Imperial Stout Recipe Critique

[Blootster]

I've been tinkering with a new stout recipe for months, and can't seem to decide on the grain bill and wanted to get your thoughts.

The inspiration for this beer comes from Side Project's barrel aged stouts (Derivation, BBT, OWK, etc), and the goal for this beer is to be large at 15+ % ABV, with the intent to be aged on multiple types of oak. It should be smooth and velvety, and have layered and intense chocolate (dark and milk chocolate) flavors, with hints of char/coconut/vanilla while being decadent and full. My hope is to build something large enough to withstand long aging periods on oak cubes and possible adjuncts down the road. One of my main concerns is with mash PH and other adverse mash conditions due to the amount of dark grains, and I am starting to lean towards using roasted barley instead of prinz for fear of lacking roast in the grain bill..

Recipe: LINK

Batch Size: 5.5 G
Boil: 180 minutes
Target OG: 1.145+
Target FG: 1.045+
IBU: 70+
ABV: 15%
Efficiency: 60%

Malt Bill:
25.0 lbs Golden Promise
8.0 lbs Munich 20L
2.12 lbs Flaked Oats
1.7 lbs UK Pale Chocolate 207L
1.0 lbs American Chocolate 350L
2.2 lbs Crystal 80L
0.75 lbs Blackprinz 500L

Hops:
Single bittering addition @ 60 minutes - 70 ibu

Yeast:
WLP001 step starter / WLP 090 super yeast

Water Profile:
Black Full from Bru'n Water - built from RO/Distilled water
Calcium: 50
Magnesium: 5
Sodium: 33
Sulfate: 35
Chloride: 45
Bicarb: 150+

Mash:
(split into 2 x 10 gallon igloo coolers)
Single Infusion @ 152 degrees - this will be first runnings only, and I feel that fermentability is the primary concerns as plenty of body/sugars should be left after fermentation.

Secondary:
Based on the resulting flavor, I plan to combine 1-2 bourbons, multiple types of oak, and possibly vanilla, cinnamon, or other adjuncts

 

[Comfort_Zone]

With an FG that high you're gonna end up with something real sweet like Dark Lord. You can easily replace the prinz with some roasted barley as at that abv the alcohol is going to add a perception of sweetness.

 

[jturman35]

I would bring that down quite a bit that’s a chit ton of grain for a 5 gal batch!

 

[kevin58]

IMHO: Too much base malt. Too many specialty malts. Probably too little hops.

60+% Pale Malt - 20+% Brown Malt - 10+% Amber Malt - and a splash of Black Malt with a crap-ton of EKG hops will make up a pretty close clone to the original Russian Imperial Stout made by Barclay Perkins in 1848.

I just picked up ingredients for that particular beer today and the total grain bill is just under 25 lbs. There is over a pound of EKG hops in it as well.

But then again, mine is a specific recipe from a specific snapshot in time.

 

[hottpeper13]

If you are using 2 mash tuns you could use the 2nd mash liquor for a sparge of the first mash and then mash in the 2nd with that. Doing this nets me 10 gal of 1.126 wort in a single brew session on a 10 gal system. If I parti gyle the second mash I can get 5 gal of a 1.050 small beer. So 15 gal , one brew session, a long day. whats not to like?