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gubby

gubby

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I'm thinking about brewing an Imperial Stout that will start out at around 1.088. I've never brewed anything over 1.070. What things should I keep in mind? How long should I leave it in primary and/or secondary? How long will it take in bottle before it's ready to drink? I like the idea of brewing this, but I don't want to wait 6 months before the thing is drinkable.
 
Number one is alot of healthy yeast. Number two is be patient. The Chimay Blue Clone I'm doing is on it's third week in the primary with at least one more to go. Then I plan on secondary for another month. Then...maybe a couple months in the bottle before I sample. 1.088 really isn't that bad, but it'll still take several months before it's drinkable. Go for it....just realize it won't be ready by Christmas.
 
Hammy71 said:
The Chimay Blue Clone I'm doing is on it's third week in the primary with at least one more to go.
Click to expand...

Hey! I think we brewed a Chimay Blue clone on the same day!

+1 on "wait for it" -- it may taste terrible after one month, two months, even three months. Don't throw it away, whatever you do -- just wait for it. It can age in a bottle for a long time. I'm planning on tasting my 1.087 OG Chimay clone after a minimum of 4 months (1 month primary, 1 month secondary (actually just a bright tank), 2 months bottle).
 
In my mind, the best thing to do for a big beer is brew a smaller beer first and pitching the big beer on the cake. Yeah, you can make a huge starter, but wouldn't you rather have more beer?
 
1.088 isn't so extremely big that you will have the typical big brewing woes if you go about it correctly. I find that you need to have super healthy yeast (I really really like using dry yeast for my bigger beers as I find that they work every time), a lot of oxygen in the wort and a 68-72* fermentation temperature. Don't try making a 64* ferment, it doesn't work too well. I find that a packet of dry yeast is enough for five gallons of this gravity. Sure others will argue against and say that it isn't enough yeast for that gravity. I will respond with it has worked for me over and over and I just made up a 1.090 IIPA that got down to 1.012.

Yeast nutrient is also a good idea for this size beer. Just helps that much more.
 
I found that 68-70 degrees fermentation temp and a big starter really help. I have also found that after the initial 2-3 days of vigourous fermentation stops, I will aerate again and really stir things up. Then fermentation usually takes off again. Also, for big beers like this I really like to use nottingham.
 
1 - pitch enough healthy yeast (starter, slurry etc). Use MR. Malty calculator to figure it out. A stir plate really helps
2 - Oxygenate. For high gravity, I'd recommend a diffusion stone and oxygen for big beers. It beats the hell out of shaking.
3 - if adding any sugar, do it after fermentation has started.
4 - Control your temps. It would suck to go thorough the effort of a big beer to have it filled with fusels and off flavors.
5 - give it time! A good rule of thumb might be around 1 month in the fermenter and a few months of bulk aging.
 
Matt Up North said:
1.088 isn't so extremely big that you will have the typical big brewing woes if you go about it correctly. I find that you need to have super healthy yeast (I really really like using dry yeast for my bigger beers as I find that they work every time), a lot of oxygen in the wort and a 68-72* fermentation temperature. Don't try making a 64* ferment, it doesn't work too well. I find that a packet of dry yeast is enough for five gallons of this gravity. Sure others will argue against and say that it isn't enough yeast for that gravity. I will respond with it has worked for me over and over and I just made up a 1.090 IIPA that got down to 1.012.

Yeast nutrient is also a good idea for this size beer. Just helps that much more.
Click to expand...

I agree. I constantly brew beers above 1.075 using a single package of hydrated dry yeast at proper temps. Recently did a scotish heavy that was 1.090 and cleaned up to 1.016 with Notty.
Cheers :mug:
 

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