Yamtacu-Ale

Bottled on 11/6/10

Fermentables

8 lbs Maris Otter

9.9 oz Crystal 77

9.6 oz Chocolate Wheat Malt

8.16 oz Brown Malt

5.44 oz Special B

2 oz Crystal 45

8 lbs Yams  – The yams were roasted @ 400 degrees for 90 minutes. Cooled, pealed and mashed.  I did this the day before brew day.

8 oz Rice Hulls – Added to prevent a stuck mash, but I don’t think they were needed.

90 minute mash @ 155 degrees.  I brought 6 gallons of water to a temp of 166 degrees. Added fermentables.

Sparged @ 170 degrees until achieved 6 gallons of wort

Hop Schedule and Other

@ 60 minute 1oz of Fuggle Hops, pellet

@ 30 minute .25 oz Irish Moss

@ 15 minute .50 oz Willamette Hops, pellet

@ 15 minute 5tsp of Fermax

@ 15 minute 8 oz Maple Syurp Grade B

Yeast – White Labs Bedford British WLP006

Additions

10/12/10 added 8 oz Maple Syurp Grade B to primary

10/27/10 added 1 oz of Vanilla Extract to the Secondary (started on 10/3/10 with 2 Madagascar Vanilla Beans and 3/4 oz of Appleton’s Rum)

 

Brewed on 10/8/10

OG 1.060

Transfered to Secondary on 10/27/10

Gravity after 2-weeks in Primary 1.016

Gravity after (about) 2-weeks in Secondary 1.014

6.03% ABV

Bottled on 11/6/10

 

12/6/10, one month after bottling and the vanilla aroma that was so present on some
of the early tastes is now just about gone. 

 

Color is a dark caramel brown

Aroma slightly sweet aroma, with just a hint of vanilla.

Carbonation, creamy 2 finger head with a slightly aggressive pour.

Mouth feel is light with nice carbonation

Taste, malty, chocolate is very present right off. Sweet aftertaste with a slight malty and maybe even a hint of coffee. The maple syrup must be adding the sweetness, but not getting much maple taste.  Overall it’s a very tasty brew, but I wish some more subtle flavors were present in the final product.

 

I have shared this brew with maybe 20 people with very favorable remarks. The first thing everyone tastes…chocolate. In hind sight the chocolate wheat malt has taken over as the biggest taste element.  Not a bad thing, but next years batch will see a reduction in the percentage of the chocolate wheat.  I have shipped out bottles to some friends, and I’m looking forward to getting some feed-back.