End of the World Stout

I'm making this to celebrate the End of the World (yes, that deserved to be capitalized) in December. I think aging it for ~6 months will be alright. It's my first big brew, coming in at 1.103 OG. Incidentally, I'm also inviting anyone in the area to come brew with me.

Recipe:

12 lbs. Munich
1.5 lbs. Flaked Oats
1.5 lbs. Chocolate Malt
1 lb. 6-Row
1 lb. Lactose
1 lb. Carafoam
1 lb. Carafa Special III
0.75 lbs. Roasted Barley

Salts to match Edinburgh water

Whirlfloc @ 15 Min

2 oz. Chinook @ 90 Min

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

Protein Rest @ 122 F for 20 Min, Mash @ 153 F for 60 Min

90 minute boil

OG 1.103, FG 1.024, 10.6% ABV

I'm basing the spices roughly on what Google tells me the Mayans used. I'll make a paste and throw it in at flameout.

1 1/2 oz. Cocoa
1 Vanilla Bean
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Ancho Pepper
1/2 Guajillo Pepper

EDIT: Changed up to 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, added 1/2 oz. of sweet orange peel, and in place of the peppers which I couldn't find, I drizzled Agave syrup over two fresh jalapenos, broiled them for about 30 minutes, and then covered them in foil to steam them. De-stemmed, de-seeded, and ground up with everything else.

The paste mixture at flame out sounds like a good idea. You may have inspired me to make a batch.

A few weeks ago, I tried Cigar City Hunahpu Imperial Stout which also features similar added flavors. It was very good. Seems like you're headed in the right direction.

Great to see an Asheville brewer! I lived in between Leicester and Marshall, sadly I left before I turned 21. I've been back to visit parents, and man is there an awesome craft beer scene.

I roughly based the stout, minus the spice add, on the 2012 Sam Adams Longshot "Five Crown Imperial Stout". It was by far the most deceptively smooth stout I've ever had. I suspect it had lactose in it, as it went down like chocolate milk. Everything else was based on intuition, with the exception of using Munich as a base malt vice 2-Row - that I cribbed from The Mad Fermentationist.

The drink as a whole I decided I'd make a few months ago. I thought the Mayan influenced bit would be neat, and having about 6 months to go, plus winter time naturally begged for a big stout. I'm glad I (maybe) influenced you to brew! I love sharing ideas and thoughts with fellow brewers. Let me know how yours turns out.

In case you miseed the news, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium are both setting up new breweries in Asheville. The scene is getting out of control (in a good way).

Back to the imperial stout; I usually end up brewing an imperial stout twice a year. Mainly with coffee, chocolate and cacao nibs in the boil and french pressed coffee, bourbon, and oak chips in secondary. But, I have been looking for a new twist to my old imperial stout recipe. I'll post my version when I get around to making another batch. Seems like the Mayans may have a hand in my next imperial stout.

Edit: Do you say Lester or Lei - cester.

can you explain the

"salts to match edinburg water"

Lester. A good way to find non locals is ask that question. I've also heard it said "lie-chester".

As to brewing salts, it refers to gypsum, epsom salt, etc. to alter a water profile. There's a water chemistry guide on the forum somewhere.

Brewed this today. My efficiency wasn't as great as I wanted (66% vice expected 75%). I'm normally around 75%, although I sometimes have hiccups. I think today's was a result of multiple variables.

This was the first time I tried fly sparging. It was really easy, although I'm using a wort aerator which basically puts the water into a spray pattern in the center, vice a spray bar or something similar. That may have been an issue. Also, my filter is a 12" SS mesh braid. While fine for normal mashes, I think the large amount of grains (almost 20#) channeled it somewhat, whereas a manifold or false bottom would not have. Finally, my temps were all over the place throughout the mash. On average I hit desired levels spot-on, but I'd have 146 at one end, 163 at another, etc. Stirred a lot, eventually said to hell with it and sat back. Meh.

Still, it turned out alright. I made up for the gravity some by lautering off more (8.5 gallons vice the 7.65 gallons called for) and boiling longer (120 minutes vice 90). I still waited until 90 minutes for the hop add. Wound up with 1.092, target was 1.101. I did manage to get my full 5.25 gallons, though - hooray!

The taste is awesome. The jalapenos have a very noticeable burn in the back of your throat, which I assume will dull over time. The cinnamon and cocoa have a good taste, very full. The vanilla and orange are pretty muted, but there's hints of them.

All in all, I'd do it again. I'd be more careful with my efficiency, and I wouldn't do a 120 minute boil on purpose - such a long brew day.

Hit it with my neighbor's new O2 rig, so it should take off like a rocket. Dumped in the majority of the ~3L stepped starter I made, the rest went to a mason jar in the fridge for culturing. Beer is currently sitting in a 6.5 gallon carboy with a blowoff tube, which is sitting in a swamp cooler of sorts; hopefully it'll keep temps down.

Also, a note on 1728: it flocs like crazy. My starter was crystal clear without even putting it into the fridge. Decanted, swirled up huge clumps of yeast, dumped it in. I love it.

Kegged today; I'll be borrowing my neighbor's kegerator until colder months come, and the garage will suffice.

The jalapeno burn has calmed down; perhaps even a bit more than I would have liked. I may think about doing 3 peppers in the future if I'm going to age it this long, although really, I think just aging it for 2 months or so and then drinking it is a better choice.

Fantastic thread, thanks for keeping it alive! If you want some burn back you can steep a habanero in the keg for a day or two. As with any pepper, you want to taste it to figure out its heat level; it varies considerably, so plan accordingly!

After about 6 months, the burn remains a pleasant surprise. It's much like chocolate with pepper in it, if you've ever had that. The alcohol isn't really noticeable, which is bad when you're downing 22 oz. glasses of it - 9% tends to hit you all at once.

Overall, great stuff. I'll definitely be making it again, and hopefully hitting targets the next time.