Please help me pick a big beer for winter!

[richl025]

I was hoping to get some opinions from the assembled wisdom, here...

I am a relatively new brewer with about a dozen kits or extract recipes under my belt. I've done 2 BIABs but right now can't spend the longer time for an all-gran brew, so I'm only doing extract for a while...

I would love to have a well-aged dark beer for this winter, but not sure whether I should go with an Imperial Stout or a Porter.... The few RIS I've tried before were way too sweet for me - I love darker beers, but I've found I definitely like them drier. I am actually a big fan of Guinness (bottled as well). Many of the other commercial stouts I've tried though, are too sweet for me...

I've brewed Northern Brewer's "Dry Irish Stout" extract kit a few times, and really liked the coffee and hint of chocolate notes that develop after a month or 2.

I'm a fan of peaty single-malt scotch as well, if that gives you any idea of my tastes <g>.

I want to brew my first "big beer" in the next month, with the hope it will be ready to drink come winter. I'm looking at 2 kits from NB:
RIS: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/imperial-stout-extract-kit.html

Baltic Porter: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/baltic-porter-extract-kit.html

Some of my indecision is just not knowing the firm differences between those 2 styles...

So I'm hoping someone reading this who has similar tastes will be able to chime in and opine whther one of these would be more to my taste? Both of them have multiple raving reviews, so I doubt I would be making a "mistake" with either one, but given my dislike of sweeter stouts I thought someone here might be able to give me some guidance????

All opinions are welcome!

(BTW - I am doing a 5 gall boil, am comfortable with starters, and have a temp controlled ferm chamber to let it age in, but I was going to bottle condition instead of kegging or using a long secondary...)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cyclman]

If you like big but dry, a Belgian Quad. You can add fruit, wood, bourbon, spices, lots of custom choices.

Or they're delish unmolested.

 

[Natdavis777]

You can try an RIS and hit it with some different yeast strains to help it attenuate a bit lower (ie 1098 and safale 05 or WLP008). I usually do 20gal or so for the winter time of RIS and drop in some lactose and they usually end up around 1.018-1.022. Throw in some coffee grounds in one batch and some bourbon soaked chips in another and it lends a lot of complexity and you aren't just focused on the sweetness


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Homercidal]

Some RIS's can be sweetish. Especially when aged.

You can try mashing low, using a very attenuating yeast, and maybe adding sugar to up the alcohol without adding unfermentables.

With the right amount of roasted grain and hops, you should be able to brew up a RIS that isn't too sweet by this winter. Avoid vanilla. It can add the sensation of sweetness. Read up on adding bourbon and oak. I think you would like a hint or more of that.

 

[TheLiquidBakery]

I say go big on a Scotch Ale and use a bit of peated malt. Something different cuz EVERYONE does an RIS.

 

[solbes]

An RIS that is 9-10% ABV should be ready by winter. A huge 12% may need an additional 3 months. Brew a beer in a well attenuating yeast. The pitch a large portion of that yeast cake into your RIS so that it attenuates fully.

If you're a fan of scotch, buy some of the cheaper stuff and soak 1.5-2 oz of medium toast oak cubes in some blended scotch (don't waste the good stuff) for the last 4-6 weeks of secondary. I did this in mine and it came out really well. Next time I will add 6-9 oz of scotch instead of the 3, as its very hard to pick out.

RIS makes for a most excellent winter beer. Mine is 3/4 gone and will be lucky to see next spring.

 

[Setesh]

+1 to the RIS. Everyone may do it, but I think there are many reasons for that. It's a great style with a lot of room for customization.

 

[Homercidal]

I did a bourbon stout and I soaked a n ounce of oak in bourbon and added the whole thing to the beer. That was just too little bourbon to be even recognizable. I'd do the same thing, but definitely add more bourbon next time. I used cheap stuff (Old Crow) and I think next time I would use a better grade of gutrot.

 

[solbes]

I didn't see where you said how much bourbon you added Homercidal? Was it an ounce of bourbon and an ounce of oak?