A Darker version of ESVA / SMOTY?

[RaymondM]

Still new to brewing, this is my 5th or 6th brew. I've previously followed the Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale recipe: (real ale, pale ale, 1kg dex, 30g Nels Sauv Hops, to 21L)

And after a few months of aging I loved it but I'm craving something darker that's about 7.5 abv and I'm not fully initiated into the world of stout.

 

I'm Considering real ale, dark ale, 1kg BE1, fill to 21L. The dark ale kit is much bitterer than pale (590 IBU as oppose to 340) so I'm not sure whether dry hopping will make it too bitter.

 

I imagine this brew will be really dark and bitter. Anyone know how the bitterness might compare with SMOTY ale if I either dry hop or don't add hops?

[Hairy]

Dry hopping won't affect the bitterness so I think you should go for it.

 

You could always swap the real ale for a pale ale in your recipe for a little less bitterness. It will taste different but I think the dark ale may be the dominant taste anyway.

 

Let us know what you do and how it turns out.

[PhilboBaggins]

Hi Raymond.

 

How about cracking and steeping 250g Chocolate malt or roast barley for the darker colour and leaving the cans as they are in the ESVA recipe?

 

You'll [love] it mate.

[RaymondM]

I started the brew today:

1 kit Real Ale

1 kit Dark Ale

1 kg BE1

25g Fuggles hops (dry)

filled to 23L, pitched at 25 degrees, intend to drop to 18C.

 

I'll report how it turns out, although it might take a while because I'm hesitant to open any of it before at least 3 months in the bottles (my ESVA tasted bad until about 4 months). I started the brew before I saw your comment, PhilboBaggins, but thanks for the tip, I might try that once I've culled most of this batch. My wife doesn't like it when I keep an oversupply of really strong ales you see [innocent]

 

Also, the OG reading says 1079 and I'm not sure if this is accurate or a false high reading due to poor mixing. I drew a second sample and it's giving me the same hydrometer reading.

[Otto Von Blotto]

1079 does sound a bit high for those ingredients in that volume, however if you didn't mix it properly it's more likely to give a low reading rather than a high one. My toucan stout with two cans (stout + dark ale) and a kilo of dex got an OG of 1062 in 23 litres, and it's basically the same amount of fermentables as your recipe, in the sense of 2 cans plus a kilo. BE1 won't completely ferment out like dex does, but it should give around the same gravity before fermentation.

[RaymondM]

So it's been 10 days since I pitched the yeast, and the SG reading is now 1015, so if the OG reading was correct then it's currently about 8.6% abv, and if it was 1062 like Otto Von Blotto's Toucan Stout (which I tend to believe) then it's about 6.3% abv. I tasted the hydrometer sample and it's not bad and the bitterness seems right where I wanted it although I'd definitely like to age it so that the dry hop flavour mellows out a bit. There was a whole lot of yeast sediment in the bottom of the hydrometer so I'm considering putting the fermenter in the fridge to settle it after the SG readings have stabilised. I've never done this before, are there any tricks to getting it right?

[Hairy]

I'm considering putting the fermenter in the fridge to settle it after the SG readings have stabilised. I've never done this before' date=' are there any tricks to getting it right?[/quote']

No tricks, just stick it in the fridge. The colder it is the less time you will need to leave it in there but every little bit helps, even if it is only a couple of days.

 

Try not to shake the FV around too much when moving it. Bend with your knees and watch your back when lifting the FV. Warming up (you, not the FV) may be a good idea before attempting it.

 

Easy!

[RaymondM]

Well it's been ages that I haven't replied, soz. I still don't know for sure what the abv is but FG was 1015 so I figure it's somewhere between 6.5% and 7%. It's nice and bitter without being overpowering, but the fuggles aroma is hard to detect. A casualty of chilling it?

 

I found that despite my best efforts a fair bit of yeast ended up at the bottom of the bottles and serving it cloudy makes it taste like tar, but bright (if that's an appropriate word for a dark ale) is delicious. Also, I carbonated it at 1 drop per 330 ml bottle so it's a little foamy for this style but I don't mind.

 

I'm gonna be honest, it's all gone by now so I'm going off memory [pinched]