What’s the strongest beer you’ve brewed?

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I made a 16.2% stout last year, turned out really well. I used kveik yeast which meant it was drinkable pretty much straight away with minimal conditioning time.

I assume you serve this in shot glasses!

 

[An Ankoù]

Lingonberry Imperial Stout, a bit above 10%. All tasters approved, but it's not really my style. I prefer ales between 3-6%.

Me too. The supermarket shelves here are solid with Belgian beers of all sorts of strengths, but if I want to sip, I'll sip wine or whisky. When you're been brought up from an early age to know that "a quick half" means half a gallon, then strong beers don't really do it.

 

[GerritT]

Me too. The supermarket shelves here are solid with Belgian beers of all sorts of strengths, but if I want to sip, I'll sip wine or whisky. When you're been brought up from an early age to know that "a quick half" means half a gallon, then strong beers don't really do it.

You could try Goudale: about 7% but drinks way easier

I'll be in Paris in a couple of weeks (company trip), must remind myself to stock up a bit.

 

[DJDave]

Munton's Santa's Winter Warmer 3Kg Granulated version except I substituted some with Muscavado can't remember what proportions. Bottled in little nips rather than pint bottles. Stupidly strong but ridiculously easy to drink. This was for my 40th Birthday .....some 20+ years ago. No idea if their current version is the same recipe. Later did some in Pint bottles this was not a good idea..........

 

[An Ankoù]

You could try Goudale: about 7% but drinks way easier

I'll be in Paris in a couple of weeks (company trip), must remind myself to stock up a bit.

La Goudale is a lovely drink and cheap as chips. So is Trois Monts.

 

[chthon]

@chthon do you have a recipe for this? It's the nicest triple I've ever drank, and probably the best Belgian beer I've ever tasted (controversial opinion alert )

I will look it up. Mind you, I brewed this with propagated St.-Bernardus yeast (yes, from a couple of bottles of Pater & Tripel).

 

[DrGMc]

I made a 16.2% stout last year, turned out really well. I used kveik yeast which meant it was drinkable pretty much straight away with minimal conditioning time.

Yikes Steve, I thought my 2018 Christmas beer at 14.1 was at the limit (damn good beer and thats to quote various mates that are gagging for me to do it again). However, the wife remembers it for a different reason (it blew up in the garage at the second stage of fermentation and the stain is still on the ceiling!)
I'm going to have to look up this kviek yeast - (never used it)

I had used Westmalle then st. Bernadus and finished off with CDC yeasts over three months but I guess I should use some Kviek at some timepoint in the sequence...
Always learning :=)

 

[Norfolk79]

A Leffe Blonde clone that came in at 6.8%. Plenty strong enough. Usually brew around 4.5 to 5%

 

[GerritT]

I had ciders and meads way North of 12% but they don't count I guess.

 

[DrGMc]

I had ciders and meads way North of 12% but they don't count I guess.

Oooh they DO count nice stuff and i'm just racking of last years cider this weekend :-) Not made a mead for years though ...

 

[Zephyr259]

I've hit 18% in a mead which was my first and didn't taste very nice due to a bland honey and too much acid. Beer wise I got a braggot to 10.5% but it tastes fowl, not sure why exactly, think the fermentation struggled a lot. First barleywine was 10% but as my 2nd stove-top AG batch it was quite rough once we had more brews to compare it to. One of my best beers was a 9% saison inspired by a Tripel Karmeliet clone recipe.

 

[mattrickl06]

Triple Hop Double IPA as below, brewed in November. I usually just have one on a Friday night each week after work - any more and i usually have to go to sleep for a bit.

Its a bloody wonderful beer, i have compared it directly with other Citra based IPAs and double IPAs and it outdoes every one - with the added benefit that i made mine for around 25p a bottle :-)

 

[dad_of_jon]

La Goudale is a lovely drink and cheap as chips. So is Trois Monts.

Ahhh good old 3M - I often pick up a 'six-pack' of those when in a french hypermarket. 75cl of course

 

[Manxnorton]

Think 15% Barly wine.
Not sure lost my journal
Bri

 

[Oneflewover]

Triple Hop Double IPA as below, brewed in November. I usually just have one on a Friday night each week after work - any more and i usually have to go to sleep for a bit.

Its a bloody wonderful beer, i have compared it directly with other Citra based IPAs and double IPAs and it outdoes every one - with the added benefit that i made mine for around 25p a bottle :-)

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Would be VERY interested to hear how you are making that for 25p per 500ml bottle!
I reckon on £1 kilo for grain, and for an abv like that you're gonna need at least 6 kg grain in a 20l batch. So there's £6, £2 for yeast (unless re-using of course, but then probable DME costs for building a starter). Leaves around £2 for hops to achieve 20l for a tenner / 25p for 500 ml.
I would probably put a tenner's worth of hops alone in a beer like that so need to know where I am going wrong!!

 

[prog99]

Ahhh good old 3M - I often pick up a 'six-pack' of those when in a french hypermarket. 75cl of course

If I lived in france I'd probably not home-brew anymore.

 

[An Ankoù]

If I lived in france I'd probably not home-brew anymore.

The trouble is that if you're used to drinking pints, the beer here is too strong. You can find the odd thing around 5%, but it's not very good and overpriced.

 

[prog99]

The trouble is that if you're used to drinking pints, the beer here is too strong. You can find the odd thing around 5%, but it's not very good and overpriced.

I visit france several times a year, I love belgium beer and its my favourite style. Its great to find a wall of it in the hypermarket and so reasonably priced.

 

[An Ankoù]

Would be VERY interested to hear how you are making that for 25p per 500ml bottle!
I reckon on £1 kilo for grain, and for an abv like that you're gonna need at least 6 kg grain in a 20l batch. So there's £6, £2 for yeast (unless re-using of course, but then probable DME costs for building a starter). Leaves around £2 for hops to achieve 20l for a tenner / 25p for 500 ml.
I would probably put a tenner's worth of hops alone in a beer like that so need to know where I am going wrong!!

I think its a bit optimistic, too. I reckon I use about £3 gas and electricity, too. Possibly a bit more., I'd put it nearer to 50p a pint and that's with buying Citra at £37 a kilo from Geterbrewed.

 

[Oneflewover]

I think its a bit optimistic, too. I reckon I use about £30 gas and electricity, too. Possibly a bit more., I'd put it nearer to 50p a pint and that's with buying Citra at £37 a kilo from Geterbnrewed.

£30 gas and electric!!?