100th brew

[Tipsy]

Hi gents,

I'm been thinking about my 100th brew for ages, I'm still a few off but I need to be prepared.

I was thinking of a Belgian with 'brett' but I might put that in the too hard basket, too much time and I don't want it to take over my brewery.
So thinking back on all the beer I've drunk I want to make something like the James Squires Rum Rebellion Porter that came out a couple of years ago.

Can anyone help me with a recipe? I haven't made a truly great porter yet, I know I will have to age it on wood but that's all I know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S. If it's drinkable I'll put a bottle in next years lotto

[jello]

Can't help you with a recipe sorry. Though if you send Punter a private message, he may be able to help. He's got a stack of good recipe books.

I'm impressed that you know how many brews you've done. In the beginning i started keeping track of what and how many, but lost interest.

So just out of interest...how many brews are you up to?

[Tipsy]

I'm impressed that you know how many brews you've done

Not really that impressive, I just number them in Beersmith cos I'm too unimaginative to think up names

I'm have number 97 in the fermenter at the moment and I don't count the Wander kits I made up with white sugar @ 30c when I was 18

[Bum]

While 100 brews is an awesome milestone (congrats!), I reckon the best way to brew is to approach each as though it were special. I guess what I mean is that if there is some awesome brew you'd think of brewing for your 100th, why wouldn't you just brew it next? Life is too short. Carpe bierem.

[drsmurto]

Brewed a ryedunkelweizenbock for my 100th AG. Didn't keep track of the number of kit beers i did.

I liked the idea on paper but the resulting beer wasn't too my taste.

A big barleywine or RIS aged on oak would be my suggestion. Something that will age well.

Brett has just been sequenced by my colleagues so it's days are numbered!

[Tipsy]

While 100 brews is an awesome milestone (congrats!), I reckon the best way to brew is to approach each as though it were special. I guess what I mean is that if there is some awesome brew you'd think of brewing for your 100th, why wouldn't you just brew it next? Life is too short. Carpe bierem.

I understand your thinking but at the moment I've got some heavy brews going (a Belgian strong ale for one) so I would like the next couple to be quaffers.
Life too short not to have a quaffer in the fridge.

[Tipsy]

A big barleywine or RIS aged on oak would be my suggestion. Something that will age well.

A RIS aged on oak sounds good, any help with a recipe would be greatly appreciated.

[drsmurto]

This was the recipe i used

Russian Imperial Stout

8.80 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) (5.9 EBC) Grain 74.58 %
1.20 kg Roasted Barley (Bairds) (1300.0 EBC) Grain 10.17 %
0.95 kg Brown Malt (Bairds) (180.0 EBC) Grain 8.05 %
0.60 kg Chocolate Malt (Bairds) (1100.0 EBC) Grain 5.08 %
0.25 kg Amber Malt (Bairds) (100.0 EBC) Grain 2.12 %
135.00 gm Target [9.00 %] (60 min) Hops 97.1 IBU

WY1007 (german ale) yeastcake

25L
OG 1.084
IBU 97
EBC 184

I used the german ale yeast as i wanted something that could work at lower temps and pseudo lager it over winter. I racked it with plenty of yeast into a keg and added a stave of new american oak. Sealed it up and gave it a squirt of CO2 to protect it. Left it in my shed over winter (chilly Adelaide Hills so average temp under 10) occasionally burping it just in case the pressure built up.

Moved to my keg fridge mid spring once the temperature rose and carbed it up with the intention of bottling it. Tasted it every now and then. 12 months after the oak when in i finally bottled 24 stubbies via CPBF and a handful of longnecks.

Brewed this 26th of May 2010. Still a bit young but will age beautifully.

[AidanMatthews]

hey doc, i might brew this for my 30th birthday next year.

where did you get your Oak Staves from in adelaide?

[Tipsy]

And are oak staves a uniform size?

[AidanMatthews]

I know you can get mini staves which are half size and then full size.

Grain and grape only has french oak staves but not american oak.

[drsmurto]

Link

I think this is where we sourced them from. Left the french oak in full lengths (91cm) for our wine (3-4 per 200L) and cut 1 american oak stave in half so that it fit in a keg. Last lot i got were cut into much smaller lengths (20 cm x 2cm )for me but that was for chardonnay and I was given them for doing a favour for someone else.

Contact details for the person in Autralia are;
Mark Roberts, Oak Solutions Specialist
0409 200 737
mroberts@oaksolutionsgroup.com

[drsmurto]

Just discovered that is not where we got the oak from for the RIS. I have had oak from them but it was for a different batch of wine.

The american oak came from here - Link

Based in the Barossa Valley here in SA.

[Tipsy]

G'day Doc. what sort of mash did you do with you're RIS?

[drsmurto]

Single infusion at 64C i think.

[Tipsy]

Thanks

[hyjak]

Bonza!
Was just looking for RIS ideas and so glad I found this thread with the Drs post, had a recipe outlined but mine look overly compliacated compared to the good Drs. Will modify mine a bit I think.

[drsmurto]

Making the RIS again soon, will drop the amber and use whatever ale yeast I have one hand.

American oak stave will be cut up into 2 cm pieces, boiled then dropped in the keg.

[barrelboy]

American oak stave will be cut up into 2 cm pieces, boiled then dropped in the keg.

This may or may not be a stupid question but could you put a piece of the boiled American oak into individual bottles to age, if so how big/ little a piece?
Cheers BB

[db]

Oak is something you probably want to control in the time that it is in contact with the beer.
From my experience a chunk, or chip, per bottle, could possibly be too much in something that you want to age.
Depending on the type of oak you are using, results can vary greatly. I have used 1g per litre of small French oak chips, on the oak for 2weeks, & the results were over the top. On the other hand I have aged other beers on big chunks of American oak, at the same ratio, for double the amount of time, & the result was barely noticeable.

For oaking any beer my advice would be;
1. Select your oak carefully. American oak is different to French, chips are different to chunks, which are different to staves. Chips from bourbon or rum barrels will have a totally different profile to staves from a wine barrel. Even char to raw oak % on the oak will affect the flavours.
2. Keep surface area in mind when judging amounts. Smaller chips will, weight for weight, have a greater surface area than chunks or staves.
3. Time. IMO with so many variables it's best to have control over the contact time, & be able to remove the oak when it's at the level that you want it to be.
4. Process. You can pull different flavours from where you use the oak in the brewing process. Using oak pre or during ferment will add mouthfeel, structure, & less vanillans. Oaking post ferment in secondary will add more vanillans & less structure.