RIS recipe critique

[ahouse86]

Hello All,

First attempt at a RIS. I'm brewing this to use some specialty and dark grains that I,ve collected over time and that is why some of the quantities are weird. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: RIS
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial Stout
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 10.02 gal
Post Boil Volume: 7.81 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.102 SG
Estimated Color: 82.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 64.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.30 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 1 -
15 lbs Maris Otter Malt (Muntons) (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 54.0 %
3 lbs Munich II (Weyermann) (8.5 SRM) Grain 3 10.8 %
2 lbs Barley, Flaked (Briess) (1.7 SRM) Grain 4 7.2 %
2 lbs Chocolate Malt (Bairds) (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 7.2 %
1 lbs 6.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.9 %
1 lbs Crystal 150, 2-Row, (Great Western) (150 Grain 7 3.6 %
1 lbs Special B (Dingemans) (147.5 SRM) Grain 8 3.6 %
11.0 oz Carafa Special III (Weyermann) (470.0 SR Grain 9 2.5 %
11.0 oz Chocolate Wheat (Weyermann) (415.0 SRM) Grain 10 2.5 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (Muntons) (60 Grain 11 1.8 %
4.5 oz Black Malt (Bairds) (600.0 SRM) Grain 12 1.0 %
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 120L (Briess) (120.0 SRM) Grain 13 0.9 %
2.00 oz Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 14 47.9 IBUs
2.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 15 16.9 IBUs
1.30 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 16 -
0.75 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 17 0.0 IBUs
3.0 pkg Windsor Yeast (Lallemand #-) [23.66 ml] Yeast 18 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 27 lbs 12.5 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 10.42 gal of water at 159.5 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.93gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------


Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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[thehaze]

I bottled 6 gallons of a 1.095 Imperial Porter with a combination of 3 packs of Windsor and 2 packs of Nottingham, pitched dry at the same time. I used a combination of Muscovado and Demerara sugars in the boil. FG was 1.018 for a 9.5% ABV. I bottled at 14 days from pitching and the beer had pleasent carbonation after 7 days in the bottle. Why I'm saying all these things? Because I feel you will be underpitching using only 3 packs of Windsor.

Also, Windsor is a poor attenuator and poor flocculator. I can get it to attenuate over 70%, but most experience found on the Internet, will tell you 60-65%. Combining it with Nottingham works so well. Mash temperature should be dropped to 147-149F to ensure better attenuation.

And lastly, your recipe seems so busy and so many different malts put together.

 

[deere322]

That's way too many malt combinations to even come close to a RIS.
Flavor will come across muddled.

Here is a simple and true RIS recipe.
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-brew-wednesday-1914-courage.html

 

[kevin58]

This was not marketed as RIS but it may have been created to compete with the wildly popular Barclay Perkins RIS. With an OG of 1.110 it certainly is "imperial". For those who are unfamiliar with the author of this blog, Ron Pattinson scours England's beer archives and translates the recipes he finds into smaller batches for us homebrewers to re-create. He is currently in the middle of writing about beers brewed in England between the world wars. This is a 1939 Whitbread SSS...

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2019/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1939-whitbread-sss.html

 

[deere322]

This was not marketed as RIS but it may have been created to compete with the wildly popular Barclay Perkins RIS. With an OG of 1.110 it certainly is "imperial". For those who are unfamiliar with the author of this blog, Ron Pattinson scours England's beer archives and translates the recipes he finds into smaller batches for us homebrewers to re-create. He is currently in the middle of writing about beers brewed in England between the world wars. This is a 1939 Whitbread SSS...

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2019/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1939-whitbread-sss.html

Regardless it's a pretty great recipe and I've brewed it a while back with rave reviews from friends.
Anyway, my point was to the OP is that his grain bill was over the top and wanted to point out the simplicity of RIS recipes.

Whether it be the 1914 or BP RIS or the Whitbread SSS, these classic RIS recipes are simple.

I do read SUABP blog everyday and saw the Whitbread SSS, that one looks interesting.

 

[bleme]

Anyway, my point was to the OP is that his grain bill was over the top and wanted to point out the simplicity of RIS recipes.

Whether it be the 1914 or BP RIS or the Whitbread SSS, these classic RIS recipes are simple

This is all fine, but it doesn't address the OP's main issue of wanting to use up the ingredients he has in stock.

 

[deere322]

This is all fine, but it doesn't address the OP's main issue of wanting to use up the ingredients he has in stock.

I say go for it, use all those ingredients and see what he comes up with.
I bet it's not even close to his original intent of brewing a RIS.

He asked for a critique and that's what I gave him.

 

[bleme]

I say go for it, use all those ingredients and see what he comes up with.
I bet it's not even close to his original intent of brewing a RIS.

He asked for a critique and that's what I gave him.

You gave him a recipe that doesn't use any of the malt or hops that he has on hand, requiring him to buy more, and then be stuck with more. Since you are the expert on RIS's, can you make a good one with the ingredients he has?

 

[deere322]

You gave him a recipe that doesn't use any of the malt or hops that he has on hand, requiring him to buy more, and then be stuck with more. Since you are the expert on RIS's, can you make a good one with the ingredients he has?

With that malt bill, I could never make a RIS.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Regardless, it will be a big stout and it'll probably taste pretty good. I say go for it.

Also, here's the grain bill from an AHA gold medal-winning RIS from a couple years ago:

• 12 lb (5.4 kg) Golden Promise pale malt
• 2 lb (0.9 kg) golden light dry malt extract
• 1.25 lb (0.57 kg) roasted barley
• 1 lb (0.45 kg) 120°L crystal malt
• 1 lb (0.45 kg) 60°L crystal malt
• 0.75 lb (340 g) chocolate wheat malt
• 0.45 lb (204 g) black malt
• 0.25 lb (113 g) flaked barley
• 0.25 lb (113 g) flaked oats
• 0.25 lb (113 g) brown sugar
• 1 stick licorice
• 1 oz (28 g) cocoa nibs (in secondary)

I doubt anyone (except those expressly trying to recreate recipes they found on the Barclay Perkins blog) brews an RIS using a grain bill like the ones y'all posted. Modern brewing has moved on.

 

[deadwolfbones]

My only suggestions would be:

1. Drop the 5.2 pH stabilizer (doesn't work) and do proper water treatment.
2. Use a better yeast. US-05 is cheap and easy and works well in this style of beer.

 

[dx250]

There is a lot going on there, I would keep the MO, black, chocolate, and Munich for malt. Hops don't look too far off. And I would use a yeast that has a higher attenuation or a blend of yeasts as stated before.

 

[deere322]

Regardless, it will be a big stout and it'll probably taste pretty good. I say go for it.

Also, here's the grain bill from an AHA gold medal-winning RIS from a couple years ago:

I doubt anyone (except those expressly trying to recreate recipes they found on the Barclay Perkins blog) brews an RIS using a grain bill like the ones y'all posted. Modern brewing has moved on.

that actually looks delicious.

 

[kevin58]

Regardless it's a pretty great recipe and I've brewed it a while back with rave reviews from friends.
Anyway, my point was to the OP is that his grain bill was over the top and wanted to point out the simplicity of RIS recipes.

Whether it be the 1914 or BP RIS or the Whitbread SSS, these classic RIS recipes are simple.

I do read SUABP blog everyday and saw the Whitbread SSS, that one looks interesting.

Wasn't competing with you bro. Anyway, I didn't even see your post when I put mine up.

 

[blackbeer]

i'd dump the crystal and caramels. my imperial stout is MO, Roasted barley and black prinz. caramel and crystal will really sweeten an already sweet beer.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

2. Use a better yeast. US-05 is cheap and easy and works well in this style of beer.

There's no such thing as "good" or "bad" yeast, it's just a question of using the appropriate yeast. Personally I think a British style needs a proper British yeast, particularly a malt-led one like this. I'd second the idea to use a bit of Notty to help the Windsor flocc out (although Windsor drops perfectly well, it just doesn't "stick").

You should also note that Windsor only goes up to 9% ABV - if you're having to buy yeast, then consider WLP840. Although described as Belgian it's actually a non-phenolic British yeast that's adapted to high-ABV dark beers.... Far more appropriate than US-05 for this style of thing.

I share the concerns about the complexity of the malt bill just running into each other, I appreciate that it's a "kitchen sink" beer but I'd feel happier with the pale malt up to 2/3 of the total to give you a bit more diastatic power, the crystals would be the first to go but after that I guess it's up to you.

And look after your yeast - it's going to be a tough job for them, so be generous with oxygen and nutrients as well as initial pitch.

 

[deadwolfbones]

A better yeast for this grain bill, I should have said.