The Maharaja

https://www.northernbrewer.com/blogs/beer-recipes-ingredients/btv-beer-review-the-maharaja-with-homebrew-recipe?srsltid=AfmBOoqptpgr86CbYCzN70IZfe4pMvQI7JoJ0pWNtYnhHjzRnfXAEw25

First brewed 7/6/25.

1. Used Wyeast 1056 instead of Imperial A07, as they did not have Imperial.
   
   
2. Originally planned 3 lb of DME, but used 200g of DME to make a 2L started the day before. That meant I had 2 1/2 lb left.
   
   
3. No guidance on mash temp, so used 152 for 90 minutes. Added 1 tsp of gypsum and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride. Decided to extend mash time due to heavy grain bill. Lifted basket once after 45 mins and let it drain.
   
   
4. Sparged with 12 pints of 170 degree water. Decided to use 4 pints extra of sparge water to rinse out more of the sugars. Gravity before sparging was 1065 and after was 1063.
   
   
5. DME raised the gravity to 1080. I thought it would go higher, but there is probably 6 gallons of wort vs. 5 gallons used for the initial estimate.
   
   
6. Let it boil for 30 minutes before adding hops. There was 6.8 gallons of wort after 30 mins of boil, so a lot more volume than I was expecting. However, the hops will absorb a fair amount of wort.
   
   
7. Added second batch of hope with 30 mins to go. Used a hop spider due to hop quantity.
   
   
8. Added whirfloc and yeast nutrient with 15 mins to go. Also inserted Jaded Chiller.
   
   
9. Cooled to 180 and added whirlpool hops. Let rest for 20 minutes and then cooled to 70 before moving to fermenter. Put on glycol and cooled to 66 before pitching 2L yeast starter that had been on the stir plate for 24 hours.
   
   Starting gravity was 1092 before I added the 2L yeast starter, which is very good efficiency for the volume. pH was 5.3 at the end of boil, so also a good number.
   
   Decided to ferment at 67 to control alcohol. Can ramp to 70 at the end to help clean up.
   
   Fermentation was strong and steady. Keeping temp at 67 meant it never got out of control. After 7 days it was 1023, and after 9 days 1020. Added dry hops on Day 9 - 4.2 oz Simcoe and 2.1 oz Centennial and Chinook. There was a thick layer of krausen on top of the fermenter and still noise of escaping CO2! Increased fermentation temp to 70 so it could finish out.
   
   Put into keg after 13 days in fermenter and 6 days of dry hop. FG 1013. Color is reddish brown. Delicious taste - very complex layers of malt and hops that lasts forever. Squeezed hop bag to get out juice.
   
   Had a full 5 gallons and a pint left over. Cold crashed for a day then onto co2.