[redrocker652002]

OK, so I was reading a post by Island Lizard talking about kegging a "big beer".  Not being sure what that meant, I read on.  Seems that means bigger OG and more ABV, like stouts and others in that realm.  Having never done one, and really having never really exposed myself to them, what would you all say is a good recipe or brand to try?  I have a local Wines and more that I can peruse, but I would like to hear what you all say.  Seems that they need to be stored for quite a while as I have been reading.  So, I would bottle and store in a closet unless absolutely needs to be cold, in which case I am probably out of the game until I can get another fridge or freezer (that is currently in negotiations  LOL).  So, what say you all?  Rookie looking for suggestions.  Thanks in advance. 

[pete b]

You are correct that "big beers"= high og and abv. You are mistaken to believe that "stouts and porters" are "big beers" though. In fact the most popular stout, Guiness, is a little over 4% abv.
When people refer to stouts as big beers as stouts they are referring to Russian Imperial Stouts which are usually 8-10% I would say.
If you are interested in trying big beers in general I suggest Old Rasputin for RIS. Also try barlywines, I like Thomas Hardy, an English Barleywine. Many breweries make American Barleywines, Bigfoot by Sierra Nevada is one found nationally I think. Also try some high ABV Trappist/Belgian beers, such as Quadruples. The Belgians really know how to make big beers drinkable, or digestible as they say.
I thought this was going to be about the difference between Porter and Stout, which is a whole other ballgame and a pet peeve of mine becuase I think that a lot of porters that are sold these days are really stouts.

[Richard]

I don't believe that a Russian Imperial Stout necessarily needs to be stored for a long time before drinking. They do hold up well to long-term aging, and some people prefer the taste profile of an aged one over a fresh one, but they can be just fine after a few weeks. It depends on the recipe. I do like Old Rasputin - had one last night. It is one of the only beers I will buy at TWM because they don't adequately refrigerate their beer and Old Rasputin can tolerate that.

[Kevin]

The term "stout" originally meant stronger than standard. And with the average or standard beer at the time being 4% or less, a stout beer was in the neighborhood of 5 to 6+%. The term "stout" also had very little to do with color. You could have a stout pale ale for example. A "big beer" today is generally considered anything coming in at 1.075 to 1.080 or higher.

Some suggestions for you to look at are strong ales, old ales, barley wine, Russian imperial stout (RIS) and Belgian Tripel or Quad to name a few.

Be aware that your mash efficiency will drop by as much as 10% or more when using large grain bills required for high gravity brewing. It is not a bad idea to have a pound or so of dry malt extract (DME) on hand to add in case your gravity falls short.

Fermentation can also be a challenge because the higher alcohol developed can be toxic to yeast. Make sure to use a yeast strain that has a higher alcohol tolerance. You will also want to make sure to pitch enough yeast to do the job and make sure they are healthy and happy by using yeast nutrient and aerating the wort well before pitching.

[redrocker652002]

You are correct that "big beers"= high og and abv. You are mistaken to believe that "stouts and porters" are "big beers" though. In fact the most popular stout, Guiness, is a little over 4% abv.
When people refer to stouts as big beers as stouts they are referring to Russian Imperial Stouts which are usually 8-10% I would say.
If you are interested in trying big beers in general I suggest Old Rasputin for RIS. Also try barlywines, I like Thomas Hardy, an English Barleywine. Many breweries make American Barleywines, Bigfoot by Sierra Nevada is one found nationally I think. Also try some high ABV Trappist/Belgian beers, such as Quadruples. The Belgians really know how to make big beers drinkable, or digestible as they say.
I thought this was going to be about the difference between Porter and Stout, which is a whole other ballgame and a pet peeve of mine becuase I think that a lot of porters that are sold these days are really stouts.

Awesome.  Thank you for setting me straight on that.  I was very off I guess.  Also, thanks for the suggestions.  I will look into the styles you have mentioned. 

[reverseapachemaster]

There's a lot of "it depends" with big beers. That class of beer can include imperial stouts, barleywines, trappist/abbey beers, double or triple IPAs, doppelbocks and fringe styles like imperial pilsners or imperial red ales. Many imperial stouts are aged (often in spirit barrels) and can hold up to aging after packaging. OTOH, there are plenty of 15% pastry stouts on the market that are not aged that long and intended to be consumed fresh. English style barleywines may be aged extensively and hold up well to aging. The classic American barleywine is more like a malty double IPA and most do not benefit from aging as the hop character drops off. Double or triple IPAs similarly usually don't benefit from aging. Trappist/abbey beers are often cellared before release and meant to be consumed fresh but many hold up remarkably well to aging. Doppelbocks the same way. Just because a beer can be aged doesn't mean everybody will like it that way. I know a lot of people who think aged big beers taste too oxidized to enjoy.

There's a huge range of styles and substyles within the strong beer or big beer group and many people have strong opinions about which ones they like, how they like to drink them, and what kind of age suits each one.

[John M]

The previous posters have explained it well. One thing I would suggest is downloading the BJCP app (free), and looking through the styles. You can select any style and it will tell you anything and everything about it. Very handy for anyone looking to learn about the styles! I study them while developing new recipes, although now featured in BrewFather as well.

[denny]

OK, so I was reading a post by Island Lizard talking about kegging a "big beer".  Not being sure what that meant, I read on.  Seems that means bigger OG and more ABV, like stouts and others in that realm.  Having never done one, and really having never really exposed myself to them, what would you all say is a good recipe or brand to try?  I have a local Wines and more that I can peruse, but I would like to hear what you all say.  Seems that they need to be stored for quite a while as I have been reading.  So, I would bottle and store in a closet unless absolutely needs to be cold, in which case I am probably out of the game until I can get another fridge or freezer (that is currently in negotiations  LOL).  So, what say you all?  Rookie looking for suggestions.  Thanks in advance.

Stouts are not necessarily big beers. Guinness has less alcohol than Budweiser.

[redrocker652002]

Thanks to all who replied.  I learned something new.  I always thought the darker the beer the heavier and more ABV.  Obviously a very misguided thought on my end.  Any commercial brews in the Stout or Porter styles you would suggest for someone who has been an IPA and Pale Ale guy most of my beer drinking life?  LOL.

[denny]

Thanks to all who replied.  I learned something new.  I always thought the darker the beer the heavier and more ABV.  Obviously a very misguided thought on my end.  Any commercial brews in the Stout or Porter styles you would suggest for someone who has been an IPA and Pale Ale guy most of my beer drinking life?  LOL.

Guinness is a light bodied, relatively low alcohol beer. If you can find Deschutes Black Butte porter, check it out. Beautiful example of American porter.

[redrocker652002]

Thanks to all who replied.  I learned something new.  I always thought the darker the beer the heavier and more ABV.  Obviously a very misguided thought on my end.  Any commercial brews in the Stout or Porter styles you would suggest for someone who has been an IPA and Pale Ale guy most of my beer drinking life?  LOL.

Guinness is a light bodied, relatively low alcohol beer. If you can find Deschutes Black Butte porter, check it out. Beautiful example of American porter.

Awesome!!!!  Thank you for the input.  Deschutes is in the area.  Maybe a trip to the taproom for some "experimenting" might be in order.  LOL 

[denny]

Thanks to all who replied.  I learned something new.  I always thought the darker the beer the heavier and more ABV.  Obviously a very misguided thought on my end.  Any commercial brews in the Stout or Porter styles you would suggest for someone who has been an IPA and Pale Ale guy most of my beer drinking life?  LOL.

Guinness is a light bodied, relatively low alcohol beer. If you can find Deschutes Black Butte porter, check it out. Beautiful example of American porter.

Awesome!!!!  Thank you for the input.  Deschutes is in the area.  Maybe a trip to the taproom for some "experimenting" might be in order.  LOL

If you like it I'm pretty sure Deschutes has homebrew recipes on their website. At least they used to.

[rburrelli]

And if you are interested in a home brew recipe there is the infamous BVIP from Denny. I made it a few years ago and it was excellent. Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.

[denny]

And if you are interested in a home brew recipe there is the infamous BVIP from Denny. I made it a few years ago and it was excellent. Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.

Thank you very much! If you're not into flavoring, I think the base porter is pretty good, too.

[redrocker652002]

I just took a quick look at it.  Might be something to try.  Looks pretty good.  One question I would have though, being so high gravity would two packs of yeast be advised?  I have only tried a starter once and it failed to get going, so if two packs of yeast is better then I will go for it that way.