End of the World Stout is here

Millions of years ago, the galactic Mayan empire foretold the end of the world.  But how will it come? Will it be impact with a comet, zombie apocalypse, death star or Volgon construction crew?  No! it comes to you in a convenient 12 oz bottle!

  I present to you End of the World Stout - a beer brewed to ridiculous strength (20% abv) flavored with chocolate and aged on oak.

I made this monster brew almost one year ago.  Update  After aging for a few months on oak and chocolate, I force carbonated and bottled.  It has been sitting, waiting for this day...

The bottle opens with a hiss to remind me the carbonation transferred over ok.  I was a little worried since this was force carbonated in the keg and I don't have any of that fancy bottling equipment.

It pours deep black with only a hint of head that leaves a ring around the top.

Sweet aroma of dark malt with a hint of chocolate backed up with a whiff of alcohol. Maybe a little bit of roasted in the aroma too, but you have to look for it.

Strong malt favors right up front along with a slight alcohol burn.  The alcohol is actually quite mild considering it is around 20%. The malt/alcohol is followed by velvety chocolate, which lingers long after you have swallowed.  Sadly, I can't find the oak, but maybe it's there helping the favors blend together.  I guess a beer this strong needs more than an ounce.  It could also be that the oak cubes were buried in layers of yeast that settled out in secondary.  

The feel is a bit thick, but not syrupy or sticky.  The carbonation it does have helps lighten it up a bit.  It finishes with a slight alcohol burn and that chocolate.

This beer is more like a chocolate liquor than your average ale/stout/etc.  something to keep you company after the world has ended.  Enough of these and you won't even remember the comet strike or the wave of incoming zombies!

Notes:

    12/28/11 - Brewed  OG=1.10
        Made 2x 1/2 gal WLP099 starters
        Started with Nottingham yeast
    1/1-1/8 - Added 7.# corn sugar added some 099 and yeast nutrient
    1/9/12 -  Final sugar addition. vOG=1.074
    1/10/12 -  + 1 Vanilla bean (Vodka soaked) + 2oz Coco Nubs
          BR=19.2 G=1.04 ABV=14-19%
     1/16-1/17 added 1# cane Sugar vOG=1.182
     1/19/12 - Secondary Got ~4.5 gals - 1 gal of sludge!  G=1.029  ABV=20%
     5/29/12 - Keg + Fridge (To force carb)  FG=1.023, 19brix  ABV=20-21%
          Based on current brix+SG, OG could be 1.169, putting ABV at 19.5%
      8/23/12 - Bottled 1.5 cases
      12/20/12 - This tasting!

     

Honey Wheat - Recipe

With all of the dark, strong and sour beers I have been brewing recently, it was time to make something light and easy drinking.  After tossing a few ideas around I decided to make some honey wheat beer. 

Recipe (10 Gallons)
  10# Rahr 2-row
  5# Wheat malt (Local shop didn't have enough of one kind, so I used white and red)
  2# Wheat flour
  3# Orange blossom honey added at the end of the boil.
  1oz Zythos hop blend (60)
  1oz whole homegrown Cascade hops (15)
  2 packs US-05 dry yeast

Mash:
  Protein rest 10 minutes at 122F
  Sacc rest 50 minutes at 152F

Notes:
  Brewed 12/2/12  OG=1.051
  I took a chance mashing so much wheat with no rice hulls, but with the protein rest and a thin (1.5qt/#) mash, I didn't have too much trouble sparging.  I boiled 9 gallons down to a little over 7. At the end, I topped off with 2.5 gallons of bottled water, giving me 10 gallons in the fermeters.

Belgian dubbel/oud bruin

Recipe for 10 gallons.  I split this into 2 pails.  One got the standard Belgian yeast, the other Roeselare yeast blend, which will become an Oud Bruin.

Fermentables:
   18# Rarh 2-row malt
     1# Carapils
  1/2# Special B
  1/2# Belgian aromatic malt
     1# Belgian dark candi sugar
     2# sugar
Hops:
  2oz German Tradition (60)
  2oz Hersbrucker (15)
Other:
  1 Whirlfloc tablet (10)

Yeast:
  Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abby ale - Sub White labs 530 Belgian Abby ale
  Wyeast 3763 Roselare blend - used in 1/2 the wort for an old bruin.
 
Notes:

10/28/12 - Starter of WYeasty Abbey Yeaast

10/31/12 - Belgian starter failed!

10/31/12 - New starter w/ WLP 530 Abbey Ale

11/1/12 - Brew 10g Belgian double (1/2 goes to oud bruin)   OG=1.065

11/24/12 - Secondary  SG=1.011

Hazy, amber.  Slight yeasty. not much Belgian character.  A little sweet but not bad.