2nd place Spiced & Experimental Beers
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1st place NERHBC Porter and Stout Category 2023
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recipe: Snark Lord kit from Great Fermentations. This version is a modification of the GF kit based on my side by side comparison of 8 month keg aged GF kit and Dark Lord 2017
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Starter
WLP001 and WLP002: separate 1.5L starters 30 hrs before anticipated yeast pitch
Water chemistry / mash notes:
1/2 total minerals added to each strike. 2.5 mL LA into strike water mash #1 and ??2.0 mL??? LA for mash #2.
Acidify each 1.5 gal sparge with 0.1 mL lactic acid 88%.
Reiterated mash with split pale malts at 157F (pale, munich, flaked oats, flaked barley). Mash cap with 1/2 dark/roast malts after each mash.
Pale/flaked = 24.0 lbs
Roast/dark = 5.5 lbs
Sugars = 2.0 jaggery
Total = 31.5 lbs
Mash #1 = 2.5 mL of LA. 12.0 lbs pale/flaked into 5.9 gallons x 60-90 min. Mash cap with 2.5 lbs dark/roast malts x 20-30 min. After mash, sparge with ~1.5 gal to achieve a volume of 6.0 gal for 2nd mash.
Mash #2 = Measure pH! Adjust with LA or baking soda to pH of 5.4. 12.0 lbs pale/flaked into 6.0 gallons. Mash for 60-90 min or until SG stabilizes. Mash cap with remaining 3.0 lbs dark/roast/crystal malts for 20-30 min. Sparge with ~1.8 gal to hit 6.5 gal pre-boil volume
Boil notes:
Jaggery at 20 minutes left in boil
Add 1 oz coarsely ground coffee beans, cocao nibs, and 2 cut/scraped vanilla beans in bag at 5 min from end of boil, steep for 5 minutes after flame out, then remove.
Fermentation:
Make 1.5 L starters for each yeast 30 hrs in advance.
Brew day morning - chill in fridge, decant wort to 500 mL each
Chill to 65F, pitch yeast slurry x 2
Ferment at 66F x 7-10 days (favors WLP002) then raise to 70F over 3 days (favors WLP001), complete fermentation an additional 5-7 days at 70F (favors WLP001 for attenuation).
Once at FG, cold crash x 24 hours.
Dry beaning:
After fermentation complete and yeast crashed, add 2 oz Sumatra whole beans beans (in bag) to primary for 12-48 hours (taste every 12 hrs). Remove coffee and cold crash x 48 hrs.
Clarification:
After coffee removed from primary and cold crashed x 48 hours, add gelatin followed by additional 48 hrs chilling.
Packaging/clarification part 2:
Make tincture of 1 vanilla bean 5-7 days in advance
Once kegged, add 5 mL Biofine clear through gas port and vanilla bean tincture through lid opening. Quickly seal and CO2 purge headspace.
Seal and keg condition x 6 months before sampling
Award Winning Recipe