Long Term Lambic and Chocolate Milk Stout

I brewed a lambic on January 18, 2015 and a milk stout on January 29, 2015, both from extract.

Here's me brewing in the garage. It was balls cold.

Long Term Lambic / Long Con Kriek Lambic / Graduation Lambic:

The Lambic's OG was 1.053 (measured in with the refractometer) with 5 gallons going into the fermentor. Wyeast Lambic blend yeast was pitched at about 66° and fermented generally between 64° and 66° during the active phase. I used two drops of Fermcap-S for foam control during the boil since the kettle was filled so much. Primary fermentation is "supposed" to go for 1-2 weeks, with 3+ months in secondary with cherry puree. Reviews and research have indicated that primary should last for as long as I can stand and secondary should also go for as long as I can bear to wait. I guess the brettanomyces and the lactobacillus like to take their time. Right now, the plan is for ~ 1 year in both, possibly add a neutral yeast for bottling, and then enjoy the fruits of all our labors.

What would you do if you had a million dollars?
I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two beers at the same time, man. 

Release the Chocolate Milk Stout:

The milk stout was brewed on a frigid winter Wednesnight, but the gas burner bravely trudged onward. The pound of specialty grains was steeped for 37 minutes between 160° and 148°. After brewing, I cooled the wort with an immersion chiller - that took about 20 minutes and 30 gallons of water. I'd like to cut the water usage down, and I think that can happen by stirring the wort while it cools to get better circulation. This was also the first beer I have fermented with dry yeast - Safale S-04. Even though it doesn't have to be rehydrated, I rehydrated it anyway and pitched the entire 11.5 gram packet.

I ended up with 6 gallons of 1.051 OG milk stout that I plan on fermenting in a bucket for 2-3 weeks and then rack it onto 4 oz of cacao nibs for another 2-3 weeks. The cacao nibs have been sitting in a mason jar with 4 oz of Kraken dark rum to sanitize them and help extract that chocolatey flavor. Most people seemed to use a neutral spirit, like vodka, but others use dark rum, light rum, or bourbon, depending on the flavors the brewer wants. I chose Kraken dark rum because I think the flavor will work well with the chocolate, I didn't have any vodka, and I feel like it's got some pretty good cephalopod pun naming potential.

This beer used a blowoff tube instead of an airlock in primary... it started fermenting very vigorously and popped its top 21 hours in...