11/05/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 30/03/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end.
I have been trying to make a high gravity beer for a while now but usually I fail. I think it is my greed that pushes me to add too much water to make more beer, which dilutes the wort too much. Today I think I made it: I brewed an IPA style beer using spraymalt (Dry Malt Extract) and dextrose using a similar wort process to the last pale ale I made, but I added dextrose at the start of the boil and less water in the fementer. The result? A high gravity IPA (OG=1070!). So lets get down to business:
Wort
4 litres boiled Brita water (in the kettle)
1 kg light spraymalt by Balliihoo
300g dextrose
Yeast mix
* Started at the same time as the start of the wort
12g dextrose
1 packet (11g) Nottingham ale yeast
Dissolved in 500ml Brita water at 31°c
Boil and hops additions
0 minutes – started at 76°c on high heat. 5g Target hops (12.7%) and 15g Challenger hops (9.18%)
10 minutes – reached full boil at 101°c
30 minutes – 20g Challenger hops (9.18%) and 10g Marynka hops (7.6%)
45 minutes – 10g Fuggles hops
60 minutes – move to ice bath
The boil was good and no boil-overs as I used slightly less water than usual (4 litres vs 4.5)
Into the fermenter
The wort took 26 minutes to reach 27°c, the maximum (hottest) temperature to introduce oxygen to the wort. The chilled wort was sieved (and the hops fully drained) into the fermenter with 2 litres of water at 35°c and the yeast mix. The total was just over 5 litres.
As the goal here was to achieve high gravity, I was happy to only add 2 litres to the wort, but when I checked the OG, it was 1079(!!), a little too high for me for what will be an IPA, so another 800ml was added to reach 6 litres of beer in the fermenter.
You can see that the high gravity was definitely reached. I think the combination of using the sparymalt that offers good efficiency in term of fementable sugars, extra dextrose at the start of the boil and adding less water delivered that high gravity.
The use of spraymalt alone was very enjoyable, as it was my first time using only spraymalt. Last time I used it it was while combining it with steeping, which resulted in a very different beer. I wonder how the taste of a spraymalt only beer will compare to liquid extract.
I might add some more water while dry hopping if I think the ABV will end up being too high. I usually get to 1008-1011 FG, so that potentially mean the this beer will be 7-8% ABV. What do you think, is it too much? Should I reduce it a little?
Update 1 (8 days after brewing): Gravity is 1009 at 24°c. 10g Celeia hops (3.9%) and 10g Citra hops (14%) added for dry hopping.
Update 2 (13 days after brewing): After filtering, 6L in total. 36g dextrose added for a co2 of 2.2, FG=1011 at 24.5°c, ABV=7.8%, 12 bottles made.
Tasting notes
I first tried this beer about 2 weeks ago and since had a few bottles, but it is just now that I had a chance to give it a more thorough tasting. First of all I can defiantly say this is a high gravity beer, probably a double IPA (almost, more later…) that has a very nice flavour but needs to be served cool (not cold) and to let rest a little after opening. To the notes:
Deep honey amber colour with white strong head and obvious strong carbonation. Aroma is light and sweet but with the high alcohol “punch”, reminds the smell of blond Belgium beers. Very earthy notes (maybe too much Fuggles?).
upon tasting getting an immediate alcohol hit with a sharp finish and light and bitter malt flavour. After 20 minutes of rest and warming up, flavours mellowed down, became sweeter and less bitter finish.
For such a high ABV beer (by now probably around the 8.5%) it is very light to drink, maybe too light… I think that n terms of flavour it needs slightly more bittering hops, so I think I’ll try it again with more Target hops at the start of the boil. I hope the Targets will also round the alcohol flavour a little.
In terms of aromas, it is not quite hoppy enough and that is why it is almost an IPA. It does miss some more floral edge to it and maybe 20g of Simcoe hops in the dry hops will do just that to pick it up a little.
All and all a very nice beer that I will make again, no doubt. I just need to remember to drink it slowly now!