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Author Topic: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas  (Read 1918 times)

Offline brewdog86

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Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« on: March 27, 2011, 02:36:22 pm »
I want to brew an Xmas ale that is high in alcohol and i plan on aging it in an oak barrel..... any ideas or recipies?

Offline a10t2

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 04:11:00 pm »
Can you be more specific? There are plenty of established styles that are high in alcohol, and pretty much any recipe could be "imperialized".
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Offline brewdog86

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2011, 06:27:50 pm »
a porter would be nice, im more interested in how to make a high aclohol beer... im talking about 10% or higher

Offline a10t2

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2011, 06:33:51 pm »
Fred Bonjour has a good summary: http://www.beerdujour.com/Howtobrewabigbeer.htm
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Offline gordonstrong

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2011, 08:15:19 am »
Definitely check out Fred's advice if this is your goal.  Lots of people make crappy big beers.  Fred makes good ones.  And he makes ones that are significantly bigger than most.  You have to know what you're doing to be able to do both of those things.  It's not usually one of my goals to make beers this way, but I know where to look if I want to do that.  That's where I'd go.
Gordon Strong • Beavercreek, Ohio • AHA Member since 1997 • Twitter: GordonStrong

Offline bluesman

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 09:01:41 am »
Definitely check out Fred's advice if this is your goal.  Lots of people make crappy big beers.  Fred makes good ones.  And he makes ones that are significantly bigger than most.  You have to know what you're doing to be able to do both of those things.  It's not usually one of my goals to make beers this way, but I know where to look if I want to do that.  That's where I'd go.

+1

Fred knows his big beers well.
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Offline kgs

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2011, 09:30:33 am »
This is great! Wish I'd asked this question three weeks ago, but glad other advice on this forum helped me through it. I made a 3-gallon batch of English barleywine and used a WLP007 starter made with 1.040 wort, and it was really jumping:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/5527967819/

When I bottle, I plan to add half a packet of rehydrated yeast, also per advice on this forum.
K.G. Schneider
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Offline brewdog86

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Re: Brewing a high alcohol beer for xmas
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2011, 09:01:03 pm »
thats an awsome bit of info THANK YOU! anyone else with ideas?