Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: See notes
Yeast Starter: HUGE
Batch Size (Gallons): 10.5
Original Gravity: 1.100
Final Gravity: 1.025
IBU: 80
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: Motor Oil
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 28 @65*F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 28 @72*F
Tasting Notes: Thick, rich, chewy Imperial Stout. Similar to Siberian Night from Thirsty Dog.

This highly successful brew will be a yearly brew for winter at my house. I have one keg on tap and another aging in a Bourbon barrel right now which will be mighty tasty when it gets cold outside. I brew this up in the spring so it has 6-9 months to condition before tapping. When it's ready is really a function of the yeast more than anything else with beers this big, some yeasts like Belgian Abbey II will produce a beer which is ready to go much quicker than others like Cali Ale that take a long time for the flavors to round out.

Grain Bill:
60% Maris Otter
10% Munich
5% Carafa III or Roasted Barley
5% Crystal 60L
5% Crystal 120L or Special "B"
5% British Chocolate Malt
3% Flaked Oats
7% Turbinado Sugar (added to boil with 10 min left)

Mash 151*F for 75 minutes.

Hop Schedule (for 10.5 gallons):
4oz Magnum, 90
2oz Goldings, 15
1oz Goldings, 5
1oz Goldings, Flameout

Notes:
My water profile is similar to London which is nearly ideal for this beer. I got rid of chloramine using Campden tablets 1/4 tablet per bucket of water and added 1tsp each of gypsum and chalk to the mash. Sparge water was treated with 3mL of Phosphoric acid to avoid extracting tannins during a long, slow fly sparge.

I pitched 3L of Wyeast 1028 London Ale from the stir plate into each 5 gallons. Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II, WLP007 Dry English Ale, or S-04 would be good alternatives.

Belgian Abbey II is a good yeast for strong American beers because it attenuates well, is fairly clean/neutral. The English strains will tend to provide an English style fruitiness and a more malt-forward beer.