EISBOCK

BILLY BREW

BILLY BREW

Grandmaster Brewer
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Thinking of making a 7 gallon batch of Dopplebock and saving 2 gallons to try my hand at an eisbock.
My recipe estimates 11% on the dopplebock.
From what I read, the trick is to deep freeze the batch and pour out the liquid that remains. Is that pretty much the whole of it?
Any advice? Planning on using 2- 1 gallon plastic jugs for the freezing.
 
I'd use buckets with a large enough opening. Instead of pouring out the beer, remove the ice and transfer the remaining beer to a keg or bottle it.

Mark
 
BILLY BREW said:
Thinking of making a 7 gallon batch of Dopplebock and saving 2 gallons to try my hand at an eisbock.
My recipe estimates 11% on the dopplebock.
From what I read, the trick is to deep freeze the batch and pour out the liquid that remains. Is that pretty much the whole of it?
Any advice? Planning on using 2- 1 gallon plastic jugs for the freezing.
Click to expand...

I use 2 liter bottles for Apple Jack which is the same process and works well. It does take time for the alcohol to drain out. I figure when I get about 1/3 of the volume I started with I'm done. I drain into regular mouth mason jars.
 
BILLY BREW said:
From what I read, the trick is to deep freeze the batch and pour out the liquid that remains. Is that pretty much the whole of it?
Click to expand...

When water freezes, it tends to exclude other molecules. So, you want the liquid that remains. It's a form of distillation.

However, it does take some time for all of the remaining beer to drain from a solid block, so the trick is not to freeze it too hard.

One of the most sublime beers I've had was a triple distilled eisbock. That was two decades ago. Really fine beer leaves an impression far longer than its immediate effects.
 
Thanks for the advice. See, that's why I love you guys, nothing I can throw out there that someone hasn't tried. You just can't get this anywhere else!!!!
I.m thinking, if this works, of building a stand and bucket specifically for this style. Would put the drain valve on the bottom, to allow gravity to pull the max liquid out. I'll keep you posted. Going to brew the dopplebock today. So begins the process
 
Base dopplebock took off like a rocket! spooge all over the ceiling, walls and floor! Should make some great base for the eisbock. initial estimates are at 10.2%
 
Yes, I am doing it lager. Using yeast cake from previous lager (Wyeast American Lager). Started it warm and it really worked. Running it down now to 60 degrees for 5 days then will put it in the garage at 45 degrees for a week or so.
 
Yikes! I pitch 1.75-2M/ml/p on my lagers (just did a dopplebock at 9.8%) and i've never had an explosive fermentation from a lager strain.

That said i always pitch at about 55F as anything above 55-60 and i usually get a lot of off flavors/esters/phenols etc.

my primary takes 1 week to 10 days usually with a relatively even downward curve.
 
Got my Eisbock. Temps outside in the single digits, so I filled a gallon jug and buried it in the snow. 24 hours later and there was a solid chunk of ice above the liquid. As luck would have it the ice was below the top of the hollow handle, and the liquid was below it! came out perfectly.What was left looked like a frozen root beer popsicle. Got 5 bottles out of it for trial.
If this works, I have a new plan for winters from now on!!!!
Thanks for all the advice gents.
 
Billy Brew, I know this topic is old but now that its almost winter here in Green Bay I am wondering how your Eisbock tasted? Any tips or tricks? I am really a new brewer but this has my interest and when February comes I have a built in free freezer. Sorry if its a bit dated but still relevant to me. Thanks.
 
This worked out very well!
Used gallon plastic milk jugs with hollow handle. Froze the beer with the handle up then after it was frozen solid, I flipped the jug around so the handle was facing down. Put it back in the freezer and in 2 days had 16oz Eisbock. Now that the experiment worked, I am going to make a larger vessel with the same idea. Maybe a 5 gallon bucket. add a hose to the top and seal the top. Then use the same proceedure, only on a larger scale.
2 gallons got me about 1 gallon with the jugs.
As a side note, I tried it with some mead I had and i got myself some rocket fuel!
With regard to yeast strain used Wyeast California lager 2112.
For recipe;
20lb Munich
3lb 2 row
2lb extra light DME
1lb maple syrup (light)
1oz carafa III in mash
1oz Magnum at 45minute
1 oz Tetnanger at 15 minute
Yeast cake from a bock  Wyeast California lager 2112.
Let rest in lager @38 degrees for 60 days or longer. I left mine for 120 days during winter in my garage.
You should get @ 8% alcohol

 
Hey thanks for the reply my friend. I got a laugh at that rocket fuel comment. In looking at your recipe I shudder a little as I am not equipped for that sort of weight. I just stepped to the Anvil Foundry with around a 16 to probably 20lb max limit (factory says 16). Im assuming your recipe is for a 5 gallon batch conventional all grain. Im going to do this at some time in my brewing career. Im in Wisconsin so I have the natural refrigerator for a few months too. Thanks again.
 
6 gallon. Just finished the last bottle. This really gets better with age. If you make it, hide some for next year, and the year after. You will really be glad that you did.
 
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