Beer Measurements

Goatmeal Stout
So the FG of the Goatmeal Stout was 1.010, and by my estimations of adding the brown sugar brought it up to 1.061 which would give it an abv of 6.7% before the bourbon/oak infusion. So the bourbon soaked oak chips added a really big bourbon flavor to the beer, and a touch of oak. I don't think it helped that I used Wild Turkey 101 and some Old Weller, which are both strong flavored bourbons. It still tastes great if you like bourbons, which I do, and I'm pretty sure it upped the abv a bit. I wonder how the bourbon flavor will settle with carbonation and age. Being a full 5 gal batch too, this should last me for a while.

Bitches Brew
The brew went well. Started with about 6 gallons or so in the kettle. However, when boiling, I'm assuming do to the high sugar/protein content, it kept boiling over, even before the hops were added. So I had to keep the cover off partway. With the 90min boil, cold weather, and hop absorbtion, I think I lost quite a bit of beer and ended with a 3 gallon batch. I also forgot to add the maple syrup, so the SG was at 1.092 instead of the 1.100. I pitched most of the yeast starter but saved a bit and made another starter to help as the yeast start getting killed off. In order to add the maple syrup and increase the yield, I decided to add 1 gal of water to the secondary, as well as 1 qt of the maple syrup and pitch the second round of yeast. This will give some more kick to the beer and add volume. The color and taste were good to start as well.

Also, I think this is the last brew for the winter. I'll post updates here and there. See you in the spring.