Beefing up my imperial stout recipe

[madcowbrewing]

So this x-mas eve I am brewing up a larger version of my RIS.

Batch size - 4.5 gallon
OG - 1.141
FG - 1.025 (approx.)
Alcohol - 15.6%
IBU - 107

11 lbs. - Pale Malt
2 lbs. - Flaked Barely
2 lbs. - Choc. Malt
2 lbs. - Pilsner
12 oz. - Crystal 20
12 oz. - Crystal 120
12 oz. - Roasted Barley
8 oz. - Black Patent
3 lbs. - DME
1 lbs. - Brown Sugar

2 oz. - Pilgrim, 60 minutes
1 oz. - Galena, 60 minutes
1 oz. - Calypso, 15 minutes

WLP 090 San Diego Yeast, starter built up.

Mash at 156 for 60 minutes, then 159 for 15 minutes.

Primary for 14 days at 64, then 2 days at 72, then 14 days, slowly dropping to 34.

 

[JKaranka]

I wouldn't use flaked barley or pilsener malt on RIS. Sugar and DME are very reasonable. I'd move an oz of Pilgrim to 30m. You might just about taste it. If you get it there you could replace all your crystal with Brown or something drier like Amber.

 

[madcowbrewing]

I wouldn't use flaked barley or pilsener malt on RIS. Sugar and DME are very reasonable. I'd move an oz of Pilgrim to 30m. You might just about taste it. If you get it there you could replace all your crystal with Brown or something drier like Amber.

I added the flaked barley and pilsner to improve mouth feel since the brown sugar will dry it out just a touch.
I will move some Pilgrim to a flavor addition, good idea since I was a littler heavy on the bittering to get a full 100 IBU's to balance out the 15% I am shooting for.
Why do you suggest replacing the crystals? I have them both in there for their flavor profiles.

 

[poptarts]

I added the flaked barley and pilsner to improve mouth feel since the brown sugar will dry it out just a touch.
I will move some Pilgrim to a flavor addition, good idea since I was a littler heavy on the bittering to get a full 100 IBU's to balance out the 15% I am shooting for.
Why do you suggest replacing the crystals? I have them both in there for their flavor profiles.

1025 fg will not be dry and fwiw I brewed a RIS that got 1.132 and finished with 1.029 and had 2 lbs of sugar in it with that same yeast so I would be pretty surprised if you hit the 1025 fg.

 

[madcowbrewing]

1025 fg will not be dry and fwiw I brewed a RIS that got 1.132 and finished with 1.029 and had 2 lbs of sugar in it with that same yeast so I would be pretty surprised if you hit the 1025 fg.

I agree, 1.025 is not dry, and this is just what Beersmith spits out, I actual think I will be in the 1.030's range. I also have Super Gravity yeast if this one stalls out, but I did a 2L starter last week and this morning decanted off 1L and added it to 3L more on my stir plate. My Original RIS was 1.090 and I got it under 1.020.

 

[JKaranka]

I added the flaked barley and pilsner to improve mouth feel since the brown sugar will dry it out just a touch.
I will move some Pilgrim to a flavor addition, good idea since I was a littler heavy on the bittering to get a full 100 IBU's to balance out the 15% I am shooting for.
Why do you suggest replacing the crystals? I have them both in there for their flavor profiles.

Brown malt has a more interesting profile for stouts. It also leaves body but it won't become too sweet.

 

[madcowbrewing]

Brown malt has a more interesting profile for stouts. It also leaves body but it won't become too sweet.

Interesting...I have used it in Brown ales before and historically it is for them and Porters.....I did a quick search and there is some interesting talk about it being stouts.

If I have some sitting around I might add it as a sub to some of the crystal. I am brewing tomorrow so I am set unless I have it on hand.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I agree with the brown malt but I wouldn't completely remove the crystal, just replace some of the crystal with equivalent by weight brown (to keep your grain bill weight the same). It's really tasty stuff, if you chew on a couple of them they taste A LOT like unsweetened sugar smacks (the children's cereal with the frog on the front, I think it's called sugar smacks).

The Pilsner I would just use 2 more lbs of pale malt instead, you should have plenty of enzymes to complete conversion. If final gravity is at all a concern to you you can save 8oz or so of the sugar addition and add it right when you see fermentation start to tail off (literally right when high krausen starts to drop). Boil it in a tiny bit of water just enough to dissolve and then cool and pour into the fermenter gently (any oxygen introduced should be picked up by the yeast).

 

[madcowbrewing]

The Pilsner I would just use 2 more lbs of pale malt instead, you should have plenty of enzymes to complete conversion. If final gravity is at all a concern to you you can save 8oz or so of the sugar addition and add it right when you see fermentation start to tail off (literally right when high krausen starts to drop). Boil it in a tiny bit of water just enough to dissolve and then cool and pour into the fermenter gently (any oxygen introduced should be picked up by the yeast).

So no pilsner at all?
I am not a huge fan of adding sugar into the fermenter. I take pretty good care of my yeast and they usually do a real good job of eating away at the gravity points. I am not worried about the FG. Pretty sure it will finish where it needs to be. I have heard of these high gravity stouts finishing pretty high. I have done my Anniversary Ale, English BW at 11.3%, but this will be my highest OG I have done in my 13+ years of brewing.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

So no pilsner at all?

I am not a huge fan of adding sugar into the fermenter. I take pretty good care of my yeast and they usually do a real good job of eating away at the gravity points. I am not worried about the FG. Pretty sure it will finish where it needs to be. I have heard of these high gravity stouts finishing pretty high. I have done my Anniversary Ale, English BW at 11.3%, but this will be my highest OG I have done in my 13+ years of brewing.

I would skip it simply because anything the pilsner malt brings to the table is lost in the complexity of an imperial stout. If you doubled your flaked barley then I would probably add pilsner malt for the enzymatic insurance, a RIS would never be hurt by additional pale malt (the pilsner would t hurt it either in any way, but there's really no reason for it to be there).

The sugar addition in the fermenter was only if FG was a concern, I use it on IPAs as insurance for a low finishing gravity (and simple sugars are usually needed in IPA recipes anyway). It was mostly just a suggestion if you wanted to make sure it hit or got under 1.025.

 

[JKaranka]

Yeah, I meant swapping part of the crystal for brown. I don't use crystal in any dark beers but I wouldn't stop anyone using some if that is what rocks their boat

On the sugar: I'd definitely add some to not get something as thick and sweet as porridge with honey. I also like the alcohol notes you get from sugar. Disguising alcohol is nonsense.

 

[madcowbrewing]

So I didn't have any Brown malt...
So I went with the recipe I had....came in just a touch low at 1.136, but I should still hit my mark of 15% goal.

 

[madcowbrewing]

Transferred to secondary tonight. Gravity is at 1.034....taste of the hydrometer is a touch hot, it is at 13.8%, but super creamy, kind of like a shake....after transferring I added 0,3 gallons of 1.133 wort of DME and corn sugar to the wort, shook it a bit, then added a second yeast of WLP099, super gravity...going to try to push it down to that 1.025 target.

 

[madcowbrewing]

So after a week in secondary and with the new yeast it is still at 1.034. It has been sitting at about 66 degrees. I am going to try and warm it a bit, push some CO2 into the head space and then gently shake to see if I can get those last few points down.

Any other suggestions?

 

[madcowbrewing]

A month in secondary and it is officially done at 1.034..... 13.8%.

It is pretty good going into the keg....carbing it up and hopefully won't have any issues with that.

Didn't get my 15%, so I will be drumming up another batch... :rockin:

I am thinking of adding some Kahlua soaked oak on this one.