Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - boil time?

[leedsbrew]

I'm planning a batch of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, as it's 10.1ABV and in the teritory of a IRS, I've notices a few people on here employing long (2-3 hour) boil times when brewing IRS'. Just wondering on the reasoning behind this and wheather people would recomend it for the Brooklyn Black chocolate stout?

Thanks chaps

[mysterio]

You get increased Maillard reactions over the long boil, which enhances the rich caramel/toasted flavours.

Personally I would have thought most modern breweries would make up for this with the grist bill and just go with the 60 - 90 minute boil - theres loads of malts available which essentially do the same thing as a long boil. What malts are you using?

It's a bit like a decoction mash, yes there is benefit to the flavour and mouthfeel but is it worth the effort when you can emulate something very similar with your malts?

[leedsbrew]

Thanks for the reply mysterio. The recipe is

Wort Volume Before Boil: 28.00 l Wort Volume After Boil: 22.00 l
Volume Transferred: 20.00 l Water Added To Fermenter: 0.00 l
Volume At Pitching: 20.00 l Volume Of Finished Beer: 20.00 l
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.079 SG Expected OG: 1.100 SG
Expected FG: 1.032 SG Expected ABV: 9.3 %

Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
UK Pale Ale Malt 7.043 kg 83.4 % 8.0 In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.499 kg 5.9 % 0.4 In Mash/Steeped
UK Chocolate Malt 0.471 kg 5.6 % 80.5 In Mash/Steeped
UK Roasted Barley 0.222 kg 2.6 % 53.9 In Mash/Steeped
UK Flaked Wheat 0.114 kg 1.3 % 0.1 In Mash/Steeped
UK Black Malt 0.094 kg 1.1 % 19.3 In Mash/Steeped

Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
UK Golding 5.5 % 76 g 36.3 Loose Whole Hops 90 Min From End
UK Golding 5.5 % 17 g 3.8 Loose Whole Hops 15 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 17 g 4.1 Loose Whole Hops 15 Min From End
US Willamette 4.5 % 15 g 1.1 Loose Whole Hops 5 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 15 g 1.5 Loose Whole Hops 5 Min From End

Yeast
White Labs WLP002-English Ale


What malts would you recommend to increase the mouthfeel and flavour?

[mysterio]

TBH with that yeast and that gravity, you're NOT going to have a problem with mouthfeel. I bet that will taste extremely complex. One thing i'm a little surprised about is no crystal malt? Did you get the list of malts from the website? Crystal malt is the standard way to imitate a long boil.

I know there is a temptation to try every trick in the book to make a complex and interesting a beer as possible but really you've got more than enough there to make a decent clone. I highly doubt the Brooklyn guys are doing a 3 hour boil on this (I will wait to be corrected on this!). They'll be worrying about pitching a boatload of yeast, aerating the daylights out of it and making sure it doesn't get too warm during the ferment.

One idea might be to brew the same recipe next year and do the long boil and do a vertical tasting the year after

[leigh1919]

3 hours is a massive boil - im in agreement with the others - try it once at 90 (the tops i've ever done) and see where you get.

[leedsbrew]

.................One idea might be to brew the same recipe next year and do the long boil and do a vertical tasting the year after

There's nothing like a bit of long term R&D eh! Honestly though thanks for the info matey. I got the recipe from hop and grain recipe database. I think i'm gonna just go for it with a 90 min, which is my normal and see how I get on. TBH you are prob right, it's gonna be complex (and hopefully awesome!).

[mysterio]

No probs, it's just opinion though, i'm sure theres several who would completely disagree with what i'm saying.

I just checked the website and they're putting the OG at 1.096 and the hops as Williamette & US Fuggle

One thing i'm worried about is that means about 77% attenuation, I don't think WLP002 is up to that

[leedsbrew]

Hmmm, will have to have a gander at the website! Fuggles and willamette sounds very nice. do you know if there is any difference between UK and US fuggles? As for the yeast, I kinda thought 002 might struggle so I have a vial of WLP007 in the fridge, good up to 10% ABV apparently! Have you ever used it? Do you think it would be appropriate?

Cheers

[mysterio]

I was going to say, the WLP007 would be much more up to the job. I've used it and it's a very nice yeast. Apparently it's what Stone (the big US microbrewery) use.

WLP002 is of course very nice but I think it would keel over early with that kind of wort. It makes an unbelievable bitter so I would save it for that.

Oh yeah and build a big starter to give it every chance of success.

Given the choice I would choose UK Fuggles every time obviously! Williamette are a Fuggles derivative, I think. I don't really taste hops in this beer so Fuggles all the way through would be fine IMO.