Batch sparged in a 10-gallon cooler for 90 minutes at 154.
Star anise addition was 1/4 ounce boiled for 10 minutes.
11/29/12: Yeast starter (2.5 oz. DME, 1/4 t yeast nutrient, 1 qt. H2O)
11/30/12: Boil (75 minutes), OG was lower than expected (1.060) -- had lots of vapor loss due to the long boil, so I added water into the fermenter, and I might've added too much.
12/14/12: Transferred to secondary. Added 2 oz. Hungarian oak cubes and 2 oz. French oak chips that were pre-soaked in spiced rum (gravity was 1.023)
1/10/13: Bottled. FG was 1.022
Fermentables
71% - Pilsner Malt
10
38
2
Mash
7% - Special B
1
30
180
Mash
4% - Flaked Rye - US
0.5
36
2
Mash
4% - Caramel/Crystal 10 - US
0.5
35
10
Mash
4% - Munich - UK
0.5
37
9
Mash
7% - Briess Midnight Wheat Malt
1
32
549
Mash
4% - Belgian Dark Candi Sugar - BE
0.5
36
275
Late
Hops
Hersbrucker
1
Pellet
Boil
30 min(s)
14.5
41.3
Hersbrucker
1
Pellet
Boil
15 min(s)
14.5
26.7
Hallertau
1
Pellet
Boil
60 min(s)
4.3
15.9
Yeast
Wyeast Belgian Abbey II 1762
75%
Other Stuff
Anise
1
each
Boil
Medium-toast Hungarian Oak Cubes
2
oz
Secondary
Mash Steps
No mash steps in this recipe
Special Instructions
No special instructions in this recipe
Tasting Notes (0)
There aren't any tasting notes logged yet
Comments
Are you going for a taste that is anything like a commercial beer? I brewed a strong dark ale last year trying to match the Chimay Grand Reserve. The brew was OK but it was no Chimay!
11/20/2012 8:01:40 AM
Looks good. I would mash at a pretty high temp and start your fermentation on the cool side. I don't see anything I would change in the recipe. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!
11/26/2012 2:49:31 PM
Thanks for the comments!
ctorx: At first I was looking at some Fantome clones, but the malt bill was too simple (it was only pils malt with a bit of Munich), plus I have some miscellaneous grains leftover that I want to use.
SingleSpeed: Good ideas. Perhaps a higher-temp mash would give it more body and residual sweetness, which both sound good in a beer like this.
The only thing I'm struggling with is the anise. Recipes / forum posts online vary drastically. On the low end, some say to use just half of one star! (1 oz. appears to be about 15-20 stars.) And on the high end, some use half an ounce. I'm thinking about using 1/8 to 1/4 oz ... for about 10 minutes at the end of the boil. This is a big and malty beer after all, so I don't think that would overpower it too much, but then again, I've never used anise before ...
11/29/2012 8:01:36 AM
Have you brewed this yet? I'm curious how your use of anise turned out.
12/31/2012 10:09:59 PM
Brewed it ... and just bottled it 1/10/12. Ended up using 1/4 oz. of anise (4-5 stars, I think), but I didn't taste any anise at all at bottling.
The other curiosity with this beer: My OG ended up being really low (1.060) and my FG ended up being really high (1.022), even after giving it five weeks to ferment. So now that it's just an estimated 5% ABV, I guess I can't call it a "strong ale."
1/10/2013 3:58:25 PM
That's weird. That means that your brew house efficiency was 57%, and your attenuation was 64%. Are you sure your hydrometer is reading correctly? It looks like you pitched a good starter. Do you have a good way to monitor the fermentation temperature? Did you take a hydrometer reading after mash and before boil? I have never used anise either.
1/10/2013 4:31:34 PM
Hydrometer is OK. Just checked it and it's right at 0 at 60 degrees. I'm sure my brewhouse efficiency is pretty low (I batch sparge), though I've never really done the calculations. Fermentation temp may be the culprit, as we were recently on vacation and our house may have gotten a little cold during the recent blast of cold weather. Thanks for all the ideas. I suppose if everything were so predictable, brewing wouldn't be as exciting, so I'll just see where this thing goes ... and take notes along the way. And I'll post tasting notes (including any anise tasted) after it's bottle conditioned.
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https://brewgr.com/Media/img/r/83/8363624f-8ac9-440d-9228-f1c642d4275d_d.jpg
https://brewgr.com/Media/img/r/83/8363624f-8ac9-440d-9228-f1c642d4275d_t.jpg
Are you going for a taste that is anything like a commercial beer? I brewed a strong dark ale last year trying to match the Chimay Grand Reserve. The brew was OK but it was no Chimay!
11/20/2012 8:01:40 AMLooks good. I would mash at a pretty high temp and start your fermentation on the cool side. I don't see anything I would change in the recipe. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!
11/26/2012 2:49:31 PMThanks for the comments!
11/29/2012 8:01:36 AMctorx: At first I was looking at some Fantome clones, but the malt bill was too simple (it was only pils malt with a bit of Munich), plus I have some miscellaneous grains leftover that I want to use.
SingleSpeed: Good ideas. Perhaps a higher-temp mash would give it more body and residual sweetness, which both sound good in a beer like this.
The only thing I'm struggling with is the anise. Recipes / forum posts online vary drastically. On the low end, some say to use just half of one star! (1 oz. appears to be about 15-20 stars.) And on the high end, some use half an ounce. I'm thinking about using 1/8 to 1/4 oz ... for about 10 minutes at the end of the boil. This is a big and malty beer after all, so I don't think that would overpower it too much, but then again, I've never used anise before ...
Have you brewed this yet? I'm curious how your use of anise turned out.
12/31/2012 10:09:59 PMBrewed it ... and just bottled it 1/10/12. Ended up using 1/4 oz. of anise (4-5 stars, I think), but I didn't taste any anise at all at bottling.
1/10/2013 3:58:25 PMThe other curiosity with this beer: My OG ended up being really low (1.060) and my FG ended up being really high (1.022), even after giving it five weeks to ferment. So now that it's just an estimated 5% ABV, I guess I can't call it a "strong ale."
That's weird. That means that your brew house efficiency was 57%, and your attenuation was 64%. Are you sure your hydrometer is reading correctly? It looks like you pitched a good starter. Do you have a good way to monitor the fermentation temperature? Did you take a hydrometer reading after mash and before boil? I have never used anise either.
1/10/2013 4:31:34 PMHydrometer is OK. Just checked it and it's right at 0 at 60 degrees. I'm sure my brewhouse efficiency is pretty low (I batch sparge), though I've never really done the calculations. Fermentation temp may be the culprit, as we were recently on vacation and our house may have gotten a little cold during the recent blast of cold weather. Thanks for all the ideas. I suppose if everything were so predictable, brewing wouldn't be as exciting, so I'll just see where this thing goes ... and take notes along the way. And I'll post tasting notes (including any anise tasted) after it's bottle conditioned.
1/15/2013 3:04:44 PM