Bourbon County Clone- Barreling Project

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JamesLewis
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I got 5.25 galons at 1.126

I got 5.25 galons at 1.126 yesterday. Let me know when the fill date is.

Kyle
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Opened up my barrel yesterday

Opened up my barrel yesterday. Looked and smelled OK. Think we are good to use it. I took a reading on my BCS and after 1 week it is down to 1.042.

DanielBarker
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will have to take a look at

will have to take a look at kyle's I suppose.  I will have a batch of ingredients ready for you by sunday.

ksaberni
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Daniel, are the hops and

Daniel, are the hops and grain at the brew house for this BCS?  I will probably stop by on Sunday and pick them up and brew this at home on Sunday.  Also, did you decide which barrel you are using? 

Kevin Saberniak

DanielBarker
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thanks a lot you guys!  This

thanks a lot you guys!  This one is nearing completion.  James is brewing it sunday.  If you know of anyone else who would like to brew it, let me know, there are still slots.  

David
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10 gal round. My regular tun.

10 gal round. My regular tun. With a lower grist ratio everything fits in nice. There is little headspace, so your temp stays pretty consistant. Some of the guys add rice halls yesterday. I think if you run the new mill too fast...over 200rpm, you end up pulverizing the grain. If you go at a moderate speed, I don't think you will need the hulls. I didn't use any and had no issues with stuck sparges.

If you brewed for the breakfast stout barrel, and followed the written instructions, that gristo ratio is below 1, somewhere around .89 I believe.

ksaberni
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David, what size mlt did you

David, what size mlt did you use?  Is a 10 gallon mlt too small to do this brew in one mlt?

David Williams said:

I used a low grist ratio and sparged more. When I add sparge water, I stir for about 2 or 3 mins. Then let it sit for 10 to allow the grain bed to settle. This was all done in one MLT.

Drain slowly...use sparge that is warmer than mash...don't know if I am doing anything wildly different than you.

Kevin Saberniak

Pete
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 I was at 31.5 brix, which I

 I was at 31.5 brix, which I think is at 1.135 with 5.5 gallons

"Give a man a beer, and he will waste an hour. Teach a man to brew, and he will waste a lifetime!" Bill Owen

Niilo
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I ended up At 1.134 with 5.5

I ended up At 1.134 with 5.5 gallons. Long ass brew day but totally worth it.

Kyle
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Pete and I brewed this

Pete and I brewed this yesteday. I collected at least 10 gallons and boiled for what seemed like an eternity. I wasn't too sure of my volume towards the end of the boil and didn't want to have under 5 gallons. I actually ended up with close to 7 gallons and was only a few points under at 1.012. I definately would have gotten well above the targeted 1.020 had I boiled down more, but I think this well help us as I am sure some people will end up with under 5 gallons after trub loss. Pete ended up with around 5.5 gallons and his OG was around 1.030.

adman
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So, I think my batch is

So, I think my batch is officially done fermenting at 1.050.  It's thick and syrupy, but it tastes really, really good.  I actually think it's very well balanced for such a big beer.

DanielBarker
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sean do you remember the aau

sean do you remember the aau % of the hops yoiu were using?

 

Kyle
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That CO2 is long gone. I am

That CO2 is long gone. I am under the impression they need to be cleaned and stored with a storage solution after a few days to ensure they don't get infected. Not only are those barrels empty but they have been sitting on their heads meaning all that slurry is getting soaked into the heads of the barrels. I would say all 4 of those new barrels are going to have to be used for something other than beer. Hopefully mine is still good to go.

DanielBarker
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The only person I've talked

The only person I've talked to about your barrel is you.  We can crack it open and smell.  The others could be fine, they were filled with CO2 before we got them.  Who knows how long that's effective. 

Kyle
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What are you going to do with

What are you going to do with that barrel then? I have seen mold around the bunghole (insert obvious joke here). However the last time I checked the mold hadn't penetrated the staves and was only on the outside. I still think mine is safe to use and you are welcome to put the Bourbon County into it. All the other barrels are currently empty correct? Meaning they are all probably useless unless for sours at this point. Its a shame but we just let them sit there and now they are basically tables/planters. If everyone thinks mine is infected I'd rather just put a golden ale or something that will be tasty if it starts to sour.

DanielBarker
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Kyle, I opened the barrel up

Kyle, I opened the barrel up yesterday and the inside reeked.  It was growing all kinds of shit.  Last I heard from you you said that yours was also infected?  Is it ok?  If so, it'd be great to use yours.  If not, I think Kevin Saberniak was going to let me use his.  It'd be more convenient to go ahead and use one that's already on racks, though.  Let me know.

Kyle
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Daniel,

Daniel,

What is your plan for barreling this? I know you rinsed and cleaned a barrel but the last I saw of it, it was on the ground by the drain with a lot of black mold around it. I think it would be best not to use it as the bottom staves are most likely weakened and possibly moldy from the water on the floor. Since my Scotch Ale never got off the ground and I have yet to purchase everything I would be happy to let you use my barrel which is currently full of storage solution. Let me know what you think.

Sean Colleran
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Thanks for the tip... I will

Thanks for the tip... I will give that a shot when I brew a zombie dust clone this weekend.

DanielBarker
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go lower on your grist ratio,

go lower on your grist ratio, sean.  I bumped mine from around what you're doing to 1.0 and am getting better results.  Dave does even better with a lower ratio of .88

David
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I normally don't collect that

I normally don't collect that much.  I only collect that much if there are sugars available to do so.  Normally I sparge to collect a target volume.  But for brews like this one, I sparged more because the grain bill had more available sugars.

Sean Colleran
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Normally I use a grist ratio

Normally I use a grist ratio of 1.25, let it drain very slowly, and sparge with boiling or near-boiling water.  However, when the target OG isn't too high, I generally only collect 6.5 gallons and boil down to 5.5.  This was basically my process for Dan's stout, only I split into 2 MLT's and only collected 4.5 gallons per vessel and boiled down to 6 gallons total.  Do you collect 9ish gallons on all your brews?

I think I'm either not crushing fine enough or not collecting enough wort.

David
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I used a low grist ratio and

I used a low grist ratio and sparged more. When I add sparge water, I stir for about 2 or 3 mins. Then let it sit for 10 to allow the grain bed to settle. This was all done in one MLT.

Drain slowly...use sparge that is warmer than mash...don't know if I am doing anything wildly different than you.

Sean Colleran
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David - If you average out

David - If you average out our two batches, we ended up almost exactly on target!  I wonder why you were able to get such high efficiency on this batch when half of my brew was mashed using your MLT.  How long do you let your sparge water sit in the MLT before each running?  Maybe I should watch you brew from start to finish some time and take notes.

Daniel - I don't think the beer was out of balance in terms of sweetness, but like I mentioned the other day, I used an extra ounce of Willa to arrive at your target IBU's according to beersmith's calculation, so others results may vary.  When I smell it, all I smell is roasted/toasted malt and alcohol, but not a lot of fruitiness.  It tastes quite a bit like Jester King's Black Metal, and has the consistency of Bourbon County.

David
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I brewed this last week.  I

I brewed this last week.  I added an extra pound of base malt because I was worried about coming in too low on my efficiency.  I thought this may be an issue because I mashed in a single mash tun.  My Grist ratio was .88 gallons/quart.  I drained the mash and then sparged twice (3 runnings).  I collected 9 Gallons and boiled down to just under 6 gallons.  In the end...I was way over my target 1.152.  I pitched 3 packets of yeast....then came back the next day and split the 6g into two carboys.

I don't have any taste or smell notes yet...But I will report once I take a reading and examine the brew.

DanielBarker
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can people comment on their

can people comment on their individual batches of stout?  I'm curious about two things: 

1.   Do you think there were enough hops to balance out the sweetness? 

2.  Can you comment on esters in your beer?  aka, does it smell too fruity?

DanielBarker
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Sean, 1040 is the target FG,

Sean, 1040 is the target FG, as outrageous as it sounds this is what Goose Island reports.  I have a batch that ended there as Adam mentioned, and the mouthfeel is just right for BC in my opinion.  s-04's attenuation estimate takes it no further than 1040.  You definitely should have done some very vigorous aeration.  I pour back and forth from several buckets on big batches like this.  It could make the difference between 1044 and 1040 but may also improve overall taste because it helps ensure a healthy fermentation.

adman
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I took a reading of mine

I took a reading of mine today as I was transferring it into secondary.  1.052.  Tastes delicious.  Hopefully it might come down a little bit more over the next few weeks.  I still have about 5.25 gallons in secondary, so I've only lost .5 gallons or so to yeast and trub so far.

-Adam

adman
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Sean,

Sean,

Daniel had one of his batches finish out at 1.040, so I don't think you're too far off.  With such a huge beer and high mash temperature, I don't think there's much chance of getting too far below that, especially with S-04, which isn't a particularly aggressive attenuator, as far as I know.

-Adam

Sean Colleran
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Now that I think of it, I

Now that I think of it, I might not have aerated it enough.  I generally just shake the carboy vigorously for a few minutes, but I've never made such a high gravity batch.  I probably should have given it a better shake.

Sean Colleran
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Bad news... it's been 2 weeks

Bad news... it's been 2 weeks and my fermentation is stuck at 1.044 (OG was 1.115).  Not sure what went wrong.  Mashed at 155 (it dropped to 154 by the end of the hour). I used two packets of rehydrated dry yeast and kept the temp at 68 degrees. This has never happened to me before.  Do I just dump in some more dry yeast?

DanielBarker
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also, please remember that if

also, please remember that if you pay via paypal you should pay with the gift function to avoid having fees taken out of the amount you pay.  

DanielBarker
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Updated the page to reflect

Updated the page to reflect changes in brewer sign-up.  Still looking for people to cover 15 more gallons of this.  Still looking for those who signed up to brew.  By the way, there is no deadline.

Sean Colleran
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As Dan mentioned, I brewed

As Dan mentioned, I brewed this on Sunday.  Split this into two batches, which I think was a lot more manageable than one gigantic batch with a super-low grist ratio.  I kind of misjudged my volume (I guess keeping track of two simultaneous boils is too much math for me) and I ended up with 6 gallons and an OG of 1.115.  I think I would have been right on target if I had I boiled down to 5.5 gallons, but it will probably be good to have a little extra when we're filling the barrel, and I'm sure someone will exceed Dan's target of 1.129 which will even things out.  The fermentation has been wild.  My whole house smells like yeast.  Definitely go with a 6.5 gallon carboy.

DanielBarker
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Sean did his batch today!

Sean did his batch today!  Everyone is doing a great job of getting high gravities.  People let me know when they want their ingredient packages.  Also, if you haven't signed up and are interested, please let me know!  My goal is to have a face-off with Niilo's Founders Breakfast barrel!  May the best stout clone win!

adman
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Brewed this today, and it was

Brewed this today, and it was actually less of a bitch than I expected.  I used an extra 2 lbs of base malt to account for any inefficiencies in my system.  I doughed in at 1.1 quarts per pound of grains, and I sparged slightly more than I needed, which made me have to boil for 2.5 hours to get down to my volume (I had planned on a 120 min boil).  I ended up with about 5.75 gallons into my fermenters at 1.124, right at 70% brewhouse efficiency, which is nice for such a big beer.  The wort tasted pretty amazing, even though it was ridiculously sweet.

Can't wait to taste this when it comes out of the barrel.  Get to brewing, everyone!

-Adam

DanielBarker
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nope.  

nope.  

Sean Colleran
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Do the ingredient packages

Do the ingredient packages include the yeast?

Daniel Barker said:

that will likely be the most convenient.  I'll take a look at my schedule when I get back to work and let you know when I can do it.  I'll be preparing the ingredient packages tomorrow.

DanielBarker
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that will likely be the most

that will likely be the most convenient.  I'll take a look at my schedule when I get back to work and let you know when I can do it.  I'll be preparing the ingredient packages tomorrow.

Sean Colleran
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Perfect.  When should I swing

Perfect.  When should I swing by the brew house to pick up the ingredients and equipment (I'm assuming Dave's MLT is at the brew house)?  I could come by Saturday afternoon / evening and return the equipment Sunday afternoon if that's convenient.

DanielBarker
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dave ok'ed personal use of

dave ok'ed personal use of his personal mash tun and I'm sure he'd be cool with you using his 5 gallon kettle (we have like 5 sitting around).  No one is scheduled to brew on Sunday yet in any case.  

Sean Colleran
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Not a problem.  I had no idea

Not a problem.  I had no idea there was a distinct difference.  I'll probably just get a 55 lb sack of UK from brew camp as I'm starting to run a little low on base malt anyway.

DanielBarker
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Sean, I would really prefer

Sean, I would really prefer if everyone used uk pale.  I say this only because there is a distinct difference in taste between british pale and us pale.  The prior has a much more biscuity malty taste whereas canadian or us is much more neutral.

I will make a post on organized chaos to ensure that everyone is cool letting you borrow the mash tun and then get back to you.  I'll ask about the kettle too.

Sean Colleran
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I can brew this on Sunday if

I can brew this on Sunday if I'm cleared to borrow a MLT and kettle for about 6 or 7 hours so I can split this into 2 manageable batches.  I will of course return everything in pristine condition.  I would just bring my MLT and kettle to the brew house and brew there, but I don't want to spend that much time away from the baby.  There was talk of the brew house equipment being available for me to borrow, but if that would cut into someone else's brew day, maybe someone else from this group would be willing to lend me their stuff for the day?

Also, I know the recipe calls for UK 2-row, but is there a significant difference between that and US 2-row?  I have a bunch of US at home that I would prefer to use instead of buying UK.

DanielBarker
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The deadline for having this

The deadline for having this brewed is May 5th.  If you can, please do it earlier.  I'd like to get this going as quickly as possible. 

DanielBarker
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14 dollars for each batch is

14 dollars for each batch is the official price.  That includes all hops and specialty grains.  My paypal is blindside8zao@yahoo.com and the same for a p2p chase pay.  I prefer the latter if  you can or cash in person.  Let me know when you need your grain package.  Let's get on this so we lose as little flavor from the barrel as possible.

 

Cheers.

DanielBarker
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just the percentage

just the percentage attenuation but also for uniformity.  British is what most RIS's use to my knowledge.  If anyone wants their ingredient kits for this weekend to brew, please let me know.

David
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I'm cool with 04. Just

I'm cool with 04. Just wondering why that yeast. Its the british strain and can throw off fruity esters. Less floculant?

adman
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S-04 it is then.

S-04 it is then.

DanielBarker
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please use 04

please use 04

adman
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Daniel,

Daniel,

I have some Wyeast 1272 American Ale II yeast that I washed from my amber ale.  It ferments very clean, flocculates well, and doesn't attenuate as much as 1056/US-05.  What do you think about me using that (with an appropriately-sized starter, of course)? I can naturally use S-04 if you think that a different yeast will impact the flavor of my beer too much.

-Adam

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