Recipe: Wee Strong

Wee-Strong Ale

(from Bob at Oak Barrel in Berkeley, Ca)

Grains

1.5 lbs British Munich

.5 lbs Cara Munich

.5 Special B

2 oz Peat Smoke

1 lbs Aromatic

8.5 lbs Golden Promise

Hops:

1.5 oz Cacade (60 min)

1 oz Willamette (7 min)

Yeast:

Edinburg Ale Yeast (WLP028)

White Labs Amino Quick

Brewed: 2/23/2011

Efficiency: 85% (4.25 gallons)

OG: 1.082

Gravity check March 26, 2011: 1.021

Gravity checked May 22, 2011: 1.021 (very smooth and quite drinkable)

Final Gravity:

Infusion at 153-ish degrees

Pitched yeast at 60 degrees

Yeast was left out for 1.5 hours prior to fridge storing. Used left over from sparge to give the yeast a 3 hour start.

Issues:

Mash locked at 145 degrees. Boiled 1 gallon and added to raise temperature. Note: heat water 20 degrees above desired degree and pull and re-pore back into the cooler to cool if needed.

Spilled some sparge water so heated 1 gallon and sparged with it.

Once the 5 gallon line is almost noticeable stop boiling to maintain 5 gallons.

Follow-up July 22, 2011: Racked it in bottles today. Gravity read the same. Hints of caramel color, but darker than I expected. Smells sweet. Quite sweet to the taste. Could use some maturing for several months. Bitter bite at the end.

Bottled and maturing. Will follow-up when the beer is drank with notes and photo of beer.