Wee Heavy

miaamelia said:
Sunday I brewed my first Batch, an all-grain Wee heavy.
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Was this your first batch of Wee Heavy or your first all-grain batch ever? If first ever, then kudos for jumping into the deep end! :)

Fermenting at 77°F plus the heat generated during active fermentation, I'd recommend following Ward's advice for cooling your fermenter. Google "Swamp Cooler" to get an visual of what we are talking about. With full swamp cooler setup you put a towel or t-shirt on the fermenter and blow a fan on it for evaporation. However, I expect you've got high humidity in Brazil so, you wouldn't get too much cooling from evaporation. But, it couldn't hurt.

For most beers I do not transfer to secondary. However a Wee Heavy benefits from many months of bulk aging in a fermenter. So I rack to a secondary vessel after a month in primary. It's not a requirement, so if you can't, then don't worry about it.

And welcome to the forum!
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
Was this your first batch of Wee Heavy or your first all-grain batch ever? If first ever, then kudos for jumping into the deep end! :)

Fermenting at 77°F plus the heat generated during active fermentation, I'd recommend following Ward's advice for cooling your fermenter. Google "Swamp Cooler" to get an visual of what we are talking about. With full swamp cooler setup you put a towel or t-shirt on the fermenter and blow a fan on it for evaporation. However, I expect you've got high humidity in Brazil so, you wouldn't get too much cooling from evaporation. But, it couldn't hurt.

For most beers I do not transfer to secondary. However a Wee Heavy benefits from many months of bulk aging in a fermenter Andrew Tate Success. So I rack to a secondary vessel after a month in primary. It's not a requirement, so if you can't, then don't worry about it.

And welcome to the forum!
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thank so much for your response and for the welcome.
 
Blackmuse said:
Looks good! - I have three recommendations:

1. Peated malt: I know you are considering cutting it but I have made one wee heavy and it is still heavily talked about! (no pun intended) and I used .6% peated malt - I could taste it in the beer and really liked it. But even at that tiny percentage it was present - I'd reduce it to 1% or less. I too have read that it is out of style but will always keep it in as I liked the results.

2. No oak chips: I agree with @Ward Chillington about the oak. I tried it twice and preferred the base beer without.

3. Warrior hops: I agree with @J A on the Phoenix hop recommendation! LOVE that hop - I'd use it for bittering and as a late addition.

Not a recommendation but I have done a partigyle of sorts with big beers. I've done a second running up to 3 gallons and have made 3%-4% beers with it. Anything more and I'd have to add DME - I think I even did once with a 3 gallon beer. Its cool!
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Hello Folks!

Sunday I brewed my first Batch, an all-grain Wee heavy.

I started looking into the subject since the beginning of the year and decided that Wee heavy would be a good Challenge.

Grain Bill:

6.6lb Munich malt type 2
6.6lb Pale Ale
2.2lb Crystal malt
2.2lb Vienna Malt
1lb Biscuit Malt
0.2lb special B Malt

for a 5.3gallon Batch.

Efficiency wasn't so great, got stuck at 1080 (estimated was 1112) and bumped it to 1102 with 1lb molasses.

pitched the whole thing at 77F with 2 packets of nottinhgam ale dry yeast.


it is now sitting in a 10gal bucket with a near the bottom and an airlock bubbling every 2min or so.

One caveat though: I'm in Brasil, in a place where temperature ranges from 65F(at night) and 95F. I placed my bucket in a cellar where average temp is around 77F.

And i have no control over temperature.


Isee people here saying I should not rack to secondary, taking 4 weeks in primary and such... but at my temperature range, won't there be autolysis?

Hope you can help me!
 
miaamelia said:
Hello Folks!

Sunday I brewed my first Batch, an all-grain Wee heavy.

I started looking into the subject since the beginning of the year and decided that Wee heavy would be a good Challenge.

Grain Bill:

6.6lb Munich malt type 2
6.6lb Pale Ale
2.2lb Crystal malt
2.2lb Vienna Malt
1lb Biscuit Malt
0.2lb special B Malt

for a 5.3gallon Batch.

Efficiency wasn't so great, got stuck at 1080 (estimated was 1112) and bumped it to 1102 with 1lb molasses.

pitched the whole thing at 77F with 2 packets of nottinhgam ale dry yeast.


it is now sitting in a 10gal bucket with a near the bottom and an airlock bubbling every 2min or so.

One caveat though: I'm in Brasil, in a place where temperature ranges from 65F(at night) and 95F. I placed my bucket in a cellar where average temp is around 77F.

And i have no control over temperature.


Isee people here saying I should not rack to secondary, taking 4 weeks in primary and such... but at my temperature range, won't there be autolysis?

Hope you can help me!
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Autolysis takes longer than a month, and it's a much greater problem for very large batches. The weight of wort above 1000 (or more) gallons is a major factor. 5 gallons, not so worrisome.

You can rack to secondary some days after the gravity is stable.
 
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Time for a swamp cooler set up and / or getting that bucket into a pool that you can better regulate the temperature swings.

Kveik might be a better choice in yeast for your circumstances, and speaking of yeast I think you under pitched if you're using the typical 11gram packets which may account for the slow activity in the fermenter some 48 hour later at those temps. Your average of 77 F is over the recommended top range for that strain.
 
Brewer #402700 said:
Wee Heavy" refers to a style of beer in the world of craft brewing. It is a strong Scotch Ale or Scottish Ale that is known for its rich, malty flavor and higher alcohol content compared to other traditional beer styles.

Key characteristics of a Wee Heavy beer include:

  1. Malty Flavor: Wee Heavy beers are characterized by their prominent malt-forward flavor profile. They often have notes of caramel, toffee, and roasted malt, which contribute to their sweetness and complexity.

  2. Higher Alcohol Content: Wee Heavy beers typically have a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) compared to other beer styles. This elevated alcohol content adds to the warming and full-bodied nature of the beer.
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Love it:p
 
miaamelia said:
Hello Folks!

Sunday I brewed my first Batch, an all-grain Wee heavy.

I started looking into the subject since the beginning of the year and decided that Wee heavy would be a good Challenge.

Grain Bill:

6.6lb Munich malt type 2
6.6lb Pale Ale
2.2lb Crystal malt
2.2lb Vienna Malt
1lb Biscuit Malt
0.2lb special B Malt

for a 5.3gallon Batch.

Efficiency wasn't so great, got stuck at 1080 (estimated was 1112) and bumped it to 1102 with 1lb molasses.

pitched the whole thing at 77F with 2 packets of nottinhgam ale dry yeast.


it is now sitting in a 10gal bucket with a near the bottom and an airlock bubbling every 2min or so.

One caveat though: I'm in Brasil, in a place where temperature ranges from 65F(at night) and 95F. I placed my bucket in a cellar where average temp is around 77F.

And i have no control over temperature.


Isee people here saying I should not rack to secondary, taking 4 weeks in primary and such... but at my temperature range, won't there be autolysis?

Hope you can help me!
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I was wondering if you could tell us more about your brewing system and your processes?
 
Hey @Craigerrr , how big is your mash tun and how are you matching your grain bill to water and not over flowing your tun?
 
Ward Chillington said:
Hey @Craigerrr , how big is your mash tun and how are you matching your grain bill to water and not over flowing your tun?
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I use a Brewzilla, and have been doing partial mash to make it easier on my back. If I were to do a wee heavy, I would either use a lot more DME, and or I would make a smaller batch.
 
Craigerrr said:
I use a Brewzilla, and have been doing partial mash to make it easier on my back. If I were to do a wee heavy, I would either use a lot more DME, and or I would make a smaller batch.
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+1
I BIAB, and when making my yearly Barleywine or the occasional Imperial Stout, I just make a smaller batch. I've learned to make sure everything fits nicely in the pot and that draining the bag is manageable. No sense killing myself. :)

Of course, these are beers that I only pull out on occasion so having less around isn't a big deal.
 
My new burner sits low to the ground. Thanks to members on the forum, I figured out that using my ladder with an el cheapo Amazon pully helps significantly with the weight of the bag.
Do those things work with a basket? Is that what makes them heavy?
 
Sandy Feet said:
My new burner sits low to the ground. Thanks to members on the forum, I figured out that using my ladder with an el cheapo Amazon pully helps significantly with the weight of the bag.
Do those things work with a basket? Is that what makes them heavy?
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I use a pulley to raise my basket
 
Craigerrr said:
I would make a smaller batch.
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Yet another way to raise the bridge or lower the water....get as smaller boat! Brilliant! I guess I've been living in my "brew a 5 gallon batch" world for a little too long!
 
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