1.082 Oaked Imperial Stout

[Dave258]

10 Days ago I brewed an imperial Stout. SG was 1.082. The recipe said on the third day to boil 2 cups of water, add the oak, let sit for 5 mins. ad to fermentor. It also says to bottle 10 days after adding the oak.
I took a gravity reading today, it was down to 1.022. I could taste the oak, and a nice roasty flavor, but man was the alcohol taste very "punch you in the face" noticeable. Fermentation temps never went above 64* so I know it is not that. My calculations put it at 7.86% ABV.
I want it to mellow out, and I know that comes with time. The recipe calls for bottling 10 days after oaking. I would prefer to bulk age it. I have never used a secondary, but have an empty 5 gallon better bottle (apfelwein). After 3 weeks in primary, should I transfer to secondary to allow to bulk age, or will it age just as well if it was bottled?
This is the biggest beer I have made, and am willing to give it the time it needs. How long do you think it will take to mellow out? I am not going to be impatient on this one!

Thanks!
Dave

 

[knelson]

Dave-

I'm confused. The recipe states to add the oak after three days in the primary and then bottle 10 days later? Did I read that correctly? If I am reading this correctly the recipe is asking you to bottle 2 weeks after brewing.

I would give it more time in the primary to allow the yeast to clean up, you will notice a lot of change in the flavor here. A secondary is not as critical with darker beers as you dont really need to clarify them, but this is totally up to you. If you are used to using a secondary then go ahead, if not just leave it in the primary for a little longer. Personally with a beer this big I would probably go 3-4 weeks primary and a week or 2 in secondary (adding coffee or chocolate to the secondary would make a nice variation)

No need to rush getting the beer into the bottles. From my research I dont see any benefit to getting beer off the yeast cake prematurely.

 

[Dave258]

I am looking at the recipe right now, "On the third day after fermentation has begun, place oak in 2 cups hot water, boil for 5 mins, let sit covered for 5 mins, add to fermenter." Bottle 10 days after adding oak.
I always leave my beer in primary for 3-4 weeks. I just didn't know if additional bulk aging would be a benefit.
Now that you mention coffee in secondary, that sounds good. I have never done this. I love coffee, do you have any suggestions on adding coffee?

 

[suprchunk]

Just brew up a small, strong, batch of coffee. Add it to the fermenter. A little coffee goes a long way though. You can also cold brew it then add. I would start with a small amount, let it sit for a bit, taste it and adjust to taste. 8 ounces of prepared coffee might be a good start. Or you can add about 2 ounces of ground. But you will have to let this drop out unless you want it in your bottle. Or add a bean to each bottle. Endless possibilities.

 

[Dave258]

Just brew up a small, strong, batch of coffee. Add it to the fermenter. A little coffee goes a long way though. You can also cold brew it then add. I would start with a small amount, let it sit for a bit, taste it and adjust to taste. 8 ounces of prepared coffee might be a good start. Or you can add about 2 ounces of ground. But you will have to let this drop out unless you want it in your bottle. Or add a bean to each bottle. Endless possibilities.

Sounds good! Would you do the bean in the bottle in addition to adding the the prepared coffee to secondary? I was looking around, and read something about the oil from the beans making it not carb well. Any thoghts on that?

 

[knelson]

Another technique is to use rack your beer to secondary and use some of the beer to brew the coffee. So instead of brewing the coffee with water, you can cold steep it with your beer. Let that steep for awhile in the fridge and then combine it back in with your batch in the secondary.

I have not tried this yet, but I talked to a very well known brewer in my area (MPLS, MN) and this is what they do for their coffee beers. Works very well for them.

I am brewing a Porter on wednesday as one of my first dark beers as a control batch. I will definately use this method next time I brew a porter or Stout. Right now I am trying to get my technique down before I start adding additional variables to my brew day.

As for your original question, I would say leave this one in the fermenter for at least 3 weeks. Others may have different opinions. I just dont see the benefit to bottling before that.