Ideas on Recipe

Ok, just wanted some input. I had this idea of making a "Belgian Imperial Stout," which is essentially a RIS, but I wanted to try using belgian yeast to get a distinct flavor... Any inputs would help, i would like to brew this over the weekend. Thanks

17lbs American 2 Row
2lbs Roasted Barley
1lb Crystal 80L
1lb Chocolate
1lb Black Patent

Mash at 154

Boil Volume 7gallons
Batch Size 5 gallons
Boil Time 75 min

Hops:

2oz Chinook (75 min)
2oz Centennial (75)
1oz Cascade (15)

Any ideas would be appreciated

that's quite a bit of roasted malts. i'd cut back the roasted barley to 1 lb and the black patent to 1/2 pound at most.

18% roasted/dark malts is too much, like DB says. I made a stout like that one time, thinking, hey, if a pound of roasted barley makes a roasty beer, then 2 lbs will make a doubly roasty beer, and I like roasty beers! I used like 22% roasted malts, and it turned out just about as harsh as it gets. Learned my lesson!

You should keep your roasted malts below 10% of the grist, max.

Yeah, since i am kind of aiming for it to be a Belgian style beer, i may just remove the Roasted Barley, and use .5 pound of Black Pattent

without roasted barley, it'll be more like a porter. FYI. If you were gonna axe one of those roasted grains, I'd axe the black. Go with a # of the RB, like DB says. Roasted barley, to me, makes a stout a stout.

i just saw that's also 4 oz of high-alpha bittering hops!

wow...i wish i had my brewing software right now, but that seems like an incredible amount of hops.

a belgian stout can be really good, tho. i'll check this out again when i get home and see if i can give some better advice. gotz to get back to werk, damnit...

Yeah, +1 be very very careful with black patent. It is an unpleasant taste, no two ways about it. Roasted barley and chocolate malt are deliciously roasty, not so black patent.

DeathBrewer said:

i just saw that's also 4 oz of high-alpha bittering hops!

wow...i wish i had my brewing software right now, but that seems like an incredible amount of hops.

a belgian stout can be really good, tho. i'll check this out again when i get home and see if i can give some better advice. gotz to get back to werk, damnit...

Click to expand...

I just ran that through, and you're at 95 IBU, which seems OOC with the Belgian thing. Also, consider noble (-esque) hops for flavour/aroma, as Cascade is distinctive distinctive American distinctive.

I love the idea, though - let us know how it turns out.

Alright...so here is what i have now...

Nix the Black Patent
1# of Roasted Barley
17# 2-row
1# Crystal80

2oz Hallertau 75min
1oz Saaz 15 min

I would have kept the chocolate, but maybe in smaller quantities. Maybe add some Belgian Chocolate (Malt and/or actual chocolate).

As a suggestion, maybe switch to Belgian Pale Malt or Pilsen Malt?

yeah, i'd keep the chocolate. chocolate malt will give it a really nice flavor without too much roastiness and the roasted barely will give it the roastiness you need for a stout.

hallertau and saaz looks good. what yeast are you going to use?

Oh, yeah, i have the chocolate, i forgot to write it... had a pound...as for yeast probably White Labs Belgian Ale WLP-500 (i believe)