22F out, hazy pic from the steam. Bowl full of 4.5 oz of the hops, ground up, add 1 tsp every 3 min.
This better be damn good!!!
I’m gonna periodically update this as it matures so stay tuned.
UPDATE: 1/6/13, see below
UPDATE: 2/5/13
UPDATE: 3/10/13
Sounds good to me Merry Christmas
Awesome! I’ve been thinking about trying it. You use the brewing network’s recipe?
nice
Sort of. I buy 55lb sacks of Rahr Pale Ale, so I used that, and .66lbs of Amber malt. Hops were exactly the same, and I’ll add the corn sugar in 8oz packs twice daily until gone or the yeast stops eating it. Aerating twice daily with pure 02 for 2 min each. Tomorrow evening I’ll be pitching the 1/2 gal WLP099 starter that’s winding down now, then I’ll keep aerating for a few more days, start adding the sugar and hops, also twice daily. I’m at a crossroads now though because they didn’t say (or I didn’t hear) when to stop the 02 and I don’t want it tasting like cardboard, but I also want to have strong enough yeast to plow through 18.66lbs of grain and 12lbs of corn sugar. :twisted:
Did you look here?
http://www.homebrewchef.com/120minuteIPArecipe.html
Sean Paxton is the guy who brewed it for CYBI and it has lots of good information layed out where you can easily get it. He says O2 for 30 seconds for the first 4 days.
That is a real commitment, it’s more work during fermentation than on brew day.
Yup, I read that website and downloaded the podcast.
I looked at his recipe as a guideline, but since he technically didn’t clone it but came close according to Jamil and crew I’m trying a couple things I think might help with attenuation.
If my FG is in the low 40’s I’ll be really happy. Trippin’ balls if it’s in the 30’s :shock:
Tonight I start adding the sugar and dry hops, the WLP099 starter, and begin aerating again for a few more days. I’m also going to buy a refractometer and alcohol hydrometer at NB tomorrow. This will help with the constant gravity readings I’ll need to be taking without wasting a whole flask each time for my hydrometer.
I remember he said fermentation would really pick up with each sugar addition until the last one, when it just conked out. Hopefully you get your yeast working until the job is done.
I have to say I’m a little jealous, cloning that beer is something I would like to try but I wouldn’t be able to be sure I could feed the sugar twice a day.
Definitely report back your results. Of course that will be a year plus until you have something drinkable.
Yes. I have a dedicated keg waiting to encompass this epic brew. It’ll be stored by my well pump under ground (I got a little cave in my basement where the well pit is) until sometime next summer, then I’ll thief a few oz. off and see what’s up.
It’ll be chillin’ right next to my 11% Barley Wine. :twisted:
UPDATE:
With one lb of corn sugar left to add I thiefed a hydrometer sample out this morning before adding the sugar. 1.018!!! :shock: I couldn’t friggin believe it!
We are well over 20% at this point! :mrgreen:
My OG post boil was 1.091 and I’ve added 10 lbs of corn sugar. I’ll do the math after it’s done in the primary.
I also tasted what’s left from my hydrometer sample. The 1/4 cup that’s left has been sitting for about an hour now and there’s a visible yeast cake on the bottom. Taking a sip had very little difference compared to a fermenting IPA, but when you swallow it is when the rocket takes off in your throat. Huge alcohol sensation, similar to schnapps, but not super warming like a hot fermentation. Lesley said it’s rather smooth for its size.
I’m stoked. One more pound of corn sugar and then it’ll chill for a month or so, then I’ll rack off into a carboy for a few more months of chilled conditioning, then I’ll keg sometime in the spring.
I think next I’m going to try an Imperial Barley Wine based on the methods of this beer, but test the height of US-05 by starting small (1.090ish), and adding sugar up to 15% ABV, and not adding new yeast.
If it were me, if I hit 20% ABV I’d quit with the sugar additions so as not to risk ending up with a yeast-toxified sweet beer. But that’s me. Thanks for posting. Yours is indeed an epic brew. I can still taste the Gaithersburg, MD DFH brewpub kegged 120 IPA. It was fantastic, when we went there to watch the Super Bowl in 2006.
Oh it finished eating all the sugar, trust me. :twisted:
I’d hope so. If I were you I’d quit while I was ahead. You wouldn’t want your yeast dying out from the alcohol before they could finish all the sugar.
Give it a little time on the yeast, then - Keg that thing up!
Racked to secondary yesterday.
There was a gallon of trub, a GALLON! :shock:
I was wondering why the beer was up over the 6 gal mark on my primary. Now I know.
This is the richest smelling beer I’ve ever produced. The hop aroma and malt aroma wafted out of the primary so strong I could smell it 10’ away during transfer.
What is your specific gravity now?
I can’t say for certain, but I saved the original FG sample, which didn’t change over a few weeks so I would guess still 1.022.
It is crystal clear too. It’s probably my procedure but when I secondary for a week or so I get crystal clear beers. I seem to remember the actual 120min was rather hazy.
That’s a pretty good FG for such a big beer. Sounds like it will be tasty and not too sweet.
Kegged today.
The rocket feeling I was getting at transfer to 2ndary is mostly subdued. Now I’m getting a really pronounced hop flavor. Not so much a bitterness, but I can totally taste the hops. At first sip the first thing you notice is right at the tip and sides of your tongue just explode with hop flavor. I will definitely use this combo (in a lesser quantity) for an APA this spring. All that dry hopping isn’t really noticed, but I usually don’t sense dry hopping until it’s carbonated and bringing head to the glass. It’s kind of weird. For a 20% ABV beer I’m not feeling 20%. Surprisingly smooth. Take a swig of schnapps, which is the same strength, and the warming feeling is more pronounced in that. Maybe it was the care in fermentation temps but something worked. Don’t get me wrong, you can tell it’s strong. It’s just really smooth in the delivery. Dangerous if you want to call it that. :twisted:
It’s gassed up right now but not tapped. I just want to get it up to about 5 psi at 42 degrees steady and then I’ll put it back in the well pit until fall.
