Imperial Stout

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davidthebruce

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Hello everyone, first post.
Brewed Imperial stout kit from Midwest.
Curious if anyone on here has used this kit or something similar.
They say to age in secondary for at least 4 months.
But alot of posts i have read concerning imperial stouts, people are bottling after a month in secondary and letting it bottle condition.
it also came with champagne yeast.
wondering if i should use this at all and if so when.
thanks.

-Dave
 
Since imperial stout is a high gravity beer, you can elect to age it for 6 months or more. It's a preference thing like aging wine: it's not necessary, but you might find it tastes better over time. Sure, you can bottle and age some of the bottles longer just to see what that difference is.

What does the kit state the OG should be? If it's your normal imperial stout ABV, they probably supplied champagne yeast to have good attenuation without needing a starter. With my imperial stouts, I've just made big starters of Irish ale yeast. If you don't want to get into starters yet, I'd go ahead and try your kit's yeast. Did it include two packages of yeast? Chamagne yeast is supposed to hold up better in environments with alcohol....so the kit might have included it for adding as your fermentation slows (and it would kick start another fermentation).
 
the instructions say to add this champagne yeast when moving to secondary.
i pitched a white labs british ale 005 yeast.
So my question remains.
should i use this champagne yeast now or wait closer to bottling.
and should i age it in the secondary or age it in bottles?
 
I like to add half the Champagne yeast to the secondary & half for the bottling bucket. I don't do the real extended ageing in the secondary, I bottle & taste along the way to see how it develops but I think either way is fine. Depends on your patience level & stockpile of homebrew.
 
What was your original gravity? If it were me, I'd add the champagne yeast in primary....as soon as you see the kraeusen disappear: that means active fermentation is stopping....and you add more yeast if you want a second fermentation (and you'll have more "everything" for another fermentation if you don't rack the beer). I save secondaries for conditioning the beer. What is your current gravity? If it's still slightly high (certainly anything above 1.020) then just pitch all the champagne yeast and let your primary sit. Your instructions probably also say to rack from primary to secondary within a week, and then pitch the champagne yeast. Some HBT members only do a primary....I like secondary, but I only transfer once I know it's going to be conditioning instead of doing any fermenting. Since I'm experienced enough to get a good attenuation early, I can easily get a full attenuation within a week. But if you're just starting off, chances are you're not doing starters and aerating your wort too well....in either case, you have to go by your gravity readings to decide when to rack to secondary.
 
1. Dave, your profile has you as female. Its ok if you are, but if your not and get weird posts thats why.
2. RIS's are wonderful beers/ Their must be 100 ways yo make it. I always tell people to follow kit dirctions to the letter until they are comfortable on their own. you'll know when.
3. Brewing big beers can weigh heavy on the patience, i brew wits hefe's and dunkels' while waiting on big beers. It helps fight the temptation to drink green
 
Could it be Dave's Rose?? :confused:

Hillbilly was talking to the OP...my profile distinctly says I'm a male, and my profile name is short for my name: David S Rosenberg. And yes, rose is something I've been toying with for a brewery name: Rosenberg: mountain of roses. I've messed with Belgian styles that use roses....but haven't toyed with rose pedals in American pale ales or stouts thus far.

Questions of gender aside, I stick by my posts....determine your current gravity to determine when to pitch more yeast.
 
Rosenberg, Jewish?

Well actually, Rosenberg doesn't necessarily have to be a Jewish name. It mainly is here in the States, but one of the nazis executed in Nuremberg was Alfred Rosenberg....who didn't have Jewish ties and actually participated in perpetuating the whole notion of Aryan supremacy. That being said, I meet the American stereotype of a Rosenberg....my namesake is indeed Jewish, yet I'm not technically Jewish (as my mom's side is Southern Baptist instead). That probably makes me have a guilt trip as well as hot headed all at the same time :D
 
Yep, you are correct. I'm a bit of a WW2 history buff and a military enthusiast(in my old age). Screw the racist Nazi sentimant out there. Fought and bled with the Isreli's, damn fine people. Southern babtist here too, jews are ok with me though.
 
Southern babtist here too, jews are ok with me though.

Yeah...that's what my grandfather said too when two of his daughters married Jews. My dad's mom has told me that during the first phone conversation she had with her future brother in law, she asked how he thought of his daughter marrying a Jew. He said, "You know, I don't have a problem with it at all....at least you all aren't Catholic". :D Funny...Babtists vs Catholics are like Jews vs Palestinians in America it seems:D
 
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