Imperial Stout Russian Imperial Stout (2011 HBT Competition Category Winner)

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marubozo

I can has homebrew?
HBT Supporter
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
30,950
Reaction score
5,490
Location
SW Michigan
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WLP002 English Ale
Yeast Starter
Yes - 2L
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.25
Original Gravity
1.106
Final Gravity
1.028
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
87.2
Color
52.5 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
30 days @ 65
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
Bulk age for 6-8 months @ 60
Tasting Notes
Very rich with a touch of carmel, a little chocolate, and subtle fruity esters.
This is a great imperial stout if you're a fan of the style. Very robust, complex, and satisfying. Especially in the cold winter months. I entered this beer in the 2011 HBT competition and it placed first in category 13. It has received scores ranging from 34 to 46 from various judges. It has been submitted to 2011 NHC as well and so far it has received an average score of 35.5 in the first round and is advancing to the final round. I'll update results when they become available.

Some comments on the beer from judges include:

Rich, sweet, chocolate and molasses with complex fruity flavors. Malty-bread and toast flavors with low hope flavor but nice bitter roasty finish. Some coffee and alcohol notes.

Complex blend of roast, chocolate, dark fruit, moderate bitterness and some spicy/earthy hop flavor. Some alcohol, but not hot. Finish is slightly sweet with all flavors lingering in aftertaste.

A very well made RIS. Complex, but well balanced flavor profile.

5632881485_db2b058d79_z.jpg


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 7.32 gal
Estimated OG: 1.095 SG
Estimated Color: 52.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 87.2 IBU

Ingredients:
------------

17.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK Grain 81.93 %
1.50 lb Roasted Barley Grain 7.23 %
1.00 lb Special B Malt Grain 4.82 %
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt Grain 3.61 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine Grain 2.41 %

4.00 oz Challenger [7.20 %] (60 min) Hops 59.1 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.80 %] (30 min) Hops 28.2 IBU

1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge. Hold mash temp at 151 degrees for 60 minutes.

-------------------

A couple of things to note with this beer. Obviously, it's a pretty big beer so don't rush it. Your patience will be greatly rewarded. I'd say no less than a month in primary and then get it off the yeast and bulk condition for a minimum of another three months. I sampled it along the way and it's good after those three months, but if you can wait closer to six it becomes incredible. Second, don't make the same mistake I did. I waited until I was about ready to kick the keg before deciding to brew it again and now I have 6-8 months of agony while I wait!

The batch that was submitted to competitions was a little stronger than the recipe calls for because my boil got away from me a bit and ended up with a bit less volume. I just decided to roll with it and wasn't too concerned, but it didn't seem to hurt any. Also, ferment on the cooler side if you can so the fruit esters don't get away from you.

Also, while I know this is typically a beer you may consider cellaring, I haven't done that to any of mine yet. In fact, some of the judges mentioned that the beer tasted like it was peaking since some sherry notes were starting to get into the flavor profile and that was on just shy of a one year old brew, so in the future I would probably make it a point to drink around the 8 month range for it to be in its prime.

Looking forward to have you guys try this. Be sure to let me know how it turns out!
 
I've been looking for a proven RIS recipe to try and a carboy just opened up, so I'll give this one a shot.

Is the "black roasted barley" AHB is the same as the "roasted barley" you have listed? If not what should I use.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_71_112&products_id=110

Yes, that is what I used in the recipe. According to Forrest from AHS:


The "Black Roasted Barley" is the normal stuff. Every brand of Roasted Barley is around 500L. Breiss makes a light Roasted Barley that is around 300L. I have never seen a recipe that calls for it. The reason we call it Black Roasted Barley is because we used to carry both light and dark and we wanted to make it clear which was which. There was simply no demand for the light stuff so we no longer carry it.

Forrest
 
@marubozo - Great, i was looking for a RIS to brew and age, this looks like a keeper. I think ill keep your grain bill, but id like to use hops with a high AA so i dont need to use so much, do you have a suggestion on what high(er) AA hops to use?
 
@marubozo - Great, i was looking for a RIS to brew and age, this looks like a keeper. I think ill keep your grain bill, but id like to use hops with a high AA so i dont need to use so much, do you have a suggestion on what high(er) AA hops to use?

The best substitution would probably be Admiral for bittering. Admiral hops were bred from Challenger and typically comes in the 13-16% AA range.
 
Mar-
Any suggestion on getting a beer from the "second runnings" of this grist? (not sure if I am using the right terminology here). It is a ton of grain and if we can pull off another batch of wort after the RIS is lautered, I would like to do so. Any suggestions on how to, or even if we can do this?
Thanks.
 
Mar-
Any suggestion on getting a beer from the "second runnings" of this grist? (not sure if I am using the right terminology here). It is a ton of grain and if we can pull off another batch of wort after the RIS is lautered, I would like to do so. Any suggestions on how to, or even if we can do this?
Thanks.

Sorry, that is going above and beyond my expertise so I really can't give you an answer on that.
 
I have done a few parti-gyle brews. if you don't mind me chiming in here.... i would suggest doing a small batch say 2.5 gallons after boil from the second runnings, you could probably make a nice porter out of it. I fear if you try to make a full 5 gallon batch that the body will be very light, but its up to your preferences.
 
I have done a few parti-gyle brews. if you don't mind me chiming in here.... i would suggest doing a small batch say 2.5 gallons after boil from the second runnings, you could probably make a nice porter out of it. I fear if you try to make a full 5 gallon batch that the body will be very light, but its up to your preferences.

Thanks PM - that is what I was thinking. Just need to sort out a brew pot for the second boil!
Hope to brew this withing a month.
Cheers for the info gents.
 
Wow, never in a million years would have thought to try WLP002 on a RIS, but I'll have to split my Gatos Locos with half WLP002 next time I brew it.

Yes, this was in fact a happy accident. I had planned on using 001 but when I want to LHBS to pick up my ingredients I didn't buy any yeast because I assumed that the vial I had in the fridge was 001. Of course I get home and ready to make a starter and learn it's 002. Oops. I'm lazy so the 20 minute drive back to the store to get yeast was out of the question and I just decided to give it a shot. Now I'm glad I did!
 
pm5k00 said:
I have done a few parti-gyle brews. if you don't mind me chiming in here.... i would suggest doing a small batch say 2.5 gallons after boil from the second runnings, you could probably make a nice porter out of it. I fear if you try to make a full 5 gallon batch that the body will be very light, but its up to your preferences.

That's kinda what I did...

I brewed this beer yesterday and kept sparging after I had collected enough for the first boil.

I did two separate boils ended up with about 5.5 gallons at 1.093 and a solid 3.5-4 gallons at 1.062 (this included about a gallon from the first boil which wouldn't fit in the 6.5ga carboy). I figured the second batch would be a lot weaker, but no... It's noticeably thinner than the first one, but I wouldn't call it thin.

I wasn't really planning on the second batch, so I ended up re-using some of the hops and pitching some dry, champagne yeast. The first batch, which got a proper starter, is bubbling away like mad, but the second is a lot slower.

For the sake of efficiency, this is definitely a good way to brew. You only add a couple of hours to your day and end up with two batches. I think I'm gonna try this with a double IPA and an ordinary bitter sometime in the near future.
 
Wow, your recipe looks really good, much better and more in depth than mine. I hope you don't mind if I try your recipe this year for my winter RIS. I was planning on brewing this next weekend so it would be ready for Christmas.

Thanks for posting it.

TripHops
:tank:
 
this recipe looks great, i think i may get the ingredients and do this as my 2nd batch for the brewday.. has anybody else had any success or attempted using the 2nd runnings for a mini batch? just curious at the results as it seems like a nice experiment
 
My "Second Runnings Porter" turned out great, despite the dry, champagne yeast I used.

It came out around 5.5% IIRC. I've been drinking it although I know it could use another month or two of maturation.
 
My "Second Runnings Porter" turned out great, despite the dry, champagne yeast I used.

It came out around 5.5% IIRC. I've been drinking it although I know it could use another month or two of maturation.

sounds good.. i think i'll use this as an excuse to purchase another carboy (as i'll already have my 2 being used) and then maybe experiment a bit with the hops in the runoff brew.. great idea!
 
If someone were interested in brewing this recipe, but only really equipped for partial mash brewing (at best), how might one convert that recipe?

I've been thinking a lot about getting a good RIS going, and the time seems good to get one going and be read in time for mid-winter...
 
and any special amount of sugar for bottle conditioning? i think i'll actually use cap bottles on these so i'll feel comfortable with keeping them longer, usually use swingtops though i wont' trust them for too long
 
what kind of starter did you guys use for this big of a beer? i have a 1000ml flask, will that work with some LME and the yeast?

I use a 2L starter, since it is a pretty high gravity beer and needs quite a bit of yeast, but I know a few people have done it with 1L and haven't had any issues.

and any special amount of sugar for bottle conditioning? i think i'll actually use cap bottles on these so i'll feel comfortable with keeping them longer, usually use swingtops though i wont' trust them for too long

For my personal preference and to keep it closer to style, I tend to carb a bit on the low side. So I'd use a little less sugar than you might use on a regular beer.
 
Does anyone have this on beersmith? I put on the numbers and my SG is 1.073 and final is 1.028.

Dont know what i did to not get in the 1.09's

Also what size of yeast starter did you use? Beersmith recommended four vials and a starter.

Thanks
 
Does anyone have this on beersmith? I put on the numbers and my SG is 1.073 and final is 1.028.

Dont know what i did to not get in the 1.09's

Also what size of yeast starter did you use? Beersmith recommended four vials and a starter.

Thanks

I copied and pasted the recipe right from my beersmith output. It's giving me a boil gravity of about 1.078 and a final SG of about 1.095. Not sure what could cause it to come up with that low of an SG other than a few pounds less grain or extremely low efficiency in the calculation.

And I used a 2L starter on a stir plate with one vial of yeast.
 
I copied and pasted the recipe right from my beersmith output. It's giving me a boil gravity of about 1.078 and a final SG of about 1.095. Not sure what could cause it to come up with that low of an SG other than a few pounds less grain or extremely low efficiency in the calculation.

And I used a 2L starter on a stir plate with one vial of yeast.

Is there away to put the actual beersmith file on here and then i can upload it into mine and compare?
 
So other than beer equipment and the eff (mine at 82% and yours at 80%) was the difference. Mine requires more pre boil water by 1.16gals.

Thanks for the help.
Im going to do a starter tomorrow and try for a brew at the end of the week, aslong as the wife doesn't go into labor! Suck if it was mid brew!!!!
 
I don't have a LHBS around and it is way too hot for me to order liquid yeast via the mail (even with cold packs) so can anyone recommend a dry yeast to use instead of 002?

Well, there isn't a direct substitute for WLP002, but Danstar Windsor would be about as close as you can get in a dry yeast I reckon. A lot of people don't even use an English yeast for imperial stouts, but I think that's part of the magic with this recipe.
 
Well I brewed this up yesturday (BIAB), which was my very first all grain attemp. After having to make my own grain bag to hold all of this grain it went fairly smooth. Im not sure how my numbers are as far as did I hit my OG ready and my efficency. I made 2 changes to the recipe since the LHBS didn't have UK-2row. Here is my recipe:

Grains:
8.5lbs Marris Otter
8.5lbs Golden Promise
1lbs 8oz Roasted Barley
1lbs Special B Malt
12oz Chocolate Malt
8oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine

Hops:
4oz Challenger
2oz Goldings, East Kent

Yeast:
WLP002 (I made to yeast starters for this, which in less than 12 Hrs I had activity)

Now my Beersmith calculated with your original recipe with my equipment:
-Pre Boil Gravity 1.076 I got 1.072 could be a little off due to accuracy with equipment
-OG 1.104 I got 1.082

I don't know if my numbers are off due to doing a BIAB with such a huge grain bill and not getting all the sugars out, also my final batch size was 7.5gal and I was going for 5.25gal but it was getting late and with a 10day old baby it was time for bed. I tried to boil off as much as possible. Im only fermenting 5.25gal.

I hit all my target temps and only lost a few degrees mashing.

I will try and post pics of the grain bag pretty impressive. Thanks for the guidance.
 
Whatever the storage room in my basement is at. It usually stays in the 60s down there.

If I were to bottle this beer, would it be ok to bottle after 1 month primary then age for 3 months or should I bulk age for 3 months then bottle for a month or so?
 
Just came across this thread. I'll definitely have to brew this one this fall. I was fortunate to get to try it at the judging. It was fantastic. :mug:
 
If I were to bottle this beer, would it be ok to bottle after 1 month primary then age for 3 months or should I bulk age for 3 months then bottle for a month or so?

Either way would work, but I think bulk aging helps the flavors meld a little faster than letting it age entirely in bottles. Then again, I haven't done any direct comparisons with this particular brew so I have no idea if that holds true. But as long as you give it the appropriate time either way it should turn out great.

Just came across this thread. I'll definitely have to brew this one this fall. I was fortunate to get to try it at the judging. It was fantastic. :mug:

Hey thanks. I loved all the great comments on the scoresheets. This was the first beer I've entered in a competition and it's so helpful to get honest feedback. :mug:

Seems like something to brew now for fall/winter. I would imagine this has to age a bit, no?

Yes, certainly a good cold weather brew, and at minimum you're looking at about 4 months from start to finish, although it really starts to rock your world after 6 months.
 
Yes, certainly a good cold weather brew, and at minimum you're looking at about 4 months from start to finish, although it really starts to rock your world after 6 months.

That's what I was thinking. Brewing dry stout today for yeast cake for this brew. Thinking Feb/Mar
 
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