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Toucan - dark ale + stout


SteveL

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Going to make the Russian Imperial Stout https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/russian-imperial-stout.html since il be able to cellar it and not get the urge to crack em open before they have reach there peak. Anyone had any experience with this brew ? I have some chocolate malt which I was thinking of adding but feel the flavor will get lost. I know it foams up like crazy and I need to keep a lot of free head room.

 

Any input appreciated.

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1 hour ago, Smashed Crabs said:

Going to make the Russian Imperial Stout https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/russian-imperial-stout.html since il be able to cellar it and not get the urge to crack em open before they have reach there peak. Anyone had any experience with this brew ? I have some chocolate malt which I was thinking of adding but feel the flavor will get lost. I know it foams up like crazy and I need to keep a lot of free head room.

 

Any input appreciated.

I'm going to bottle mine tomorrow.
I followed the recipe for this. I put 12 litres of water in the fridge the day before to ensure I got it down to 18C ASAP.

It didn't take as much mixing as I'd expected, and with the cold water it was about 19C when I put it in the fridge.
I fermented it at 18C for two weeks and it's been cold crashing for 5 days. Not that it needed it, but I couldn't get to
bottle it last weekend. The ferment wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if you can make it out in the pic.
I took a reading and then left it next to the FV in the fridge.
Gravity is down to 1.020 or so now I think.

In the past I've done Toucans with the dark ale and stout. Sometimes I add dextrose of varying amounts, but not always.
Then I've steeped 250 grams of choc malt @70c, then boiled for ten minutes.
It's very nice, and I find it OK to drink after a month. I did put some away to age.
I don't like it. It's got a strong coffee flavour and I don't drink coffee.
I think the case I have left in the garage is over two years old. I get a bottle out every so often if we have visitors.
It certainly raises eyebrows.

I thought I'd try the Imperial Russian as a comparison.

I think I'd either do the Toucan + Choc Malt or
The Imperial Russian.
I don't think I'd add Choc Malt to the Russian.

stout.jpg

PA280096.JPG

PA280097.JPG

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Thanks @Graculus awesome feedback, I think I will save the choc malt for some thing else. When my 30 L fermenter becomes free I'm going to put this down .. iv just realised iv got the euro lager not the OS lager! Wonder if it makes a difference if I deviate off the recipe and use that. Lager was the only kit I didn't grab I'm special haha.

Cheers 

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5 minutes ago, Smashed Crabs said:

Thanks @Graculus awesome feedback, I think I will save the choc malt for some thing else. When my 30 L fermenter becomes free I'm going to put this down .. iv just realised iv got the euro lager not the OS lager! Wonder if it makes a difference if I deviate off the recipe and use that. Lager was the only kit I didn't grab I'm special haha.

Cheers 

Personally I wouldn't use the Euro lager. Purely because I like that one with some Saaz.

If you have Dark Ale, Stout and Choc Malt why not make that one instead.

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Yeah I think I will, just to use the choc malt. Was only thinking the RIS as iv got 20+ kits atm to use up and I'm now doing AG at the same time. You mentioned you don't always use the Dex, is there much difference in taste and texture ? I don't really mind about the ABV loss. 

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1 minute ago, Smashed Crabs said:

Yeah I think I will, just to use the choc malt. Was only thinking the RIS as iv got 20+ kits atm to use up and I'm now doing AG at the same time. You mentioned you don't always use the Dex, is there much difference in taste and texture ? I don't really mind about the ABV loss. 

No difference as far as I can tell. If you don't have dextrose don't worry about it.

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  • 7 months later...

Hey ya fellow brewers, I have this stockpiled for weekend

dark ale tin

stout tin 

500g LDME, 250g crystal malt, 50g fuggles

2x mangrove jacks strong ale yeasts

not sure of the plan as yet with hops thinking I just dry hop the hops, I’m temp controlled so will brew at 18c 

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  • 1 year later...

Well, who'd have thought anyone could stuff up brew day (hour) on this simple recipe...... but I did. Amazing how distracting an 8 year old who's Minecraft game is playing up, can be!!!

Sout, Dark Ale, 1kg Dextrose. Pitched straight onto the yeast cake of the Chocolate Liqueur Stout that I bottled immediately prior. It tasted way too chocolatey! So, I figured the trub/yeast cake might add some depth to this batch....

I dissolved the dextrose on the stove and brought to a boil and let it cool for a few minutes. This is when the 8 year old's melt-down started causing a number interruptions of my sacred "Me time" while I was brewing.... 

The tins were in the fermenter and it was filling with water. I may or may not have poured the hot dextrose onto the yeast cake.... 😞 

Sorted another meltdown of said 8 year old (Minecraft not loading skins is afterall akin to the end of an 8 year old's world) and uppssssss!!!! Filled to 29 litres....

No spare fermenter so had to tip some down the sink 😭 to 22l, the highest I dare leave it given the possibility of volcanic fermentation....

Still had OG of 1060.... so could be an ok 6.5%ish  brew after all.... hopefully.

36 hours later.... you guessed it, not a bubble... 

Recovery mode..... Taste test.... Yum.... OG still 1060. Temp 19C. So in went 2 pack (not the rapper) of coopers rehydrated  kit yeasts.

If this turns out to be the best beer I ever brewed, I will not be repeating this method... ever again.

Edited by MON5TER
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3 hours ago, MON5TER said:

 This is when the 8 year old's melt-down started causing a number interruptions of my sacred "Me time" while I was brewing....

You should have put him to work, after properly sanitising him of course.

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