Imperial Stout Dark Night of the Soul Russian Imperial Stout

[BigIrukandji]

Here's what I did for tweaking the recipe:

Brewed on: August 31st, 2013
Yeast: WLP090, then WLP099
Yeast Starter: HUGE – 3 vial stepped up 3 times to 1 gallon, then 3 gallon, then 6 gallon
Batch Size (Gallons): 15
My Original Gravity: 1.127 (missed the mark by 5 points)
Final Target Gravity: 1.020
Boiling Time (Minutes): 3 hours (I must have over sparged by 5 gallons by accident, ended up having to boil off for 3 additional hours, but amazing efficiency because of this)
Color: void of light
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1 week
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 4 weeks
Total Grain (Lbs): 91

Ended up with 18 gallons instead of 15 gallons because of the sparging mistake (oh wells :-D).


Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
75.00 lbs. Maris Otter
5 lbs. Roasted Rye France
4 lbs. Chocolate Malt Belgium
4 lbs. Crystal 150L Great Britain
3 lbs. Special B Malt Belgian

Hops
18.00 oz. Columbus Pellet 60 min.

I mashed at 145-150 for 90 minutes

So here’s the deal…I initially fermented with WLP090, then pitched another huge starter of WLP099 a week later. My primary is a 27 gallon conical, so blow off was not an issue. After about 3-4 weeks I drained out the conical into 3 x 6 gallon carboys to free it up for other beers. My conical sits in a room that is at a steady 64 degrees year round. Once I dumped into carboys, I let them sit for about a month in the same room at 64 degrees. About a month ago (2 month mark or so) I checked the gravity and it was at 1.049, so I put them into a different room that is around 70 degrees. They’ve been there ever since. I will be checking the gravity soon to see where it’s at. If it’s still a bit high, then I’ll probably dump all 3 back into the conical and repitch a huge starter of WLP099 again, but this time move the conical into the 70 degree room.

Long story short, once I get down to final gravity I will keep the batch separated into three carboys.
First carboy: Bourbon soaked oak chip infusion
Second carboy: Coffee bean infusion
Third carboy: Dry hop with at least a half a pound of hops

Once this finally all happens, I’ll post again to let you know the results. I’ll also post updates…maybe I’ll check the gravity this weekend if I make the time.

 

[eulipion2]

Resurrecting this one. I brewed this a long time ago, and I'm looking to do it again this coming fall (I like to plan ahead). I now have a kegging setup, so I'm wondering, bottle or keg? I will say this beer developed beautifully in the bottle over about two years. Will it develop similarly in a keg?

Kegging:
Pros - less hassle carbonating, no bottling!
Cons - less flavor development over time(?), ties up a keg for a while

Bottling:
Pros - better flavor development over time(?)
Cons - yeast may have difficult time carbonating

Thoughts?

 

[smokinghole]

Why not force carb then bottle? I do this with my big stouts. A beer gun was worth the price to me, big time.

Sent from my C771 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[eulipion2]

Why not force carb then bottle? I do this with my big stouts. A beer gun was worth the price to me, big time.

Also an option, but I'm wondering whether the beer will mature as well without the yeast as it did with the yeast in the bottle.

 

[TxBigHops]

Has anyone brewed both this and Kate the Great clone? KTG is aged on bourbon soaked oak. This has much higher IBUs. What would be some other differences? I want to start doing some 2.5 gallon batches of big beers and an RIS will be one of the first.

 

[BigIrukandji]

OK, I did finally get it down to 1.020. The bourbon soaked oak chip version of this is delicious! It did take about 10-12 months of sitting for this beer to smooth out a bit. I can't wait to see what it tastes like in another year or so. I just brewed this a second time, but lowered the gravity a bit so it'll "only" end up being 15% or so compared to the 17% that the last batch ended up being. Overall I am very pleased with how this turned out, but you won't like this beer if you aren't into huge beers.

 

[eulipion2]

Finally re-brewing this one (it's only been about six years) and doing it BIAB. Mash is THICK! It's like mashing cement!

 

[tomq04]

I'm going to do a 1 gallon BIAB batch of this Saturday 12/20/14, hoping to 2ndary it until next Thanksgiving or Christmas. Will have to decide if I want to add espresso or bourbon and oak.

 

[tomq04]

OGis roughly 1.09, a bit low.

I did mash at 152, which might account for part or most of the 10-20% decrease

 

[bigbeer]

Holy crap. Sorry for the necropost, but this looks to be pretty epic.

Unfortunately I am stuck doing Extract brews until I get out of my apartment and into a house which will be a year or two.

Lol what does this even mean? Where there's a will there's a way! I've brewed many 5 and 10 gallon batches AG in my 3 1/2 apartment! Including a 10 gallon with 32lbs of grain!

 

[GQT]

Is any of you guys who brewed and drank this potion still alive?
Hope you all are, because I have a question to you.

Here I started a thread asking for advice on an extra strong beer, and someone directed me to this post.

As I am in a different country and have to pick out of ingredients I can get access to, I will need to tweak the recipe some.
- No rye here, hence there might be a bit more roasted barley and/or Midnight Wheat Malt.
- Instead of Special B I intend to use a mix of Special W (Weyermann) and Extra Special Malt (Briess). Reason 1: Special B is not to be seen anywhere around; Reason 2: it would anyway be too sweety for the purpose.
- I might as well use half a pound of acidulated malt just to add some hint of sourness into the beer.
- Rather than Columbus, I think I will use Fuggle, 2 ounces, one at 60 and one at 15 mins.

Looking from the height of your experience, what would you say about it?
Thank you!

 

[Brewpastor]

I recently had a bottle of this. It was a batch from 2010. It sure was tasty.

 

[eulipion2]

Man, I was just thinking about this beer the other day. I haven't brewed it in a few years because I just can't (responsibly) get through it fast enough to keep kegs rotating. I think I still have a few bottles from last time, but I haven't opened one in years. Looks like it'll be a liquid lunch tomorrow!

 

[Brewpastor]

I have 12 bottles left. I try to forget them so they will last. I've promised my sons we will have one on their 21st birthdays. The oldest is almost 19, the younger just hit 17. So we will see if I can hold off that long.

Please let us know how yours tastes.

 

[eulipion2]

I have 12 bottles left. I try to forget them so they will last. I've promised my sons we will have one on their 21st birthdays. The oldest is almost 19, the younger just hit 17. So we will see if I can hold off that long.

Please let us know how yours tastes.

Will do, and welcome back!

 

[Brewpastor]

Thanks. Its nice to be back.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

thanks for reviving this post i was searching for a really good RIS recipe for 2018 christmas and this looks rocking good will be brewing it next month:rockin:

 

[BigIrukandji]

It would seriously be better for Christmas of 2019 or 2020. It's still a bit young at a year old. I've brewed this beer 3 times now. I'll let it sit in the carboy for 18 months, then add a full pound worth of cold pressed Starbucks Sumatra coffee to it, and a full pound of cocoa nibs...then keg 2-3 days later. It is BLISS.

I'm not saying it won't be good at 12 months, I'm just saying it hasn't hit it's prime at that age yet.

 

[grassfeeder]

would San Diego Super Yeast work well with this or does it need an english stain?

 

[BigIrukandji]

I use WLP 090, then after 1 week I add WLP 099.

I do big starters of both.

 

[GHBWNY]

No hijack intended, but I brewed a 5-gal Brewer's Best RIS kit last April. I had sworn off kits, but it was a gift, so naturally I brewed it. Pre-top off was 4.5 gal and for whatever reason, I decided not to top it off, let it ride and 6-7 weeks later bottled. To this day (even at a mere 9%) it is seriously the tastiest, chewiest imp. stout I have ever had (a couple of local craft brew offerings notwithstanding). I didn't really expect great things from it, nor can I say for sure that the extra 1/2 gal of "concentration" made the difference. Either way, I love seeing people's eyes light up and hearing the "Wow!" when they take that first sip!

 

[eulipion2]

Beer update: I have 6 bottles left from a 2014 (I think) batch that I bottled from a keg to make room for something else. Poured nearly flat into a brandy snifter.

Aroma: Huge, rich roast malt, figs; low vinous notes. Whiff of alcohol is light and perfumy.

Appearance: Black as night with a low ring of dark brown foam. Legs for miles!

Flavor: Roast, dark fruits, and a big hit of black licorice. Since I'm (apparently) one of the few people in the world who love the taste of black licorice, I'm pretty happy with that. No hops to speak of. Due to the hop degradation, acidity from the roast, and (positive, delicious) oxidation notes, there's a slightly cloying sensation in the finish, but it disappears after a few sips.

Mouthfeel: Chewy full body, but not terribly creamy. Low carbonation. Moderate alcohol warmth is smooth. No astringency.

Overall: I think I might have to kill these off this winter. I always end up aging at least a few bottles of this beer, and they never fail me! A nice solitary sipper, but could also pair nicely with roasted meats (lamb, venison, duck!) or maybe a fruity or creamy dessert. Chocolate could work, but the intensity of chocolate paired with the intensity of this beer would kill your palate quickly. Cherry cheesecake or creme brulee(!!!) would be awesome!

 

[Shenanigans]

Subscribed!
Can't believe I overlooked this one.
Hopefully there is also a few top "hidden" Barley wine recipes that I will still find on here.

 

[BigIrukandji]

Here is my somewhat highly modified version of this recipe.

ABV (%): 16+
Recipe Type: All Grain
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Yeast: WLP090 then WLP099 after 1 week
Yeast Starter: 2 vials into 1 gallon, then step up an additional 2 gallons (1.5 Trillion cells) (Do the same for both Yeast strains)
Batch Size (Gallons): 18
Pre-boil (Gallons): 25
Pre-boil Gravity: 1.100 (Brix 23.8)
Target Original Gravity: 1.132 (Brix 30.6)
Target Final Gravity: 1.020 (hard to hit, you'll usually reach around 1.025)
Target Refractometer Corrected Final Brix: *15.5 (1.063 SG)
Boiling Time: 2 hours
Primary Fermentation (Time & Temp): 2-3 weeks @ 62-64*
Secondary Fermentation (Time & Temp): 3-4 weeks @ 62-64*
Tertiary Fermentation (Time & Temp): Minimum 18 Months @ 62-64*

I use a 42 gallon conical for primary and secondary, and then 6 gallon carboys for the tertiary. You could use carboys for all 3, but it's just more work to transfer that many times.

Total Grain: 90.5 pounds + 4 pounds of Brown Sugar
Total Hops: 1 lb 2 oz Columbus
70 lbs Maris Otter
6 lbs Roasted Rye France (or substitute Chocolate Rye)
6 lbs Chocolate Malt Belgium
5 lbs Crystal 150L Great Britain (or substitute English Dark)
3.5 lbs Special B Malt Belgian
4 lbs Brown Sugar @ 10 mins
20 tsp Diammonium Phosphate Yeast Nutrient @ 10 mins
18oz Columbus @ 60 mins

Tertiary:
3lbs Starbucks Sumatra coffee (don't buy until you're ready to use)
3lbs cacao nibs (don't buy until you're ready to use)

Strike Water Temp: 160* (varies depending on grain temperature)
Initial Strike Water Volume: 28 Gallons
Total Mash Water Volume: 37 Gallons

Mash for 90 minutes @ 146* before beginning lautering – no change in mash out temperature

36 drops Fermcap-S after pitching (Optional to prevent blow off)
Pitch the WLP099 after the WLP090 stops activity (roughly 1 week)
9 tsp of yeast energizer 1 week after pitching WLP099 depending on gravity and activity (usually not needed)

About a 2-3 weeks after secondary, transfer to 3 carboys and put into dark cool corner of your basement and then forget about it for 18 months (occasionally check to see that there's sanitizer in the air locks since that will dry up over time).
2 weeks before kegging add 1 lb per carboy of cacao nibs
1-2 days before kegging, cold press 16oz of coffee per carboy and dump into carboy with beer (have Starbucks grind it for cold press, which is more coarsely ground)
(I've also tried bourbon soaked oak spirals. It's very good, but not as good as the coffee version). (I've also tried a dry hopped version, yeah...don't do that it isn't good). (I've also tried a "normal version", and that's good, but not as good as the bourbon or coffee version.)

If you do the bourbon soaked oak chips, I recommend two full spirals per carboy, and dump the bourbon in with the chips.
edit: Soak the spirals by completely submersing them in bourbon for 3-4 days. Try to find as small of a container as you can to fit the spirals and bourbon into. you may want to break your spirals in half to accomplish this.

Whether you do the bourbon or coffee method, the beer will lose that flavor over time. That's why it's important to age the beer in carboys before adding that flavor. So if you want the beer to be aged longer, age it in the carboys before adding either the bourbon oak spirals or the coffee.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Thank's my friend really nice tips you have shared here i'll consider this recipe better for my daugther's sweet sixteen in about 3 years than for 2018 christmas:rockin:

 

[stefan646]

Hello guys,
I intend to brew this recipe and age it as long as I can in champagne bottles. I'v see that some of you aged it for a couples of years, so my questions are: you aged it the classic way with a crown cap? What method should I go with, a simple 29mm crown cap will be enough or should I go with a synthetic cork and then a crown cap ? I would want to have some carbonation in it after a couple of years
Thank you !

 

[sfrisby]

I’ve always capped my big stouts, then wax dipped them to help ensure no leaks or oxygenation.

 

[eulipion2]

Hello guys,
I intend to brew this recipe and age it as long as I can in champagne bottles. I'v see that some of you aged it for a couples of years, so my questions are: you aged it the classic way with a crown cap? What method should I go with, a simple 29mm crown cap will be enough or should I go with a synthetic cork and then a crown cap ? I would want to have some carbonation in it after a couple of years
Thank you !

I have a few bottles that are about 4 years old that have held up very well with a crown cap, no cork, no wax. Well-aged character, a little vinous, big fig/raisin notes. I guess that's oxidation, but the good oxidation. It's nice.

 

[stefan646]

I have a few bottles that are about 4 years old that have held up very well with a crown cap, no cork, no wax. Well-aged character, a little vinous, big fig/raisin notes. I guess that's oxidation, but the good oxidation. It's nice.

After 4 years do you have any carbonation left? I don't mind a little (or more) oxidation as I will mind if I loose carbonation.

 

[TxBigHops]

After 4 years do you have any carbonation left? I don't mind a little (or more) oxidation as I will mind if I loose carbonation.

Are you going to bottle carb, or bottle from a keg?