Imperial stout malt bill - what do you think?
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It would help to know what OG/FG you're shooting for -
10% Roasted malt isn't too much if you have some sweetness to balance it...something that crystal malts do well (not so much carapils). With the addition of the corn you are going to have less of a malt flavor contribution and that might accentuate the roastiness as well.
I would recommend adding 2-4% of a medium crystal malt to the bill, and remove the corn. Or if you really want the maize in there, I would probably lower the total percentage of the chocolate/roasted barley
10% Roasted malt isn't too much if you have some sweetness to balance it...something that crystal malts do well (not so much carapils). With the addition of the corn you are going to have less of a malt flavor contribution and that might accentuate the roastiness as well.
I would recommend adding 2-4% of a medium crystal malt to the bill, and remove the corn. Or if you really want the maize in there, I would probably lower the total percentage of the chocolate/roasted barley
I'm looking for a OG/FG of around 1.095 / 1.020. I want it to have a really creamy mouthfeel. I can ditch the corn and substitute it with a bit more roasted barley? Also substitute carapils with cara munich, is that ok?
carapils and caramunich are very different things. Cara is just a brand of malt, so don't let it fool you.
carapils will increase head retention and mouthfeel, while caramunich will add light toasty/bready/biscuit flavors.
I would ditch the corn as I'm not sure what that brings to the table in a beer like this.
I also think you might do well adding a little lactose if you want a really creamy mouthfeel, but it will also add significant sweetness to your beer. The roasted barley should balance it out though.
What yeast are you planning to use? different yeasts will do very different things with that grain bill too.
carapils will increase head retention and mouthfeel, while caramunich will add light toasty/bready/biscuit flavors.
I would ditch the corn as I'm not sure what that brings to the table in a beer like this.
I also think you might do well adding a little lactose if you want a really creamy mouthfeel, but it will also add significant sweetness to your beer. The roasted barley should balance it out though.
What yeast are you planning to use? different yeasts will do very different things with that grain bill too.
If you want a creamy mouthfeel definitely substitute caramunich for the corn. I would also mash very hot and shoot for an FG closer to 1.030-1.035. With so much roast, you will get a nice balance full of rich chocolate and coffee flavors that will (literally) stick around on your palate.
2pks of US-05
Would this bill be more apropiate?
7.5kg Pale Malt
350g CaraPils
300g Carafa
300g Chocolate
450g Roasted Barley
500g Rye Flakes
250g Flaked Oats
It looks good, I don't think you needed to increase the roasted barley though, sorry if I implied that. I would keep it back down at 300-350 and increase the oats to 350 as well. Just be careful about stuck sparges with oats. You will probably want to add some rice hulls just to be safe.
That's what I actually did. And subsituted CaraPils with CaraMunich
7.5kg Pale Malt
300g CaraMunich
300g Carafa
300g Chocolate
350g Roasted Barley
500g Rye Flakes
300g Flaked Oats
Yeah, I'm afarid about the stuck sparge. I can't find rice hulls here in Romania for sale so I will probably do a adapted BIAB system. Would you say it's ok?
There is zero risk of a stuck sparge with BIAB, so yes I think you'll be just fine doing that.
After many hours this is my final recipe. Do you think it's enough dark malt for a nice chocolate/coffee taste and aroma? My predicted OG will be 1.100. Also looking for that creamy/viscous mouthfeel.
6.5kg Pale Malt
300g CaraMunich
250g Carafa
300g Chocolate
400g Roasted Barley
450g Flaked Oats
6.5kg Pale Malt
300g CaraMunich
250g Carafa
300g Chocolate
400g Roasted Barley
450g Flaked Oats
14 lb pale
.6 lb munich
.5 lb carafa
.6 lb chocolate
.9 lb roasted barley
1 lb oats
Just had to translate it to lbs since that's what I'm used to working in. I think that looks pretty good. It will definitely be very roasty and bitter from the amount of roasted malts you have. They are bordering on too much, but if you want the strong roast flavor, then I think you're fine especially with the huge OG.
Another question, how big is your mash tun? You're going to need a lot of space, and you'll probably not be able to do a full volume mash with that large of a grain bill
.6 lb munich
.5 lb carafa
.6 lb chocolate
.9 lb roasted barley
1 lb oats
Just had to translate it to lbs since that's what I'm used to working in. I think that looks pretty good. It will definitely be very roasty and bitter from the amount of roasted malts you have. They are bordering on too much, but if you want the strong roast flavor, then I think you're fine especially with the huge OG.
Another question, how big is your mash tun? You're going to need a lot of space, and you'll probably not be able to do a full volume mash with that large of a grain bill
agreed. ~1kg of roasted malts isnt necessary to make something "stout" black. Id scale the roasted barely back by half or take out the carafa. Either way, itll be an imperial stout, but it may be a bit acrid at those levels
Yeah, the mash tun is a bit of a problem, I have a 7 gallon one. But It's my 2nd IS, the first one was also a big one and although I had some problems the OG and FG were almost spot on.
Acutally I don't want a strong roast flavor i'd like a 50/50 roast(coffee) and chocolate.
Something you might consider then is doing 2 separate mashes, each with half the grain bill, and then combine them in the brew kettle for the boil. I have a 10 gallon mash tun and a 7.7kg grain bill is my absolute maximum.
I agree with m00ps if you want a balanced stout. I would cut your roasted barley in half and leave the chocolate and carafa. Roasted malts are easy to over-do, so it's better to undershoot than overshoot IMO.
In this case I will use .5 roasted barley. Should I add the 0.4 that i've cut from roasted barley to the oats and use 1.4 of those?
it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I've used up to 11% oats in my stouts with good results.
What about Special B? Ever tried it in a IS? I would like some really light plum notes.
I've never used special B, but you can also get some light plum notes just from aging a big beer like this.
Special B is great. I use it in dubbels prominently and a bit in baltic porters for a hint of raisin/toffee. Just dont go hog wild with it, it can be pretty potent
