whats a good first high gravity beer to brew?

[Scott Miller]

The NB american amber ale turned out wonderful, I would have to estimate probably like 4000 times better than mr beer. I never did do a secondary on it, just a primary for a month. Its got the flavor of the grains that I steeped, like a nice roasted flavor, and a good clean finish, almost dry finish, and the T-A-D got it carbonated great. It really is wonderful.

Now I want to get a big one going to be ready in a couple months when this ones all gone, what would you guys think would be good for a first time high gravity-er? Its got to be northern brewer, and extract, other than that I'm all game.

[Tweek]

you want a kit or a recipe?

[Tweek]

well, since it seems that no one else is posting a suggestion I would suggest that you follow one of the recipes in the barleywine/imp stout section here.

Linky (http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=3575)

You could try that one Hair of the dog, I hear that guy is a killer brewer :D

If you ware looking for a kit, perhaps someone else could reccomend somethign for ya.

[Magnew]

I like the Belgian Honey kit from Midwest Homebrewing in Minneapolis. You can internet order from them.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com

[YamahaXS]

high gravity means a pretty wide range....


how about something in the 1.070 range before you get into any thing too monstrous.


A IIPA???

8 pounds light DME
1# Special B
.5# Carapils

1 - 1.5 ounce nugget @ 60 minutes
.75 ounce K goldings @ 10 minutes
.75 ounce K goldings @ 1 minutes

It will be important that you aerate your wort and get a nice starter batch going for your yeast.

[HogieWan]

I've never found a kit with a high gravity. Last week I found a Munton's Imperial Stout kit at my LHBS that listed the ABV as 4.5%

[Magnew]

They don't give an ABV for that Midwest Belgian Honey kit that I referred to. But between the DME, Honey and Candi sugar, it has some 9 or 10 pounds of fermentables.

[danno]

Northern Brewer's Belgian Strong Golden Ale extract kit is very good, but it's a solid six months before it's drinkable, and a year before it's tasty. so plan accordingly...

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by danno
so plan accordingly...

meaning, buy another carboy

[Scott Miller]

I checked out the strong golden ale, that one looks like a winner. I think I might also get a kit in the area of 150 , and do that to help pass the time. 6 months! Ahh, guess I got to learn this patience thing sometime!

[Scott Miller]

Is there anything else I'm going to need besides a kit to do yeast starters? I've got a 6 glass, but that barely held the krausen on the american amber ale, should I get a 6.5 and a blowoff tube?
I've got a 5 for doing secondary.

[YamahaXS]

you can never have too many carboys

:D

but its no big deal if you lose krausen through the blowoff tube.

[Scott Miller]

Originally posted by YamahaXS
you can never have too many carboys

LOL, Ive only got 3, but their just SITTING there EMPTY...:D

[BrewDog]

Originally posted by Scott Miller
LOL, Ive only got 3, but their just SITTING there EMPTY...:D

Sounds like it's time to get brewin'!

[danno]

NB's yeast starter kit is pretty much complete. obviously the more starters you make, the more DME you'll need...

(but then there's the whole "going overboard" part of any hobby that makes it all enjoyable... for more info, just ask... )

back to NB's belgian strong: I brewed this as about my fourth batch I had ever done, and my second one kegging. I was disappointed after NB's prescribed six months (the alcohol was waaaay too up front), and hadn't learned the big beer = patience lesson yet. so I left the keg alone, and basically lost track of it (thought it was just another empty). come the next spring, about 14 months after I brewed, I discovered this particular keg was mostly full, tried it, and was simply amazed that I had actually brewed this myself...

[Joe D]

Speaking of Belgians and carboys, most of the real Belgian kits that come from there only make 9 liters of ale. What a perfectly good waste of a 5 gal carboy. The other day when I was at the local Smart & Finial I got three 3 gal bottles of purified, de ionized water complete with a 3 gal carboy type bottle for $2.99 ea. I'll use the water in one bottle to brew a Belgian Abby and the others to brew a Calif. Common. Now I have 3 small carboys to do Belgians in and they won't be tying up my 5 gal ones for months.

[critch]

try a woodfordes headcracker a palatable barley ale that can be very drinkable in two weeks (but much better if aged) and an abv of 9.5%;)