A Tribute to Hunahpu

[sfrisby]

I thought when you boil, the water evaporates from the wort and thus creates a higher potential alcohol. No?

Higher alcohol? Yes. But not higher efficiency. Concentrating the wort through boiling is different from converting more sugar during the mash. Higher percentage of sugars converted during the mash is the efficiency that is being measured.

 

[Oophaga]

One again. Longer boils mean larger preboil volume. The more you can spare and the higher your preboil that can increase your efficiency. Part of the problem with large grain bills are smaller sparges.

 

[DiscDoc]

I brewed mine 2 days ago with a slight variation on WizardHat's grain bill (thank you). I mashed at 155 degrees for 60min and only collected first runnings 6.2 gallons. I boiled for 60min to prevent loss and added summit for 60. OG 1.113. I made a triple starter of WYeast 1968 and pitched at 68 degrees in my wine caller which I set for 64 degrees. Temp came down and has held at 64 degrees on my carboy therm. Fermentation started within one hour. Pics I'm posting are at 1 hour and 24hours the foam has a great chocolate smell. I plan on taking next SG at 2 weeks and to rack to secondary when stable. Thanks for everyone's help. I am very excited about this one.

 

[DiscDoc]

 

[WhizardHat]

I brewed mine 2 days ago with a slight variation on WizardHat's grain bill (thank you). I mashed at 155 degrees for 60min and only collected first runnings 6.2 gallons. I boiled for 60min to prevent loss and added summit for 60. OG 1.113. I made a triple starter of WYeast 1968 and pitched at 68 degrees in my wine caller which I set for 64 degrees. Temp came down and has held at 64 degrees on my carboy therm. Fermentation started within one hour. Pics I'm posting are at 1 hour and 24hours the foam has a great chocolate smell. I plan on taking next SG at 2 weeks and to rack to secondary when stable. Thanks for everyone's help. I am very excited about this one.

Which version of the recipe did you use? I never actually brewed the recipe in Post # 1 (although I'm sure it would be good). I used the recipe in Post # 31, substituting Maris Otter for Victory.

 

[WhizardHat]

Ya, this needs some time. Plan on trying some in the fall.

I definitely agree with you! The sample I took as I racked to secondary was too astringent. 3 pounds of roasted barley and 80 IBUs worth of magnum will do that to a beer, though. Not to mention the heat from the alcohol. I think the vanilla and oak will go a long way in mellowing out those flavors. That and time. Lots of time.

I'm planning to save several bottles of this, along with a yearly brew, so that I can do vertical tastings. That would be totally rad.

 

[DiscDoc]

Which version of the recipe did you use? I never actually brewed the recipe in Post # 1 (although I'm sure it would be good). I used the recipe in Post # 31, substituting Maris Otter for Victory.

I used your third recipe... I hope you don't mind. I also thought the victory might be too much. I decreased my boil time and used a very gentle boil to prevent too much boil off. I have no experience with adding cacao,vanilla chile etc to my secondary's . I have no idea how to assess how much or how long and the final flavor characters they will impart. How do you base yours. My wife is the mad baker so I am using her source online to get my ingredients.

 

[WhizardHat]

I don't mind it at all! The more the merrier!

As far as secondary additions, I'm just kind of winging it. I'll probably add an ounce or so of pasilla and ancho chiles. I picked those up at my grocery store. Maybe half a vanilla bean, split so the caviar spills out, and a stick of cinnamon. Still not sure about cacao. 3# of chocolate malt should cover that pretty well, in my opinion. 1 serving of oak chips for 2 weeks, then let them age in bottles.

 

[Oophaga]

I'd use cocoa nibs. Between 4-8 ounces. 8 may be more appropriate since the high level of intense flavors, it may get lost if lower.

 

[Loneleigh]

I put 4 oz of cocoa nibs, 1/2 stick of cinnamon, 2 anchos (seeds removed) & 3 vanilla pods...I am soaking some cherry wood chips in brandy. I think I'll add that in a couple of weeks.

 

[Loneleigh]

of course my version will probably just that..my version.

 

[skibb]

I decreased my boil time and used a very gentle boil to prevent too much boil off.

Why do this?

 

[FATC1TY]

Why do this?

Probably because he didn't collect enough runnings from his mash to maintain a normal post boil volume.

Can't say it was the best idea myself, but might work out!

 

[skibb]

yikes yeah in that case you should just scale your recipe down... I hope his beer doesn't taste like corn.

 

[DiscDoc]

I brought to a full boil and then added hops and continued to boil for a full 60 min. I just kept it at a low boil vs very vigorous to keep my boil off low. I used only first runnings and my OG was 1.113. 60 -90 min is my usual boil depending on my hops schedule. Hops were boiled for 60min.i I'll let you know how it progresses.

 

[sfrisby]

I'm going to attempt the two sets of first runnings. What kind of efficiency do you typically get on a big beer with first runnings like this so I can prepare my grain bill accordingly?

 

[FATC1TY]

I'm going to attempt the two sets of first runnings. What kind of efficiency do you typically get on a big beer with first runnings like this so I can prepare my grain bill accordingly?

I normally drop around 8-12% from normal.. I'm around 75-76%, and get mid 60's normally..

 

[DiscDoc]

Ok I'm at two weeks since I pitched my yeast my OG was 1.113 and it's now at 1.040. It tastes great not sweet all with deep notes of coffee and subtle chocolate. I experimented and added to my sample taste some cocoa powder, ancho chile powder, vanilla, and cinnamon. It was spot on. I wish I had enough for 2 versions. One to stand on its own, it was that good, and one for the secondary additions. Ok I'm cold crashing for 2 days then racking to my secondary with 6oz of cacao nibbs soaked in vodka. Other additions to the secondary will come later.

 

[goodgnus]

Someone posted a photo taken at CCB today while picking up a Society Membership. Looks to be the adjuncts for Hunahpu https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/998545_595734533781394_1191558133_n.jpg

 

[sfrisby]

Way to go - Johnny on the Spot!

So a barrel is 53 gallons, right. Scale down and there you go, but that sure doesn't sound like much for 53 gallons.

 

[WhizardHat]

Way to go - Johnny on the Spot!

So a barrel is 53 gallons, right. Scale down and there you go, but that sure doesn't sound like much for 53 gallons.

I fear I may have overdone some things!

 

[allenH]

Made this up 10 days ago using a combo of all recipes:
6gal
15lb 2 row pale
6lb Munich II
3lb 2 row chocolate (350L)
2lb black roasted barley (650-750L all that LHBS had)
.5lb flaked rye
1lb flaked oats
1lb c60
.25lb special b
3oz Belma @ 60
This was a double mash, 2 hour boil. I normally boil off 1.5gal per hour, so between the two mashes I collected 9 gal of wort. For some reason the boil off rate was around 1 gal per hour. At the end of 2 hours, the gravity was still too low to make it to my desired OG, so in went the remaining 2 gallons of leftover wort from the mash tun. Long story short, after 5 hours of boiling I could finally add my hops. After 6 hours, my OG was 1.114. I split the chilled wort between 2-6.5gal buckets directly on the 1968 cake from a 1.050 stout. Both buckets had krausen lines about 8-10" above the surface of the beer. Today, 10 days later, the gravity is 1.036 in one bucket and 1.040 in the other. The taste is pretty awesome and pretty hot. Going to give it a couple more weeks and rack into 1 bucket for the secondary additions.

 

[Oophaga]

Now that is a long boil! Sanford??? Just down the road from you in Apopka.

 

[allenH]

Now that is a long boil! Sanford??? Just down the road from you in Apopka.

Oh yeah, it was ridiculous. This is for my buddies wedding in January, it's going to be the groomsmen's gift. One bottle at the wedding, one bottle to bring back to the anniversary party. I'm having a hard time finding brown cap-able 750's, I know they are out there somewhere.

Yep, Sanford. Who is your LHBS?

 

[VSGLS1]

I save my CCB 750s to reuse. Sounds like a long long day.

 

[allenH]

I save my CCB 750s to reuse. Sounds like a long long day.

I have a bunch, probably enough to do the job. Since these will not be retuned, I was hoping to source some others. It was a really long day, I started the first mash at 10am, closed the lid on the ferm chamber at 8pm. I will definitely do it differently next time, there will be a next time for sure.

 

[Oophaga]

I know the corkable Belgians are around, I hear sanford hb has them. You could borrow my Portuguese floor corker. Its a little tricky but once you get the depth is easy.

Oh yeah and hearts is currently. Best prices in town. It is also the closest, but the guys at sanford seem way nicer from past experiences. There is one really cool guy at hearts and one, he isn't the friendliest.

 

[FATC1TY]

Oh yeah, it was ridiculous. This is for my buddies wedding in January, it's going to be the groomsmen's gift. One bottle at the wedding, one bottle to bring back to the anniversary party. I'm having a hard time finding brown cap-able 750's, I know they are out there somewhere.

Yep, Sanford. Who is your LHBS?

Shoot me a PM if you can't find cappable 750's.. I'm pretty sure my LHBS has them.. I think you need a bench capper to do them however, a regular red baron wing capper might not grab the necks.

Otherwise.. I have almost a full case of 750's that were capped all the same shape that need to be de labeled I could send ya.

 

[allenH]

I know the corkable Belgians are around, I hear sanford hb has them. You could borrow my Portuguese floor corker. Its a little tricky but once you get the depth is easy.

Oh yeah and hearts is currently. Best prices in town. It is also the closest, but the guys at sanford seem way nicer from past experiences. There is one really cool guy at hearts and one, he isn't the friendliest.

Sanford Homebrew has the Belgians in stock, but my buddy wanted to go capped and waxed. I haven't been to Hearts, they had some pretty bad reviews that kept me away. I like SHB because you can serve yourself and grind your own grains if you want to or they will do it for you. I can't really compare prices, but SHB is about 30-40% cheaper than when I was mail ordering everything. Thanks for the offer on the floor corker, I might have to borrow that if I convince him to go that route.

 

[allenH]

Shoot me a PM if you can't find cappable 750's.. I'm pretty sure my LHBS has them.. I think you need a bench capper to do them however, a regular red baron wing capper might not grab the necks.

Otherwise.. I have almost a full case of 750's that were capped all the same shape that need to be de labeled I could send ya.

That's a good point, I guess I better check to see if I can even cap one. I haven't bottled much in the last year, other than the 220 bottles we did for another friends wedding (bottled from the kegs, talk about a long 2 nights).
I'm going to check back with my LHBS, they were checking with their vendors for the 750's. If you are in your LHBS in the next few weeks, ask them what vendor they get them from, there can't be too many different vendors for homebrew stores.

 

[FATC1TY]

That's a good point, I guess I better check to see if I can even cap one. I haven't bottled much in the last year, other than the 220 bottles we did for another friends wedding (bottled from the kegs, talk about a long 2 nights).
I'm going to check back with my LHBS, they were checking with their vendors for the 750's. If you are in your LHBS in the next few weeks, ask them what vendor they get them from, there can't be too many different vendors for homebrew stores.

Will do.

I'll probably be up at the store in another 2 weeks. Got two recipes to brew this weekend and will wait 2 more weeks to hit it up again for something else. I'll ask.

I'm looking for bottling ideas for my huge PVW RIS I've got sitting right now. I want to do 22's or 750's for the sake of not bottling a ton.. Wax them and label them and crack one every once in a while and hold on to for a couple of years.. But I don't know how wasteful or wise it would be to have 22-25 ounces of a 13% bourbon barrel aged stout at a time.. 12 ounces would be plenty, and would last me longer.

 

[VSGLS1]

Sharing is caring.

 

[Oophaga]

You could always do half batch in the bombers and half batch in 12oz long necks and wax them. You could have 24 12 ozs and 12 bombers. That would give you the flexibility to taste along the way without the anger of realizing you rushed a bottle a big ol bottle. Ive been doing that now with all of my big beers, and only tasting progress with the normal 12 oz bottles. Saving all the corked large bottles for year+ aging. I trust corks more than caps for multi year. Whether that's a founded trust or just imagined I couldn't say

BTW Which PVW? I can never find a single bottle around here. Keep my eyes open particularly around release times of course. I hope BT bumps up the distillation of that thing. I don't get why its always so limited when its contracted to one of the largest distillers in the country.

 

[FATC1TY]

You could always do half batch in the bombers and half batch in 12oz long necks and wax them. You could have 24 12 ozs and 12 bombers. That would give you the flexibility to taste along the way without the anger of realizing you rushed a bottle a big ol bottle. Ive been doing that now with all of my big beers, and only tasting progress with the normal 12 oz bottles. Saving all the corked large bottles for year+ aging. I trust corks more than caps for multi year. Whether that's a founded trust or just imagined I couldn't say

BTW Which PVW? I can never find a single bottle around here. Keep my eyes open particularly around release times of course. I hope BT bumps up the distillation of that thing. I don't get why its always so limited when its contracted to one of the largest distillers in the country.

Yeah, I'll probably mix it up. I would love to have a bottle when the twins get old enough to enjoy a big beer with me. Would be something to share a bottle with my boys and tell 'em that it's older than them!

In any case, it's 20 yr PVW. Pretty good stuff.. I actually prefer the "Lot B" 12 year stuff over the rest..

 

[allenH]

Having second thoughts. I think the corked and caged 750 looks better than the capped and waxed 750, what do y'all think? Keep in mind, mine are for a groomsmen gift, half will be reserved for an anniversary party, a few may make it to the 2nd anniversary.

 

[VSGLS1]

Cap and wax.

 

[Oophaga]

You just wanted to post a picture of BA Hunahpu . The California Brandy barrel is freaking delicious. I like both corked and waxed tops. Just depends on the look your going for I guess. It'll probably be the same cost and labor either way.

 

[sfrisby]

You just wanted to post a picture of BA Hunahpu

Ha! Thought the same thing. Congrats Allen!

 

[allenH]

You just wanted to post a picture of BA Hunahpu . The California Brandy barrel is freaking delicious. I like both corked and waxed tops. Just depends on the look your going for I guess. It'll probably be the same cost and labor either way.

Ha! Thought the same thing. Congrats Allen!

Well, I am quite happy that I finally got one, and it's damn sexy, but that is the only capped and waxed 750ml I have currently. The other waxed bottles I have are bombers. This is the only Hunahpu I have ever got my hands on, now lets see how much Zhukov I can get next Friday. I'm guessing not much.

 

[Oophaga]

What's next friday? Zhukov is already being released? I have one left from last year. I know good gourd is about to hit distro and is already at the brewery and brewpub. I need to stock up on Zhukov this year. Last year but 6 but drank them all but one within like two months haha. I popped open one of my hunahpu's the other day, ill post some pics for reference for the clones.

BTW off topic but good gourd is the grandaddy of all pumpkin beers.