Imperial Cream Stout

[Dymnas]

Hi guys,
I've got my starter going and my grains are purchased, milled and mixed so I can't really change a whole lot on my recipe here but I wanted to hear some feedback on my first attempt at coming up with my own recipe.

5 gal batch size

6 lbs Gold LME
2 lbs Marris Otter
1 lbs Malted Oats
.75 lb Black Patent
.75 lb Chocolate Malt
.75 lb Crystal 60L
.75 lb Flaked Barley
1 lb Lactose

.50 oz UK Goldings FWH
.50 oz Magnum, 60min
.25 oz UK Goldings, 30min

Wyeast 3711 French Saison, 3L starter

I'm aiming for an OG of 1.080, the color on Beersmith came out to about 45, and reading some recipes on here I'm not sure about the Black Patent amount, but nothing I can do now, so no use fretting.

What about the hops? Beersmith said 35 IBU. Is that going to be enough to counter the heavy use of roasted malts? I want this beer to be heavy, rich, malty, smooth and creamy, but have a good amount of complexity and a few high notes tossed in. I have an ounce each of the hops, should I use them? I don't want it to be terribly hoppy or bitter. I'm expecting the 3711 to bring some wicked attenuation so I'm hoping 1 lb lactose is enough to keep it sweet-ish.

Finally, since this is my second partial mash, if I steep in a grain bag at 154 for 45 minutes to an hour, that flaked barley will get converted, yea? Last question.. If I have a 3L starter, and I don't cold crash, and toss in the starter at high krausen, should I remove 3L of water from my pre-pitch wort volume?

Cheers.

 

[devilishprune]

So if you don't want this to taste like a saison, then I would suggest changing your yeast out ASAP. That yeast has good attenuation, but it is also going to make it taste like a Belgian beer (for better of for worse) by contributing various phenolic compounds as well as some esters that you aren't going to get in the same amounts if you had used a well attenuating cleaner yeast like 1056.

For a stout, I always expect some roasted barley. Black malt just doesn't give you the same flavor. As you said, no worrying about that now, and you can always tweak V 2.0.

Those IBUs should be fine, you don't have to use all your hops.

Yes, that mashing method is fine. Pour all the starter in at high krausen.