It’s BYO’s 15 anniversary this year. One of the things we did for our 10th anniversary was present a recipe for BYO’s 10th Anniversary Ale -- a big (10% ABV) stout. And, we plan to release a 15th anniversary recipe in September. So, I’ve come up with a test recipe and -- with a little help from some friends -- have brewed it. 

 

I decided to shoot for a big (15% ABV) ale. I figured that any ale of that strength would have quite a bit of yeast character (esters, etc.). So my recipe formulation basically revolved around keeping those characters to a reasonable level and adding malt and hop character to complement (but not overshadow) them. I settled on the idea of a malty dark, but not strongly roasty, ale without a strong crystal malt or other specialty grain flavor. The big maltiness will be balanced by a fairly strong bitterness. To make the beer drinkable, I aim to make it very highly attenuated, to avoid cloying sweetness. 

 

To reach the projected alcoholic strength, I figured that I’ve have to flex my brewing muscles and pull out a few “tricks.” The basic idea is to brew a 12% ale, with a pair of strongly fermenting ale strains, then “feed” the fermenting beer with more fermentables (and a little bit of yeast nutrient) when the fermentation starts winding down. 

 

Last Thursday, two friends and fellow Austin ZEALOTS, Ed Peters and Dan Dewberry, stopped by my house and helped my brew the base beer. We made 8 gallons (30 L), which will be enough to make 5 gallons (19 L) of the 15% ABV and leave a couple gallons of the 12% ABV base beer left over to package as a standalone beer. The brewday went well and we also took the opportunity to sample a few beers, including what was probably the last bottle of BYO’s 10th Anniversary Ale. (Dan had it in his beer fridge.) 

 

Below are the recipes as I drew them up. There was one small deviation from the plan -- I didn’t add a second shot of oxygen before high kräusen because the fermentation took off so quickly. 

 

BYO’s 15th Anniversary Ale

(5 gallons/19 L) 

OG = 1.136  FG = 1.021

IBU = 47  SRM = 28  ABV = 15%

 

Ingredients

4.5 gallons (17 L) Einherjar Ale (see recipe below)

    dosage solution (made from: 

1.0 lb. Munich malt 

2.0 lb. corn sugar  

  “a pinch” yeast nutrient)

1 cup corn sugar (for priming) 

 

Step by Step 

When the fermentation of the base beer (Einherjar Ale) slows, and the FG is below 1.030, you will need 4.5 gallons (17 L) of this beer as the base for BYO’s 15th Anniversary Ale. (If you have 5.0 gallons (19 L) in the fermenter, siphon off 2.0 qts. (2.0 L) into a growler, and let it finish fermenting. Bottle and enjoy separately.) Prepare dosage solution, which will boost the beer’s alcohol content to 15%. Make dosage by making a small mash of 1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) Munich malt. Mash at 150 °F (66 °C) until conversion occurs. Run off about 3 qts. (~3 L) of wort and boil this down to 2 qts. (~2 L), which should take around 15 minutes. At end of this boil, stir in cane sugar and yeast nutrient and let sit for 5 minutes (at a temperature above 170 °F/77 °C). Cool dosage solution and stir quietly to base beer. Avoid splashing. Do not aerate, but do stir sedimented yeast into solution. Allow fermentation temperature to rise to 68 °F (20 °C) and continue fermentation. When the fermentation begins to slow again, let temperature  temperature rise to 72 °F (22 °C). Once fermentation stops, let sit for about one week, then lower temperature to 60–65 °F (16–18 °C). Condition for a couple weeks at this temperature, then rack beer to keg or bottling bucket. If you bottle condition, store bottles at 75–80 °F (24–27 °C) for initial 10 days after bottling. Swirl each bottle after 3 days. Ideally, store bottles at 50–55 °F (10–13 °C) after this. If kegging, carbonate to 2.4 volumes of CO2. 

 

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Einherjar Ale

(12% ABV base beer for BYO’s 15th Anniversary Ale)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) 

OG = 1.114  FG = 1.020

IBU = 47  SRM = 28  ABV = 12%

 

Ingredients  

10 lbs. domestic 2-row pale malt

7.5 lbs. Vienna malt

1 lb. 14 oz. (30 oz.) Munich malt 

15 oz. wheat malt

8.0 oz. aromatic malt 

4 oz. crystal malt (60 °L) 

3 oz. chocolate malt 

1.5–4.0 lbs. cane sugar (amount depends on wort gravity after wort collection) 

1/4 tsp yeast nutrients (in boil) 

1/4 tsp yeast nutrients (in fermenter) 

15 AAU Summit hops (90 mins) 

Trappist ale yeast (2 qt./2 L yeast starter) 

Scottish ale yeast (2 qt./2 L yeast starter) 

 

Step by Step 

Step mash with an initial rest at 140 °F (60 °C) for 40 minutes. Heat mash to ramp temperature to 152 °F (67 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Stir mash while it is being heated. Ramp temperature to 170 °F (77 °C). Recirculate and run off wort, sparging with 170 °F (77 °C) water. Collect 7.0 gallons (26 L) of wort -- or whatever pre-boil volume will yield 5.0 gallons (19 L) of wort after a 90-minute boil. (Note: If you collect 7 gallons (26 L) of wort, you can run off 3 gallons (11 L) of the remaining wort and make a second, weaker beer.) Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops once the wort has boiled long enough that hot break begins appearing. Add first dose of yeast nutrients with 15 minutes left in boil. As the boil nears the end, take a specific gravity gravity reading and add cane sugar so that the post-boil gravity is SG 1.114. (You will most likely need at least 1.5 lbs/0.68 kg, but may need more depending on your extraction efficiency.) Cool wort to 65 °F (18 °C) and transfer to fermenter. Aerate thoroughly, preferably with oxygen, and pitch yeast from yeast starters. Eight to 12 hours later, before high kräusen is reached, aerate a second time for 30–45 seconds. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C), watching that the fermentation temperature doesn’t climb. (The Trappist yeast will start producing too many “Belgian-y” characteristics, and the Scottish ales more esters than you want, as you approach 70 °F/21 °C). The day after high kräusen, add the second dose of yeast nutrients. When fermentation slows greatly, prepare to add dosage solution to beer. (See 15th Anniversary Ale recipe for remaining instructions.)