Never brewed before but want to start brewing my own Strong Lager

[Jayrmz]

There's 2 main reasons I wanted to start brewing my own Strong lager (8-10% ABV)
1. I really enjoy the taste of the likes of Special Brew and Super Tennant but it is LUDICROUSLY expensive and I am but a mere pauper
2. I have wanted to try and brew my own beers/lagers since doing my Cask Ale cellar management course about 10 years ago

I have quite literally no idea what I need to do or what equipment I will need. All I have so far is a 5g packet of "Gervin GV4 - High alcohol wine yeast" (assuming this will be suitable for brewing higher ABV drinks)

Am i attempting to run before I can walk or (with some of you kinds folks' words of wisdom) is this something I will be able to achieve?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

 

[Dutto]

Hmmm! Advice?

1. Anyone can make "falling down juice" but it may not taste all that good. I therefore advise sticking with a decent kit; and then drinking more of it.
2. A lot of kits are available that come with their own fermentation bag so fermentation is sorted but otherwise Wilko do a 25 litre fermentation bucket.
3. After fermentation the brew can be bottled or kegged. Wilko do a reasonable 25 litre keg and it saves all the messing about with bottles.

For any other advice I suggest that you either lay your hands on a book about Brewing or trawl through the various advice on this Forum.

In either event, I started home-brewing over 55 years ago in the same straits as yourself and my advice is "Learn enough to start and then go for it!"

It's a fantastic hobby regardless of whether or not you save money; but a key ingredient is "PATIENCE".

Enjoy

 

[Rodcx500z]

If you know how to run a cask cellar you will know what real ale tastes like and that's were I would start and there are some cracking strong German and Belgium brews you can make

 

[Drunkula]

http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

[terrym]

Read this which also includes a basic shopping list of what equipment you need to buy
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum
Start with a basic beer/lager kit to get the process understood, minimum 1.7kg liquid malt in the can and brew something about 4-5%. If you dump lots of additional sugar into it over what is recommended to up the ABV it will get increasingly tasteless especially since lagers are not exactly full bodied.
When you have got to grips with how to brew beer you can then move on if you desire. Brewing decent quality high strength beers is a step up from normal strength beer brewing in my view and you will certainly not be doing it from the outset. However if your sole aim is to make high ABV beer and you are not too fussed about what it tastes like that is a lot easier to achieve. All you need is a beer kit and several bags of granulated sugar and a yeast that doesn't die above 10%ABV.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Special brew ? Is this a bot ? Who in their right mind wants the pinnacle of their brewing to be super strength chemically abused *****! Sorry but if this is real then please please try some real lagers & Belgian blondes to educate your palate. If this sounds abrupt then I make no apologies. Broaden your palate & enjoy brewing quality beer.

 

[nige]

G4 is good for wine, better use a high abv mangrove jack's belgian yeast than can go 12%, brew short to 20ltr then add light malt lme or dme or both instead of a ton of sugar. No more than 500g of medium Dme to a larger and light dme will give you a similar colour, a small addition of golden syrup 150g, I wouldn't aim over 8% for og and then add 250g of maltodextrin at bottling with your priming sugar may give you more like the ***** your looking for. Good luck

 

[Petrolhead]

Do you think he will be back

 

[Dutto]

Maybe, if he sobers up!

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

super strength chemically abused *****!

Are you sure? A quick Google reveals nothing other than the usual barley, hops, yeast and water.

Did you know Winston Churchill enjoyed Special Brew?

BBC News - The secret history of Special Brew
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30795336

Surely Winterbourne's question was valid as this us a brewing forum? Who knows, he/she may have stuck around and discovered barley wines, imperial stouts.

 

[terrym]

Did you know Winston Churchill enjoyed Special Brew?

Arguably he was an alcoholic.

 

[MickDundee]

The only good thing about Special Brew is the Bad Manners song.

 

[Dave 666]

Hmm, maybe the op could simply use 2 kits to the same level of water, aught to give the desired results?, though not sure how that would affect the final flavour.

 

[Richie_asg1]

Either way I think starting with a kit is the way to start. I don't think many people have the intention to brew wonderful ales when they first attempt it. Just something they can make and drink themselves.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I'd suggest its easier to make a high abv steam beer with mj's california yeast 3.5kg of pale dme, 500g dwe and 500g of amber/medium dme. 50g of saaz 10 min boil.

 

[terrym]

Hmm, maybe the op could simply use 2 kits to the same level of water, aught to give the desired results?, though not sure how that would affect the final flavour.

Twice the bitterness.

 

[Dave 666]

Twice the bitterness.

Ahh, that's why nobody else suggested that then.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Is the OP real ? Let’s give him some ideas of what to drink or try , that’s easily available. The two mass produced lagers mentioned are truly terrible. Ok if Sir Winston drank it but that was 50 odd years ago & I guarantee the recipe is somewhat different. Ffs he drank Pol Roger & whatever he could lay his hands on !

 

[terrym]

Recent members will be unaware this type of enquiry pops up from time. A single post, like 'can I easily make 15% beer' , lots of answers from members trying to be helpful and a few cynical ones thrown in..... then a deafening silence.
Here is the last one I remember
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...pecial-brew-tennents-super-style-lager.69582/
I suggest we give it a rest to see if the OP returns with a set of sensible questions to prove he/she is not wumming.

 

[johncrobinson]

I would of thought larger was a more difficult place to start off with anyway.

Basic beers seem to be easier.