Hey everyone,
I've done five all grain brews now, and I feel like I'm ready to do an imperial stout. If anyone can offer up a bit of advice for this particular style of beer, it'd be much appreciated. I have yet to work out a recipe, but when I do I'll post it up for criticism.
Questions:
What temperature do I ferment at?
What temperature do I mash at? I was thinking you'd probably want to mash lower to dry it out a bit, not to mention hit the higher ABV the style is known for.
I have a 5 gal mash tun, so I was going to make a 5 gal recipe and cut it in half. Anything I need to know about scaling down?
Is it true that imperial stouts need to be left in the primary for a month? If so, will it be okay to leave only 2.5 gallons of beer in a 6.5 gallon bucket? I'd plan on racking it to a 3 gallon secondary.
That leads me to my next question, how long do I need to leave it in the secondary for?
How long does it take to bottle condition?
I've read about "alcohol boosters". What is used to boost the alcohol in the beer(some sugar, i'm sure) and when/why would you use it?
That's what I got for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more. Maybe this will help out other people who are new to brewing this style.
Best regards,
Pat
I've done five all grain brews now, and I feel like I'm ready to do an imperial stout. If anyone can offer up a bit of advice for this particular style of beer, it'd be much appreciated. I have yet to work out a recipe, but when I do I'll post it up for criticism.
Questions:
What temperature do I ferment at?
What temperature do I mash at? I was thinking you'd probably want to mash lower to dry it out a bit, not to mention hit the higher ABV the style is known for.
I have a 5 gal mash tun, so I was going to make a 5 gal recipe and cut it in half. Anything I need to know about scaling down?
Is it true that imperial stouts need to be left in the primary for a month? If so, will it be okay to leave only 2.5 gallons of beer in a 6.5 gallon bucket? I'd plan on racking it to a 3 gallon secondary.
That leads me to my next question, how long do I need to leave it in the secondary for?
How long does it take to bottle condition?
I've read about "alcohol boosters". What is used to boost the alcohol in the beer(some sugar, i'm sure) and when/why would you use it?
That's what I got for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more. Maybe this will help out other people who are new to brewing this style.
Best regards,
Pat