Input Needed: Imperial Stout Recipe!

Hey All!

I just brewed my first beer today! A pale ale that a buddy of mine made up, it's actually going through its hop schedule right now! The next beer we wanted to make is man's man's imperial stout. The inspiration for the beer came from my last name "Riggar", and we've decided to call it the "Riggarmortis Imperial Stout". We're looking for a strong DARK beer, with a solid IBU level. I've been searching through the recipe posts and have seen a lot of great looking places to start from, unfortunately they were all-grain. I was wondering if it's possible to do an extract imperial stout that will still hold all the same flavor complexities and body? Also, what are some of the best hop combinations to give us the right flavor based on what we're looking for. I'm open to all advice, types, and contributions here as it will be our first imperial stout brew! Let me know. I hope to have a recipe up within the week.Thanks a lot.

YOu can do most things with extract and steeping grains. An imperial stout is completely possible. You will need a large amount of Pale extract (12+ lbs of extract minimum to get a high gravity beer), maybe mixed up with some amber extract...

...steeping grains: you will need some roasted barley and, if it were me, some black patent as well. Also, get some chocolate and caramel in there to to give it some depth of flavor. I am no recipe expert, but this would be my general guideline....I'm sure the experts will offer much more explicit help with the grain bill.

Hops. I think you can pretty much go with what you'd like, but I'd personally stick with the earthier, english type hops such as Challenger, Fuggles, Williamette and EKG....I don't think I'd throw too much Cascade into a dark rich beer, but someone has likely done just that and swears it the best!

finally, be aware that a well done RIS will likely need to sit and stew in your cellar for a good long time (several months) to reach it's full potential. High gravity beers can take a long time to come around....Brew it and forget about it until next thanksgiving!

Snailsongs,

Thanks for the advice! I had a feeling that there would be a pretty complex grain bill, as well as a large amount of extract needed to make it come out the right way. Maybe that's why you dont see too many recipes using extract, the cost is so much lower in AG.

And yes, this is hopefully going to be a beer for Christmas '09 so it will have plenty of time to hang out.

Also, get some chocolate and caramel in there to to give it some depth of flavor

Click to expand...

When is the best time to add those outside flavors to have them be very present in the overall taste, but not overwhelming?

TehRiggs said:

Snailsongs,

When is the best time to add those outside flavors to have them be very present in the overall taste, but not overwhelming?

Click to expand...

You steep them at around 170* prior to your boil and extract additions.

I have a couple extract recipies I can share, but they are at home.. I'll try and post an example later.

TehRiggs said:

When is the best time to add those outside flavors to have them be very present in the overall taste, but not overwhelming?

Click to expand...

By chocolate and Caramel, I mean steeping grains with these qualities rather than actual chocolate and caramel...just to be clear.

There are a variety of 'caramel/crystal' and 'chocolate' grains available for steeping, and I think they add complexity to the roastiness of a stout. I'm just too young at this craft to be able to tell someone an appropriate ratio, etc.....good luck!

chumprock said:

You steep them at around 170* prior to your boil and extract additions.

I have a couple extract recipies I can share, but they are at home.. I'll try and post an example later.

Click to expand...

Sounds good, I'd really appreciate it.

I was thinking about this last night and pulled a couple books off the shelf.
The first thing I thought of was Tom Miklinevich's IS that is featured in the book "Beer Captured" by Tess and Mark Szamatulski..
They suggest it peaking at 8-12 months which would make your Christmas date, but I'd pack away another 6 of it for the next Christmas as well!

The bill and recipie is a little complex for a newer brewer, but it's still an extract boil so I'd say give it a go!



This recipie suggests Wyeast 1084, or 1056, and given the OG, I'd highly suggest making a big starter and aerating the heck out of it. It's a huge frickin stout.

Check out the 08/08/08 Russian Imperial Stout. It's an amazing beer.

No matter what, be ready to age it for at least 6 months.

Chumprock,

Thanks so much. This looks like a great recipe to start from, and really gives me a solid handle on what Im looking at here. I might tweak it a bit, kind of make it my own, especially with the hops. The grain bill however, though intense, looks about like what I had in mind.


Don't worry, as hard as it will be I plan keeping some around for a while. Even next Christmas.

Something similar... I did the following last nov. Bottled in early Dec and cracked the first one last week... Oh this is going to get good

hopville . "Oaked Imperial Stout" Russian Imperial Stout Recipe

I cut back a little on the chocolate and roasted barley. I also soaked the oak chips in Makers Mark for a couple weeks prior to adding it to the secondary. At bottling, I went back and added another couple ounces of bourbon as it was really really sutble (read: couldn't taste it).