When I pour my favorite imperial stout, like Founders Breakfast Stout or Stone Russian Imperial Stout, and all I see coming out of the bottle is what I can only describe as an oil-like substance, how do I achieve that? Is it specialty grains that add body or specialty grains that add dark color? Or is it a combination of both? I recently made an oatmeal imperial stout and the color left me a little disappointed because it wasn't as dark or thick as I was hoping. Here is my recipe:
9.00 lbs extra light LME
1.5 lbs Pale Malt 2-Row
1.00 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain
The final gravity was only 1.035 (which was probably due to me not using enough 2-row malt) so I had to keg it, but it was still kind of thin. Any suggestions on how to make a more thick and black imperial stout? Or is the problem simply that I didn't reach my target final gravity and the alcohol adds to the color and mouthfeel?
9.00 lbs extra light LME
1.5 lbs Pale Malt 2-Row
1.00 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain
The final gravity was only 1.035 (which was probably due to me not using enough 2-row malt) so I had to keg it, but it was still kind of thin. Any suggestions on how to make a more thick and black imperial stout? Or is the problem simply that I didn't reach my target final gravity and the alcohol adds to the color and mouthfeel?