I want to do 10 gallons of Imperial Stout for next winter. I'll bottle half, keg half. I plan to tap the keg around September, saving the bottles for when the keg floats (or for an extra year of cellaring ).
I want fruit and chocolate notes, with a moderate roasty character but more subdued than a lot of commercial examples. I also tend to like my big beers fairly dry, so I'm thinking sugar for 5% of the grainbill, mash moderately low and use a highly attenuating English ale strain to provide a fruity, malty character without being cloyingly sweet. I'm not sure which yeast will be better so I figure I'll split the batch and try two different strains.
Batch Size: 10.5 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70% assumed
Targets: OG 1.089, FG 1.021 for 9% ABV, 1.0 IBU:SG ratio (89 IBU).
Grain Bill:
22.75# Maris Otter (65%)
3.5# Munich (10%)
1.75# Carafa III (5%)
1.75# Chocolate, UK, 450L (5%)
1.75# Crystal 60L (5%)
1.75# Crystal 120L (5%)
1.75# Turbinado Sugar (5%)
Mash:
131*F 15
152*F 60
Hops:
2oz Horizon 90
2oz Magnum 90
2oz Goldings 15
1oz Goldings 5
Fermentation:
3L starter of Wyeast 1028 London Ale fermenter #1, 4 weeks @65*F
3L starter of Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley fermenter #2, 4 weeks @65*F
I want fruit and chocolate notes, with a moderate roasty character but more subdued than a lot of commercial examples. I also tend to like my big beers fairly dry, so I'm thinking sugar for 5% of the grainbill, mash moderately low and use a highly attenuating English ale strain to provide a fruity, malty character without being cloyingly sweet. I'm not sure which yeast will be better so I figure I'll split the batch and try two different strains.
Batch Size: 10.5 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70% assumed
Targets: OG 1.089, FG 1.021 for 9% ABV, 1.0 IBU:SG ratio (89 IBU).
Grain Bill:
22.75# Maris Otter (65%)
3.5# Munich (10%)
1.75# Carafa III (5%)
1.75# Chocolate, UK, 450L (5%)
1.75# Crystal 60L (5%)
1.75# Crystal 120L (5%)
1.75# Turbinado Sugar (5%)
Mash:
131*F 15
152*F 60
Hops:
2oz Horizon 90
2oz Magnum 90
2oz Goldings 15
1oz Goldings 5
Fermentation:
3L starter of Wyeast 1028 London Ale fermenter #1, 4 weeks @65*F
3L starter of Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley fermenter #2, 4 weeks @65*F