My shot at Dark Lord, brewed on Dark Lord Day!

Well for those of you lucky enough to live close to Munster Indiana, you probably have a golden ticket if you knew about the upcoming Dark Lord Day (today).
Since I live all the way over in Arizona I decided I would brew a Dark Lord inspired Russian Imperial Stout. The past two weeks I've been researching, speculating and tossing around recipes until I came up with the following one that I like.

I call it Project Supermassive Black Hole (final name pending)

Recipe: Supermassive Black Hole
Brewer: saq
Style: Imperial Stout
TYPE: All Grain


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.20 gal
Estimated OG: 1.131 SG
Estimated Color: 50.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 70.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Dark Dry Extract (17.5 SRM) Dry Extract 11.43 %
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 49.52 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 3.81 %
1.00 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 3.81 %
1.00 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3.81 %
1.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 3.81 %
0.50 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
0.50 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt BYOB (340.0 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
0.50 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 1.90 %
1.50 oz Warrior Pellet [15.40 %] (90 min) Hops 45.2 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook Pellet [12.70 %] (90 min) Hops 24.9 IBU
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.00 items Servomyces (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 7.62 %
1.25 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 4.76 %
1 Pkgs Imperial Ale (Wyeast #9037) [Starter 5 L] Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 20.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 30.00 qt of water at 166.3 F 154.0 F
10 min Step Decoct 10.26 qt of mash and boil it 170.0 F

I have a nice new 5L flask that I did a big starter for the 9037 imperial blend that is supposedly good to 15-16%. If it poops out before I'm happy with it I'll follow it up with a decanted 5L starter of WLP099, but I have faith in this yeast! I smacked the activator pack about an hour at fridge temperature before I put it in the starter and it was so swollen I thought it was going to pop.

The starter went on the stirplate at about 10pm Friday night, should give me about 22 hours of growth.

I'll be aerating the hell out of this wort. Hopefully it will get me to the finish line.

Anyone know how much (weight wise) is in a 12oz jar of molasses? I got 2x 12oz just in case, but the whole thing weighs in at 1.8lbs. Its a glass jar so I figure it weighs about half a pound, but any advice would be appreciated.

Pictures incoming

Why not weigh it before, add it then weigh the jar, subtract, and you have the weight of molasses added. Then you can decide if you want to add the second jar.

+1 everywhere I read they say be very careful with molases

Thats what I ended up doing, measured the weight of the jar full and then empty. One 12oz jar of "Grandma's non-sulphited molasses' is about 1.25lbs.

I'll put up pictures tomorrow/tonight.

So I guess I had my burner set too low, I ended up with 5.8g post boil and I didn't have anymore time to continue to boil. However, when corrected with this volume increase I hit my numbers for 78% eff. 1.133 OG, so somewhere in the 13.8% - 13.9% ABV range all said and done. I guess the Dark Lord exerted some influence on my beer and wanted it to stay true to the recipe. So I did what I usually do with the extra wort, I fed about .3g of this monster to my 6 month old sour.

I'll update this with fermenting info, its pouring into the conical right now.

Ahh, I think I see what happened. I forgot to include the volume amount 48oz of honey and 12oz of molasses would add. Thats about 60oz, which is about how much I was over. Noted for next time.

Very nice!

Next time I'd add the honey and molasses after fermentation is slowing down to feed the yeast. I've been reading that Dark Lord FG is around 1.064.

Nice! Very interested in seeing pictures and hearing how this turns out.

I thought about putting them in the secondary, but didn't want to risk an infection so into the boil they went to get sanitized and into solution as much as possible. I gave this guy a big 5L starter of the wyeast imperial yeast and this thing is ferocious.

Now for some pictures as promised.


The yeast starter and some sacrifices to the Dark Lord. Those bears are virgins, the Dark Lord will be pleased.


The Dark Lord masheth. Just BARELY fit the 20lbs @ 1.5qt/lbs into my 10G MLT.


I think I could use this stuff as an ink cartridge refill.

Fermentation is going very strong. The high amounts of flaked stuff I used ended up creating a LOT of proteins for this beer which I think is offsetting the fermcap addition in the fermenter as I'm STILL getting krauzen buildup! I added a few more drops and it died down a tiny bit, but not like the other beers where there is zero krauzen buildup.

Looks like a good brew day nice big beer. I might have missed it ill look again what do you hoping for a final gravity?

Beersmith estimates 1.028 if I get 80% attenuation with this yeast. If this brew is a hit maybe I'll do it again later this year and take into account the volume addition for molasses and honey and get my OG right on and do it Mephistopheles style

I had this on Saturday and I would have to say that I taste the Molasses, but I would be willing to bet that they used some Special B to get that "raisin" flavor.

I thought about doing Special B instead of Crystal 120, but decided to stick with 120. If I re-brew and alter the recipe that is definitely on the list.

I updated my original post with the final brew dimensions. I did a decoct mashout for the first time, worked like a champ!

Update on fermentation. I pitched at 11pm on 4/25, I just checked on status 30 minutes ago and it was at 1.090.
I added some yeast nutrient, and stirred the yeast up a bit with my aeration wand and gave it a quick shot of O2, I am also going to increase ferment temp from about 67f to 70f.

saq said:

Fermentation is going very strong. The high amounts of flaked stuff I used ended up creating a LOT of proteins for this beer which I think is offsetting the fermcap addition in the fermenter as I'm STILL getting krauzen buildup! I added a few more drops and it died down a tiny bit, but not like the other beers where there is zero krauzen buildup.

Click to expand...

My 1.100 Imperial Stout blew off with foam control drops in the fermenter, nearly exploded the bucket! I caught it just in time to find the lid bulging up 4" and carefully relieved the pressure (aka. got yeast in my face and all over the room in the process ).

Lesson learned... A vigorous enough fermentation will just laugh at your foam control. On the plus side I'm pretty sure the head retention of said beer will be awesome.

Fermentation seems to have slowed as expected, added a decanted 5L starter of the same yeast by dumping a little from the bottom of the conical. I LOVE my conical!
1.070 SG Almost there! (Never thought I'd say that about 1.070!)

Patience young jedi. You are a mere week in! Give it a healthy shake of oxygen and make sure those yeast are still happy to get it lower if possible. While you are relaxing and not worrying, take a picture of it to post. I know you have a conical, but we can see with a flash through the top!

Patience is not a problem, it was all planned!
I've done many a high grav brew (this would be my 4th over 13%) that I didn't do as much planning for. The first week is getting it more or less halfway done (where I am now) and the yeast is getting pretty pooped after that. The second 5L starter I started 2 days ago was the cavalry to come in for round 2 nice and fresh to help finish it off.

As far as a picture in the conical... I don't know if you would see very much, just something really black with maybe a bubble or two here and there.

Slowing down but still going. Took an SG of 1.054 tonight, still pretty sweet but starting to taste like a stout! Still lots of foam when I pour out a sample, and very thick like a milkshake! I think my recipe is going to be pretty tasty!

i used special b in my RIS, but i know that 3F uses coffee. It says so right on the bottle. I didn't choose to use any, but i wasn't going for a clone. My recipe is a hodge podge of everythign but i was happy with the wort, we'll see in about a week what it really tastes like

Once my fermentation is finished I'm going to do a dry addition of some coffee beans and vanilla bean to taste. Hopefully I end up trading 2 bottles of DL with someone so I can do a little taste compare and try and get the same kind of flavor balance.

wanna trade a couple of bottles of RIS? I did an ris that started off at 1.125 hoping to finish at around 1.04 or so. It's not a darklord clone, i wanted to go a little different route but i wouldn't mind trading a few with ya just to try out other guys brew

Just checked on it while brewing The Minstrel and its at 1.040! Almost there!
Took a little sip of the sample at room temp. Wow! This is pretty goddamn amazing! VERY thick, super rich, roasty and chocolatey. I'm gonna give it another week, do some dry coffee and vanilla bean aging, and then probably keg it and let it bulk age for a while before tapping.
I can't wait to taste the finished product.

Picture please!

Working up my own clone on this. How did you get the 78% efficiency with the large grain bill?

I've got a blichmann boilermaker w/ blichmann false bottom. I attained about 1.5qt/lbs and did a nice slow sparge and I crushed my own grain, the majority at .25 or so. That's about all there is to it.

Ah ok. I think I'll be planning on a lower efficiency. I'm going all-grain (no LME) and shooting for 1.161 OG (includes molasses and honey). The post-boil gravity will be 1.129. I need the high OG to hit the really high FG I've read about. I didn't have a hydrometer on DLD when I had Dark Lord for the first time, but I have some bottles and when I pop one open I'll check the FG on a degassed sample. I have read it is 1.060 or something insanely high.

I really don't think its that high. I'm pretty positive they use tons of flaked stuff to get the really thick mouthfeel and that causes lots of outgassing which can mess up gravity readings.
When I did a gravity reading the other day it initially said 1.040 and then it slowly crept up to 1.090 after a few minutes. I had to bob it in and out a few times and get a lot of the gasses to escape and eventually it settled at 1.040.
When I pour into my sample tube for a gravity reading I get lots of head development, and the beer isn't even carbonated yet!
Don't forget to include the amount of liquid volume the molasses and honey adds! That can mess up your gravity estimates.

Also, to do a 5g batch you'll need at least a 15g MLT. I only put in some DME because I can only fit 22lbs @ 1.5qt/lbs in my 10g MLT. I've only got a .2g deadspace underneath my false bottom.

I got one large madagascar vanilla bean, it smelled like bourbon! Very delicious.
Chopped it into 4 pieces, split it open and scraped out the insides into a shot glass. Poured in some vodka, let it sit for a few minutes and then poured the whole thing in.

I measured the FG last night and it was 1.033 I bet yours will slowly work it's way down over time. It foamed over a lot in the tube of course. I let it set for 3 hours till it was outgassed and room temp.

I've started a thread for my recipe
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/dark-lord-clone-help-recipe-technique-120103/#post1333497

I really liked your idea of flaked barley so I am using some flaked barley now and flaked oats.

I'm mashing at 1 qt per lb and if my efficiency is as low as I expect I'll be adding boiled DME in the primary when I add honey and molasses to get the calculated OG to where I want it.

Did a gravity reading and taste test tonight.


1.032! I wonder how much lower its going to get... Anyways, its about low enough to rack to a keg and I really like the flavor development from the vanilla. I'll get a keg super clean and check it again on Wednesday. If I'm happy with it I'll rack and let age for a while longer.

Finished sipping my sample after putting it in the freezer for a few. Wow! I think I nailed it! Its very Dark Lord-esque in its heft, intensity of flavors, but also a sort of smooth balance from the dark roast, chocolate and semi-sweet flavors and a really super thick body. Letting this guy age is going to be hard!

Racked to a nice and super clean corny today. This beer smelled so good. Its going to need a few weeks to finish up and age properly. Its going to be a hard wait!

Sweet! Sounds like it is coming out very very nice. I love the conical, very nice that it is high enough to gravity drain to a corny.

Did a test from after its been sitting in keg bulk aging (uncarbed) since 5/26. A slight drop to 1.030 so 13.8%! Again this is an uncarbed sample taken at room temperature.

Appearance: Black with some brown at the edge of the glass. Didn't get much foam since I used a thief.

Aroma: Mild to Moderate Dark Roast combine with some slight bready esters. Slight sweetness probably from vanilla and molasses.

Flavor: Heavy dark roasts, unsweetened almost bittersweet chocolate, touch of nuttiness, some dark candied raisin, and a kiss of vanilla on the aftertaste. The flavors are so blended I can barely quite pick any one thing out. Pleasantly bitter, but not excessively like some American styles. An interesting balance.

Overall: Pretty damn good for a uncarbed room temp sample. The alcohol level is not evident in the taste, but it certainly does a good job of warming you up.

Well I kind of overshot the attenuation a bit. It just finished some bulk aging 5-26-09 and am now putting it in rotation for drinking during this weekends brewing. I took a gravity sample @ 65f and it says its at 1.025. That comes out to be roughly 14.41%. Tastes pretty goddamn good! It looks like chocolate milk too which is kind of crazy.

I ended up leaving this guy for bulk aging in the fermeezer a bit longer. I just took a sample and the alcohol bite is almost gone and its starting to taste mighty good! I'm trying to restrain myself from throwing in my last bag of bourbon char!

Nice! Did you see my thread about mine?

The vanilla/oak intrigued me so I'm doing it to mine as well.

I did a beercation to San Diego and traded some beer with people so I chilled, carbed and bottled this mofo. Here's a sample, its really good!

Appearance: Black. Viscous, with some small brown head.

Aroma: Intense! Dark roasty malt, molasses, burnt toast, hint of cocoa and vanilla bean.

Flavor: Dark roasted malt and barley come through at the front, competing with a big chocolate character accentuated by the molasses. Hints of vanilla bean sneak in and some lingering coffee notes come through at the end.

Mouthfeel: Thick, but not as thick as I was expecting probably due to the high amount of honey/molasses that fermented out pretty well. Its pretty clean feeling but very intense.

A higher mash temperature might help get the mouthfeel to its desired point, along with a slightly less attenuative yeast. I might split out 1g of this later into a 1g growler and put some of my bourbon char in as I think that is going to take this beer to amazing territories.

saq said:

I did a beercation to San Diego and traded some beer with people so I chilled, carbed and bottled this mofo. Here's a sample, its really good!

Appearance: Black. Viscous, with some small brown head.

Aroma: Intense! Dark roasty malt, molasses, burnt toast, hint of cocoa and vanilla bean.

Flavor: Dark roasted malt and barley come through at the front, competing with a big chocolate character accentuated by the molasses. Hints of vanilla bean sneak in and some lingering coffee notes come through at the end.

Mouthfeel: Thick, but not as thick as I was expecting probably due to the high amount of honey/molasses that fermented out pretty well. Its pretty clean feeling but very intense.

A higher mash temperature might help get the mouthfeel to its desired point, along with a slightly less attenuative yeast. I might split out 1g of this later into a 1g growler and put some of my bourbon char in as I think that is going to take this beer to amazing territories.

Click to expand...

Looks really good! I tried mine last night and I think my very early high fermentation temp caused some fusel alcohols, I've got some ingredients to try again though. Really glad it turned out so well for you, awesome

I still want to see a picture of a glass of this stuff. I like the shot glass shot, but how about a bigger glass!

I need to do dishes really bad, just got back from vacation. I'll put some of my sampling glasses in the wash tonight and get a proper picture. It looks just like any other stout...