constant aeration does not seem to be doing much more than the occasional shake did.

 

[Tony]

I have used the 833 on a few styles. Schwarzbier, CAP, oktoberfest and chech pils. It has a very malty finnish which suites all these styles well. It also attenuates fiercly. The CAP i made with it was decoction mashed, 52, 66, 76 and i got 80% attenuation after 4 weeks in CC. It was smooth, clean and malty but refreshing. I always got the impression from the yeast it was meant for bigger things..... pun intended.

It would eat a lager down in a week at 12 deg and drop out bright in a week in cc. Im talking filtered clear. i just acked to the keg from cc and carbed. clear beer.

next time i brew in going to brew a schwarzbier. I will get the 833 going in this while i firment it with the HAG day potters oktoberfest. The yeast will be stored for a few weeks while the others CC and then i will hit it with a ton of strong yeast...... may have to make a CAP to firment with it as well.......mmmmmmmm... corn

cheers

 

[Tony]

This will work if the problem was that the yeast went dormant when you bottled. This can happen if you bottle and then store the bottles somwhere a a bit cooler. To this method I would add the suggestion that you give the bottles a gentle shake, just enough to lift the yeast from the bottom and suspend it in the beer. If it doesn't work, given you have put a lot of effort and time into your year old beer, you might make a post, I am sure someone will detail the idea of taking off the caps and adding a small amount of yeast, good luck.

Cheers,

Keith

Just read this.

I had My roggenbier not carb up. It sat there for 3 months and the yeast was dead.

I took the caps off and added...... you guessed it....... 1ml of fresh WLP833 into the 6.5% beer and recapped.

3 weeks later it was fizzy

Got 2nd place in the wheat catagory in last years NSW state champs so it worked well.

cheers