I just stumbled across this today in my Google feed. I'd like to brew it as well.
Anyone with a lot of experience brewing these big stouts want to guess how these two recipes might differ once finished (assuming the same starting gravity)?
I wouldn't say that I have "a lot of experience" brewing big stouts, but I have refined an imperial stout for X-mas for most of the preceding 15 years. In my estimation, those are two very different beers.
As someone that wants to join in on this project, I'm not really happy with either recipe. An imperial stout with less than 60% base malt doesn't strike me as something I'd enjoy drinking. Five-ten percent C120 is also a cause for concern, and what's with all the dextrin?
The purpose of this recipe is to make a point within the moment, subsequently it has to be a quick turn around. I also want this beer to be crushable, I want this beer to stimulate conversation and I want it to encourage people to ask for a second pint, continue talking, and ask for a third, and more conversation. It should also be stark and simple, like the issue at hand. To that end, I'm thinking along these lines:
OG:1.055 (That's way short of whatever Gordon Strong is calling an imperial stout these days, but that's more than big enough for a hot, miserable, muggy, and especially frustrating summer here in DC. In fact, I think 1.045 is a better gravity for the purpose of this beer, but I want to make it substantially bigger than necessary to respect the author's intent).
60% pils
20% maris otter
8% UK black barley
2% UK dark chocolate
10% cane sugar (or thing that dries the beer out of your choice)
35 IBU of magnum at 90 min.
4oz of Cascades at 5 min. (Thank you, John Maier)
Mash pH 5.5.
That's what I'm thinking.