High Gravity

Pro Techniques for Homebrewers

Homebrew Con
Seminars
Archive

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/seminars/
BRITTANY FREY
Production Manager
MADTREE BREWING CO.
JAMES CZAR
Director of Sales and Marketing
GRAINWORKS BREWING COMPANY
Beers Served Today
MadTree
“Skipping Moose”
Rye Weizenbock

Grainworks
“This One’s on Us”
Barleywine

Frey / Czar
(Homebrew)
Imperial Stout
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Increasing Brewhouse / Lautering Efficiency

Advanced Efficiency Techniques
High-Gravity Production Issues
High-Gravity Production Adaptations
 ”
What is High Gravity”?

Wort over 18 ºPlato

(SG 1.074)

Likely result in 8% ABV

and higher
Plato
10° P wort contains 10 g extract per
100 g of wort

Every 1° P generates approximately

0.44% ABV

12° P wort will produce ~5% ABV,

depending on attenuation
 Scientific Method

• Observe/Test

• Record/Analyze

• Refine/Repeat
Increasing
Brewhouse
Efficiency
Specifically, Lautering
 • Decrease Batch
How to Size

Improve • Oversized Mash

Efficiency
Tun

• Double Mashing
 Decreased Batch Size
PROS:

• Simplest method

• Cheapest method

• Most common in
commercial
breweries
Decreased Batch Size
CONS:
• Less final batch
volume
• Boil-off rate remains
the same, so wort
will concentrate
faster with less
volume
• Make sure you know
the maximum
capacity of your
mash tun
 Oversized Mash Tun

Darcy’s Law

(pressure X bed permeability X filtration area)

liquid flow rate =
(bed depth X wort viscosity)
Oversized Mash Tun
PROS:
• More surface area
means better
efficiency
• Mash is easier to
mix, more evenly
soaked
• Reduced mash
height allows for
greater flow rate
• Grain bed less likely
to collapse
 Oversized Mash Tun
CONS:
• More expensive
• Extra equipment
• Custom order or
build
• Space
considerations
• Make sure not too
big for low-gravity
grain bills
 Double Mashing
Two mashes (with no sparge) combined in one boil:
• Mash / Lauter first batch and collect only first runnings
• DO NOT SPARGE
• Grain-out
• Repeat
• Combine first runnings from second
batch in boil kettle
• ESSENTIAL: you must reach mash-out
temp on first batch, and keep wort hot
in brew kettle during second mash
Double Mashing
PROS:

• Boil kettle will be

full with high-
gravity wort

• Produces a full-
sized batch
 Double Mashing
CONS:
• Takes longer – plan
for a double-batch
day (about the same
time)
• More grain needed
• More expensive
• Less extract – grain
still contains a lot of
sugar not used
Party Like It’s 1.099
…And 1.045!
Friday, June 24, 1:45pm
 Advanced
Efficiency
Techniques
and Contingencies
 • Longer Boil Times

Advanced • Adjuncts in the

Boil Kettle
Efficiency
• Adjuncts in the
Fermenter
Longer Boil Times
• Most software will
calculate

• Need to know the

boil-off rate of your
boil kettle for
accuracy

• Double-check with
manual
calculations
 Determining Evaporation Rate
Percentage of (starting volume – ending volume)
=
Volume Evaporated starting volume

Evaporation percentage of volume evaporated

=
Rate per Hour length of boil in hours

Volume
evaporation starting
Evaporated = x
rate per hour volume
per Hour
 Adjuncts in the Boil Kettle
• Adjuncts are added to the kettle Adjunct ºPlato
(1lb/1gal)
Gravity
(1lb/1gal)
for sterilization
Honey 8.8 1.035

• Don’t exceed 8% of the recipe for Candi Syrup 9.0 1.036

adjuncts, could lead to poor yeast
nutrients and off-flavors Molasses 9.0 1.036

DME / LME 11.0 1.044

• Adjuncts must be higher gravity
than the pre-boil gravity Sucrose 11.4 1.046

Dextrose 11.4 1.046

Adding Adjuncts to the Fermenter
Ingredients must be sterile or
sterilized to prevent infections
• Boiling and cooling before pitching
• Use sterile ingredients
• Non-sterile ingredients & hope!
Requires extra oxygen
(about 1ppm per extra ºP)
Decreases hyperosmotic stress –
if added later in the fermentation
 High-Gravity
Production Issues
and Solutions
 • Yeast Stress
Production • Ethanol Tolerance
Issues • Insufficient
Oxygen
 Yeast Stress
• Not your “normal”
yeast stressing (to
push certain
flavors/aromas)

• Far more stress,

resulting in a
number of serious
issues
Yeast Stress
• At standard pitching
rates (for ales)
1 mil cells/mL per ºP
(SG 1.004)
yeast can ferment
low- and mid-gravity
beers

• Raise the pitching

rate to
1.25-1.5 mil cells/mL
per ºP
for higher gravity
beers
 Yeast Stress
• The main sources
of stress in high-
gravity brews:

• Overwhelming
amounts of sugar

• Insufficient
oxygen

• Ethanol Toxicity
Yeast Stress
Off-flavors derived
from yeast stress:

• Diacetyl

• Fusels

• Acetaldehyde
 Yeast Stress
Diacetyl

• Buttery

• Popcorn Butter

• Butterscotch

• Slick
Mouthfeel
Yeast Stress
Fusels
(Higher Alcohols)

• Warming

• Alcoholic aroma
& sensation

• Boozy

• Solvent-like
 Yeast Stress
Acetaldehyde

• Green Apple

• Apple Skins

• Dry Cider

• Water-based
Paint
Hyperosmotic Stress
Osmosis:
Molecules of a solvent
pass through a
semipermeable
membrane,
from a less
concentrated solution
into a more
concentrated solution,
equalizing the
concentrations on
each side of the
membrane
 Hyperosmotic Stress
Yeast cells try to
reach equilibrium
with the wort

by absorbing solutes
(mainly sugars)

and expelling water

from the cell
 Hyperosmotic Stress
fructose • Yeast CAN
sucrose galactose
only ferment
(six-carbon hexose sugars):
glucose,
fructose,
sucrose,
maltotriose maltose,
maltose
glucose galactose, and
maltotriose
(in the case of lager yeast)

• All other sugars are

unfermentable
 Hyperosmotic Stress
High solute levels RESULTS:
can cause cell
desiccation • Poor yeast
health
• Necrosis –
response to • Autolysis
overwhelming
chemical or
physical insult
• Apoptosis –
typical lifecycle
 Ethanol Tolerance
Yeast manufacturers
provide an ethanol
tolerance for their
yeast strains
• Healthy yeasts can
almost handle at
least 10% ABV
without issues
• Trust the
manufacturer
• Know you can push
the limits
• Choose the right
yeast strain
Ethanol Tolerance
Ethanol tolerance is
proportional to
temperature
• The higher the
temperature, the more
toxic to yeast growth
and viability
• Ethanol decreases
optimum fermentation
temperatures
• Ethanol decreases
maximum fermentation
temperature
 Ethanol Tolerance
Yeast Growth
• The optimum temperature for a yeast is D E
indicative of ethanol tolerance 8.0 1 x 108

• Higher gravity beers ferment better at

lower temperatures

Log number of cells / ml

Number of cells / ml
7.0 1 x 107
• Start on low end of recommendation and
C
step up to your usual ale temperature (a
few hours -- days), then step up
temperature slowly during active
fermentation 6.0 1 x 106

• PRO: can prevent yeast stress and B

high fatality rate A
5.0 1 x 105
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
• CON: can add time in the fermenter Time (hours)
James Czar, 2018
 MadTree: Kviek in Barleywine
• Reasons to try it: • Desired beer
• Quicker
profile:
fermentation • Low esters
• R&D but stay in • Rich maltiness
style guidelines with subtle dark
• Sensory notes: fruit, caramel and
leathery notes
• 8.33 / 10
• Full bodied,
• Outcome: moderately sweet,
• Continuing R&D - shouldn't come off
promising as hot or boozy
Insufficient Oxygen
• One of the simplest things to fix

• One of the most harmful if not fixed

• Could result in incomplete fermentation:

• Missing your final gravity
• Off-flavors/aromas:
• Diacetyl
• Acetaldehyde
High-Gravity
Production
Adaptations
Tips and Tricks
 • Additional Oxygen

• Yeast Nutrients

Production • More Hops

Adaptations • Conditioning

• Crush Adjustment

• Larger Starter
 Additional Oxygen
• Low/Mid Gravity: 8-14 ppm
dissolved O2 in wort for
adequate fermentation

• High Gravity: 15-18 ppm

dissolved O2 in wort is needed
Additional Oxygen
• Oxygen solubility decreases
as wort gravity increases
• Required for a larger yeast
pitching rate
• The cells use oxygen to
repair their damaged
membranes:
• Reproduction
• Desiccation
• Alcohol toxicity
 Yeast Nutrients
• Yeast nutrients are really not
useful for low-gravity brews

• Most contribute nitrogen used

to synthesize amino acids
and membrane proteins --
used when creating biomass:

• Budding

• Repair from budding

Yeast Nutrients
Commercial products:
• Diammonium
Phosphate (DAP) -
nitrogen source
• Fermaid K -- DAP,
yeast, magnesium
sulfate, thiamin,
folic acid, niacin,
biotin, calcium
pantothenate
• Go Ferm Protect
 Yeast Nutrients
Zinc Sulfate - useful for any beer
• Not much in wort normally
• Added to chilled wort after boil
• Positively affects:
• Cellular growth and viability
• Metabolism & fermentation rate
• Flocculation
• Preferred zinc content in brewing
water:
• 0.2mg/L for ale yeasts
• 0.1mg/L for lager yeasts
More Hops Needed
• Isomerization
efficiency is lowered
in high-gravity wort
• Concentration of
sugars acts to block
isomerization
• High-gravity beers
always suffer from this
phenomenon
• They must be brewed
with higher hop rates
than a normal
strength beer of
similar bitterness
 Aging/Conditioning
• By usual practice, most HG beers are
matured
• Taste, analyze, take notes, repeat
• Can’t remove fusels
• Mellows strong flavors
• Hops compounds oxidize over time
• Doesn’t have to be bottles
• Watch temperature
Crush Adjustment
• Crush Adjustment for
Highly Kilned Grains
• Examples: MadTree
S’more Gratitude, Rubus,
and Thundersnow
• PRO: Increased
lauter efficiency and
overall brewhouse
efficiency
• PRO: Less astringent
characteristics derived
from malt
• CON: Mill gap
adjustments take time
• CON: Not as a
homogenous grist
 Larger Yeast Starter
Buying more yeast – expensive

Making more yeast – cheaper

NEED: 5L Erlenmeyer flask and a

quality stir plate

• CON: Larger flask (expensive,

more difficult to handle)

• CON: Need stir plate that can

handle it
Larger Yeast Starter
Brew a mid-gravity beer
batch, then re-pitch the
yeast
• Cheaper, more
output
• Need to match the
yeast
• If using a conical
fermenter, dump all
yeast that’s at the
bottom after 48 hours
 Find hundreds of other
member resources on
HomebrewersAssociation.org

• AHA Website Resource: 11 High-

Related
Gravity Beer Recipes to Brew at Home

• Book: Yeast: The Practical Guide to

Resources
Beer Fermentation

• Book: Barley Wine: History, Brewing

Techniques, Recipes

• External Resource: Specific Gravity /

Plato Converter
 High-quality beer is made intentionally.
When you write a beer recipe and plan a fermentation, lagering, and aging
schedule, you can imagine how every ingredient and every step of the process
shows itself in the finished product.

You must consider every step with cold,

dispassionate logic.
There is a way to make nearly any beer you imagine,
but there are far more ways to miss the mark.

Constantly be asking: “Does this make sense?”

Austin Zanella - Innovation Coordinator, Rhinegeist Brewery
THANK YOU!
BRITTANY FREY
BRITTANY.FREY@MADTREEBREWING.COM

JAMES CZAR
JAMES.CZAR@GRAINWORKS.BEER