7% to 8% beer ?

[Mattyde05]

Hi guys

so I’ve got a grainfather and I think without looking I can use 9kg of grain for a single brew . My question is would I need to use two packets of yeast ? Us 05 to be exact . Wanting to get a higher abv as I enjoy a strong beer . Just a smash recipe.
Any info would be much appreciated.
p.s maris otter and citra

 

[Obadiah Boondoggle]

Not an expert here but seeing as the first thing the yeast does is reproduce itself until it uses up all the oxygen and then starts to ferment, the amount of yeast to start with is a bit academic

The key surely is the amount of sugar at the beginning of the fermentation, basically more sugar = more alcohol

Once the beer becomes too alcoholic this can slow down the action of the yeast - so may be think of yeast supplements

As I say I am not an expert and would be interested in other thoughts

 

[Keruso]

Hi guys

so I’ve got a grainfather and I think without looking I can use 9kg of grain for a single brew . My question is would I need to use two packets of yeast ? Us 05 to be exact . Wanting to get a higher abv as I enjoy a strong beer . Just a smash recipe.
Any info would be much appreciated.
p.s maris otter and citra

I don’t think you can get 9KG into a grainfather, 8KG at a push and you’ll still find your wort flows through the handle holes. For a really big beer try reiterated mashing if you can be arsed. I have a grainfather and with 7.5KG of grain and maybe a few 100g of dextrose you can reach 1.075 easily which will be 8%+ using US05. Rule of thumb is two packs for 23 litres over 1.060 so I certainly advise two packs, that what I do

 

[strange-steve]

so I’ve got a grainfather and I think without looking I can use 9kg of grain for a single brew

You can, and I have used 9kg of grain in the GF but it was a stretch and my brew house efficiency was down to 67%, so that's something to keep in mind when formulating your recipe.

My question is would I need to use two packets of yeast ?

You don't have to and you could well get away with 1 packet, but ideally you would pitch 2 packets of dry yeast for high gravity beers (>1.065).

 

[Mattyde05]

Thanks for the reply’s guys think I will go for 8kg of grain with two packets . Will aerate a bit more for more oxygen , and see how it’s goes . Thanks

 

[strange-steve]

Thanks for the reply’s guys think I will go for 8kg of grain with two packets . Will aerate a bit more for more oxygen , and see how it’s goes . Thanks

A little tip for stronger brews is to add some sugar or DME to bump up the OG.

 

[obscure]

A little tip for stronger brews is to add some sugar or DME to bump up the OG.

Is their a genuine benefit of using sugar beyond bumping up abv (i.e, does it have a benefit to the flavour).

 

[RichardM]

Not an expert here but seeing as the first thing the yeast does is reproduce itself until it uses up all the oxygen and then starts to ferment, the amount of yeast to start with is a bit academic

The key surely is the amount of sugar at the beginning of the fermentation, basically more sugar = more alcohol

Once the beer becomes too alcoholic this can slow down the action of the yeast - so may be think of yeast supplements

As I say I am not an expert and would be interested in other thoughts

This wrong, you need enough to pitch enough active yeast cells to ferment your wort. The higher the OG, the more cells you need. There are many calculators available and there is information of the websites of the producers to advise on how much yeast to pitch for a given OG

 

[RichardM]

Is their a genuine benefit of using sugar beyond bumping up abv (i.e, does it have a benefit to the flavour).

The resulting beer will be "thinner" and have less flavour than if you use malt to raise the ABV

 

[prog99]

The resulting beer will be "thinner" and have less flavour than if you use malt to raise the ABV

But once you are into those sorts of abv I doubt it makes a huge difference based on the belgium ales and RIS that I do.

 

[strange-steve]

The resulting beer will be "thinner" and have less flavour than if you use malt to raise the ABV

This is true but not necessarily a bad thing. Sugar can be used as a way of improving the drinkability of strong beers, particularly Belgian styles or DIPA.

 

[obscure]

The resulting beer will be "thinner" and have less flavour than if you use malt to raise the ABV

This is what I keep on hearing, I also often see it in Belgium beers, with commercial beer I could understand the argument of it being about cost control, but am assuming their must be.

This is true but not necessarily a bad thing. Sugar can be used as a way of improving the drinkability of strong beers, particularly Belgian styles or DIPA.

Thanks this makes sense, I blame the influence of one can and a kilo of sugar kits for making me automatically link sugar with cost cutting, which is why it still kind of throws me when I see it in recipies.

 

[strange-steve]

it still kind of throws me when I see it in recipies.

Yeah it's one of those myths that won't go away unfortunately but some of the world's finest beers have simple sugar additions, Rochefort, Orval, and Westvleteren for example, and invert sugar is used a lot in British style beers.

 

[Jim2607]

I made an 8.6% dipa based on Proper Job but with lots of citra and amarillo in my grainfather. It was fantastic! I used two sachets of us05. The grain bill was 7.64kg. I would add some rice hulls next time (2 or 300g) to aid the sparge as it was slow verging on stuck. Heres my recipe.. Happy brewing!
https://community.grainfather.com/recipes/111828

 

[The Baron]

As Steve says it is not a bad thing to add sugar to bump up the ABV on big beers it will thin the beer down but without it some big beers will seem like chewing it as they can be too thick and gloopy as generally darker and stronger malts are used in these.
Yeast wise I would use 2 packs of dried yeast in a 6.5% or above beer and maybe some yeast nutrient

 

[lupinehorror]

not trying to hijack the thread in the slightest but what does a 'standard' packet of yeast weigh? i see it used often in recipes. only asking because the majority of the yeast i use (that isn't from kits) is from a large packet not a sachet and i go with teaspoons (which i gauge at around 5g). ta (and apologies for butting in).

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Heh... talking of sugar, I've just primed a 550ml bottle of bitter with 1.6g of golden syrup (there was just a bit more wort in the FV than would fit in the corny). That's the first time I've ever added sugar to an AG beer and I still felt a bit 'naughty' doing it

 

[The Baron]

a standard none kit yeast is approx 11grams up or down a bit