THE FULL MOUNTIE (1st Session - Aug, 2015)

SUMMARY
This beer was OKAY

This was my first attempt at oak aging, and my largest beer as of this writing (9% abv target).

RECIPE
Grains (15.1 lbs)
     12.0 lbs Maris Otter
      2.0 lbs Dark Munich
      0.5 lbs Aromatic Malt
      0.5 lbs Chocolate Malt
      0.1 lbs Special B
Hops (13.0 AAUs)
     8.5 AAUs Northern Brewer (1.0 oz | 8.5%)
     4.5 AAUs Fuggle (1.0 oz | 4.5%)
Yeast

Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)

(Med | 72-76% | 60-72°F) [10% abv tolerance]

Misc

     12.5 fl oz Grade A/B Pure Maple Syrup 

BREW NOTES

Brew day was fairly straight forward. I let the mash run a little longer than I originally intended in an attempt to draw out more goodies from the grain. I didn't do the best job of maintaining mash temps, and hit a high temp of 160°F and low temp of 150°F. I also used more water in the hopes of achieving my volume goal, especially since my last few brews have all fallen short in the volume department. While I was able to start 6.5 gallons pre-boil and end at the desired 5.0 gallons in my fermentor, the OG fell way short. I was a little afraid that this was going to happen, because, in an effort to avoid the yeast's abv tolerance of 10%, I played it safe recipe-wise, especially since I was going to add bourbon soaked oak cubes later on. Now that brew day is over, I see that I played it too safe, but I still plan to age this over oak after primary fermentation wraps up. Also, my LHBS doesn't sell oak cubes so I bought some online, but they have yet to arrive. Once they do, I will start soaking them in bourbon and I hope they are able to soak enough in before I dump them into the secondary.
Also, I added the maple syrup once the wort temp fell to 120°F. I simply forgot to add it at flame out and added it as soon as I remembered.
OG = 1.066

FERMENTATION NOTES

Soak the Oak (1 Week)
     - Boiled 2 oz Med+ Toast American Oak  
_____cubes for 2min (in a steamer basket)
     - Strained cubes and added to mason jar
     - Poured in 2.5 oz of Bulleit Bourbon
              *by the way it is pronounced "bullet"
     - Covered with plastic wrap
     - Pierced with pin to allow evaporation

Before Oak

After Oak (10 days)

As evident in the pictures above, after 10 days with the oak cubes the bourbon lost a significant amount of volume and drastically changed colors. The oak cubes absorbed a decent amount of bourbon, and in return released some of their woody compounds into the bourbon. What you can't see in the photos is the amazing smell that the oak gave this bourbon. I almost took a swig, just to experiment, but kept strong and fed it to the beer instead.

Prior to bottling, a few drops of maple extract were added to the beer. Using a pipette, I added 20 .8ml drops (3ml/gal) of pure maple extract, making sure to periodically check the taste. Maple extract was used because it is not fermentable, and its flavor profile will remain intact. 

Primed with .9oz (25g) of priming sugar. FG = 1.013

     

TASTING NOTES

Pre-Oak Taste (-2 weeks)

* I pulled this sample while transferring to the secondary fermentor
- Full bodied, but not as 'big' as I was hoping
- Chocolate comes through, maple does not

- I believe the oak and bourbon will complement this nicely

Pre-Oak Taste (-1 weeks)

* I pulled this sample straight from the secondary via beer thief
- Body is still noticibly lacking. Its chubby, but I was hoping for excessively plump)
- Oak flavors are present, but bourbon is the macho flavor
- Chocolate flavor has been slightly masked by oak and bourbon
- I imagine that the maple extract will round this out nicely.

- I'm going to give this one at least 1 more week (2 more max)

Bottling Taste (0 weeks)

- Oak could use a little more time, but due to upcoming scheduling constraints I felt compelled to bottle

- Bourbon flavor is most prevalent, and affects mouthfeel more than desired
- Oak flavor balances bourbon fairly well, but could have used a little more
- The body isn't quite big enough. Its big, but gets bullied by the bourbon
- After adding the maple extract the bourbon sharpness subsided significantly
- Perhaps a tad too maple-y, but that's more of an aroma issue than a flavor issue
Initial Taste (3 weeks)

- Minimal head and very little lacing (should pour heavy)
- Deep brown color. Head is a light tan
- Very smooth mouthfeel, with a slight alcohol bite
- Bourbon aromas upfront, with a slighty oaky finish
- Maple notes are heavily muted, arguably absent
- Finishes slightly warm