Pecan Stout
I brewed what I hope will turn out to be a stout this morning. I
used lots of shelled pecan halves, some spices, baker's chocolate,
and brown sugar. I'm hoping the pecans will come through over all
the other stuff. But I was willing to risk it to get the original
gravity up. I got it to 1.066. With any luck, this will be the
"biggest" beer I've ever brewed.
I used White Labs Irish Ale yeast (WPL004), which has an
attenuation 69-74%. So, it may have less alcohol than my Habanero
Chipotle Belgian. But it should have a good body if the yeast works
well enough.
I also managed to bring the wort down to 70 deg F this time by
modifying my cooling process to add a cold water bath as well as
the immersion wort chiller. With just the immersion, I can only get
it down to 80 F or so. Getting it down to 70 F meant I could pitch
the yeast right after transferring it to the fermenter, which
should help get a good start because the wort is better aerated if
transferred at room temp. -----