Festival old Suffolk strong Ale

[Maffa]

Boost the strength? Mine came out bang on 6% so with conditioning you're looking at 6.2%. Was in primary for 2 then secondary for 2. Bottled warm for 2 then a few in the fridge. Very drinkable even after a month of bottling.

I guess if you want to push the abv higher the usual trick is to add less water, so brew to 21litres. That should add approx 0.5%, or you could add more sugar, but it tends to make the brew leaner.

 

[Joeyriles]

I'm brewing this on the weekend and realised I'd never actually had a Suffolk Strong ale in my life.
Found one in tesco and, despite being Greene King, was pleasantly surprised with the flavour and body of it (though I felt it this morning!)

Plan is to brew it now and open it when the Autumn months start rolling in. These festival kits seem to hit their stride after about three months in the bottle.

:drink:

 

[Joeyriles]

UPDATE: brewed this up last night and this morning I awoke to the sound of gurgling from the airlock. It appears to be chugging along quite nicely.

With regards these hops: should I fling them in the primary or the secondary FV? Also, when racking, should I be siphoning everything but the trub and then leaving the secondary in a cooler place so that it can clear?

Sorry, nobody expects the Suffolk Inquisition!

 

[Maffa]

Chuck the pellets in the primary after a week. Leave for another week then siphon off to secondary (leave all the gunk behind). Put secondary somewhere cool for a week then siphon (again leave more gunk behind) to bottle :thumb:

 

[Joeyriles]

Cheers, Maffa.

 

[Joeyriles]

Added the hops (Boudicca) and the trial jar was lovely. So far gravity is 1010.
Very tasty and dark; will give it another week until bottling up.
The only question is: batch or bottle prime? Only Ade 20l so am leaning towards bottle priming.

 

[Joeyriles]

All primed and in the airing cupboard (though I scarce think it needs to be in this weather!)

My new siphon/little bottler hybrid combined well with a muslin bag to keep out the sediment/hop dregs. Smells beautiful and I can't wait to try it in a few weeks.

Still murky but hopefully it'll clear up in a week or two.

Realise I'm probably the only person with this on the go right now; apologies if I'm being boring!

 

[Maffa]

Not at all!

Just realised I'm down to my last 3 bottles of this and am really seriously thinking bunging another batch on. This is up there with Golden Stag (dare I say its better?) which I have just transferred to secondary so I have a free bucket to use.

Don't worry if it doesn't entirely clear, I don't have a garage or anywhere cool to condition properly but it is still an extremely good pint - even in summer.

 

[Joeyriles]

Cheers, Maffa. I really loved the trial jar and this appears to be clearing up very nicely in the bottle.

Now I need to leave it for a while...a week or two is a while, isn't it?!

 

[Joeyriles]

Been in the bottle a while now and:

Phwoar! What a lovely beer. It's strong, malty and very potent and I know it will continue to get better in the bottle.

:clap:

 

[Andysbrew]

How does this brew taste? Looking at doing it for my Christmas Ale for me and my guests to enjoy, is it full bodied and full of flavour?

Cheers

 

[Joeyriles]

It's got a wallop, that's for sure. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a 'warming' ale like a lot of Christmas kits, though.

Still, a lovely beer and if you were feeling brave I'm sure you could add some spices to make it more festive. Mine came out at around 6.2% as I brewed short so it definitely feels full bodied.

 

[Joeyriles]

Have you considered the Brewferm Christmas? I've got this waiting and it sounds delicious. Not one for bulk, though.

 

[Andysbrew]

Thanks Joey

Going to order a Brewferm Christmas and get it on asap for next Christmas as the long conditioning time, 18 months ish , sounds good to me if its full bodied and strong, that's how I like my ale.

Cheers

 

[Maffa]

Bottled this yesterday, with 41 500ml bottles. OG 1052 FG 1008 so with conditioning should be bang on 6%. Spend 2 weeks in primary then 1 week in secondary.

This is my second batch of this in 5 months, love it! :party:

 

[thehorse]

What could affect the OG? Mine was 1040, much lower than the last two users, though it was difficult to get a proper reading in all that foam. It's now dropped to 1008 so everything seems okay, but surely everyone's OG should be roughly the same out of the sachets as no fermenting has taken place.