Imperial Stout

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eanmcnulty

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I'm going to brew this recipe. I want it to have a creamy richness. Can anyone help determine if there is anything I should add to get that?

Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.90 gal
Estimated OG: 1.100 SG
Estimated Color: 36.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 80.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

11.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 91.67 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.08 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.08 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.08 %
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.08 %
1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 59.2 IBU
0.75 oz Centennial [9.90 %] (20 min) Hops 19.1 IBU
0.25 oz Centennial [9.90 %] (5 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale US-05 (DCL Fermentis #Yeast-Ale
 
it's definately gonna be a big beer. i'm a rookie, but maybe some malto-dextrin or oatmeal, not so much to turn it into an oatmeal stout. i might have to try this recipe, sounds good. stouts are definately my favorite.

i haven't used safale s-05. will it handle that high alcohol content, i ran the numbers, you're gonna be just over 10%
 
Thanks for the help!
I am going to add a some oats. I usually only use half a pack of the US-05 in my 2.5g batches, or a whole smack-pack if I'm using Wyeast. I will probably use a whole pack of the 05 in this beer.
 
Use .25 lb of flaked barley for more body. Make sure you mash at like 149 for 90 mins at least if not 120 minutes to make sure you don't miss your gravity. If your conversion is incomplete it may not be as big (or efficient) as you're aiming for. Plus it will throw your IBUs through the roof if your gravity is much lower than expected. Speaking from experience here...
 
1Mainebrew said:
Use .25 lb of flaked barley for more body. Make sure you mash at like 149 for 90 mins at least if not 120 minutes to make sure you don't miss your gravity. If your conversion is incomplete it may not be as big (or efficient) as you're aiming for. Plus it will throw your IBUs through the roof if your gravity is much lower than expected. Speaking from experience here...

Okay, I have used flaked barley before, but why do I need to mash for so long? Is it the flaked barley that needs it? And why mash so low? I thought 154 might be better. I appreciate your help.
 
You need to mash low for fermentability on a beer that big to make it a little easier on your yeast, and a 1.100 beer at 154 will feel like syrup even without the oats or flaked barley in your mash. Your FG would likely be >1.030 if you mash at 154. You mash longer to complete your conversion. At a lower temperature the enzymes just take longer to finish conversion.

The other option is to mash at like 152 and leave out the oats/FB.

Also, make sure you pitch according to mrmalty.com for a healthy amount of yeast on that big a beer.
 
I see. So if I mash at 149, I need to mash a little longer because it won't convert as quickly as at 154.
I will adjust the mash.
I have flaked barley already. Does it matter whether I use that or oats? How different will the flavor change be?
And, with my small batch, .25oz is enough? Do I want to adjust any of the other grains due to adding the flaked barley?
I am going to brew this in early April. I want to leave it in primary for a month or so, then move it to secondary for another month or so before I bottle it. Not planning on drinking it until December.
 
That's a lot of roasted grains for a 3 gal beer! Beware of the burnt taste monster with that much roasted...let this one age a long time both in bulk in 2ndary and in the bottle. BTW, add more yeast when you bottle to properly carbonate. 6 month old, tired out yeast can have a heck of a time carbonating a beer this big.

Now to the task at hand... The flaked barley will add body but not too much flavor and will not negatively impact head retention. Oats will add some sweetness and oily slipperiness/ slickness (depending on the percentage used) and will add definite body but will impact head retention because of their high lipid content. Go with .25 lbs or so of either in a beer of that magnitude and the next time you make it, you can increase or decrease %s depending on your preference.
 
Sorry, and by long time in secondary I mean like 4 months as long as it's a carboy. Then another 3-4 months in bottle if you can help it.

I would only say to add more base malt- calculate this like you will get 60% or less efficiency because of less sparge water to reach your boil volumes too.

Keep us posted on your brew day snd results.
 
Sorry, and by long time in secondary I mean like 4 months as long as it's a carboy. Then another 3-4 months in bottle if you can help it.

I would only say to add more base malt- calculate this like you will get 60% or less efficiency because of less sparge water to reach your boil volumes too.

Keep us posted on your brew day snd results.

Mainebrew, you have been so helpful. I really appreciate it. Here is my recipe so far. How much more base malt would you add? I am planning on brewing this next Friday.

Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.90 gal
Estimated OG: 1.101 SG
Estimated Color: 32.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 79.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 90.91 %
0.25 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 2.07 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.07 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.07 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.07 %
0.10 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 0.83 %
1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 58.8 IBU
0.75 oz Centennial [9.90 %] (20 min) Hops 19.0 IBU
0.25 oz Centennial [9.90 %] (5 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale US-05 (DCL Fermentis #Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: EMBc L- Body, Batch Sparge - RIS
Total Grain Weight: 12.10 lb
----------------------------
EMBc L- Body, Batch Sparge - RIS
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Mash In Add 12.34 qt of water at 163.9 F 150.0 F
 
BTW, add more yeast when you bottle to properly carbonate. 6 month old, tired out yeast can have a heck of a time carbonating a beer this big.

I checked it on Mr. Malty. Said I just need one pack of Safale US-05 (dry).
I guess a month/6weeks in primary, then rack it to the secondary for 3 months, then bottle in September to try the first one on Christmas Eve?
When I bottle it, how much yeast should I add? Should I make a starter and mix it into the bottling bucket? I have never added yeast at bottling time. If I make a starter, would it be better to use some Wyeast 1056, or does it not matter whether it is dry or liquid. I only ask, because I have read it is better to not make a starter with dry yeast.
 
Ok so if you assume your efficiency will drop to 55%, you should have 15 lb of base malt and keep the rest the same.

You only need to add like 1/4 of a packet of dry yeast at bottling and just mix it up really well and then bottle as usual. Hope this helps. No starter, just pour in a little from the packet to your beer at bottling. Liquid yeast is a waste of money at that point, your flavor profile is set, you just need it to carbonate your beer.
 
You don't need to mash for more than an hour. I'll guess you are using fully modified malts for this base malts of this beer. (You have to go out of your way to find unde-rmodified malts).
2% flaked barley should be adequate for you.
 
While having fully modified malts definitely improves mash times for full conversion, biological law shows that enzymes will perform faster at higher temperatures and slower at lower temperatures. For example, when you exercise your temperature goes up and as this occurs, a cell's ability to break down ATP to energy also increases until the enzymes denaturing temperature is reached (which is another discussion altogether). This is just one oversimplified example of what temperature does to enzymatic potential and activity. While having fully modified malts does assist your conversion, so does your temperature.

As an experiment, try seeing how long it takes to complete conversion in a mash with a temp of 156 vs a mash with a temp of 149. The results will show you, and you will have a couple of beers for your troubles.

These are my rationales, and perhaps you have had different experiences, but when you take a few of the factors into account 1)the temperature, and 2) the volume of grain:water I think that you will find the alpha and beta amylases will take longer to convert because the enzymes are colder and they have more work to do in converting that much starch (because of the amount of grain). Also, since you are using more mash water and less sparge water, why not give yourself the additional peace of mind that you will get as much sugar as you can out of that grain?

Just one brewers observations so take my 2 cents for what they're worth. Thanks guys, best wishes brewing.
 
Ok so if you assume your efficiency will drop to 55%, you should have 15 lb of base malt and keep the rest the same.

You only need to add like 1/4 of a packet of dry yeast at bottling and just mix it up really well and then bottle as usual. Hope this helps. No starter, just pour in a little from the packet to your beer at bottling. Liquid yeast is a waste of money at that point, your flavor profile is set, you just need it to carbonate your beer.

15 lb! I have never had that low of efficiency. My MLT is only 5g. I'm not sure I will be able to fit it all. Maybe I can't make a beer this big with my setup. Why do you think my efficiency will be 55%? I may be in over my head!

Edit: I use Beer Smith. My efficiency was set at 70%. When I moved it to 60% I saw the difference in the O.G. (dropped to 1.86). Are you sure I should set it for 55%?
 
When you have that much grain, your strike water volume increases and your sparge water decreases to reach your preboil volume, decreasing your efficiency. Less sparging= less rinsing= lower efficiency. Again, just speaking from my experience.
 
Okay, sounds good. I will adjust it to what I think is a middle ground between what I had and what you think. I usually do a no-sparge brew for anything under 1.070, because it is easy and keeps my brew day short. At 2.5-3g batches, I am not much concerned with efficiency. I can see it being an issue when brewing larger amounts. I usually get 70% efficiency, so I will drop it to 60% and up the base malt to 13lbs.
Going to Florida for the week. Will most likely brew next Friday. I'm pumped to brew something this big. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for everybody's help.
 
Well, I brewed it. It was quite an experience. The grain and strike water just made it into my 5g MLT. When I put the lid on, some of it squished down the side. Awesome! I hit all the numbers, but my evaporation was more than I expected, so I added a water to the wort, and everything was fine. Thanks for everyone's help. I'll update you when I rack to secondary in May.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.90 gal
Estimated OG: 1.102 SG
Estimated Color: 36.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 79.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 91.23 %
0.25 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 1.75 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.75 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 1.75 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.75 %
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.75 %
1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 58.4 IBU
0.75 oz Centennial [9.90 %] (20 min) Hops 18.9 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale US-05 (DCL Fermentis #Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: EMBc L- Body, Batch Sparge - RIS
Total Grain Weight: 14.25 lb
----------------------------
EMBc L- Body, Batch Sparge - RIS
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Mash In Add 14.54 qt of water at 163.9 F 150.0 F
 
I racked the RIS to a secondary. Took a sip. Alcohol! Wow! I think it is going to be good, but the alcohol is pretty strong in the flavor. I hope it will mellow out. I am planning on bottling in August, and drinking around Christmas.
 
This RIS has been sitting quietly in its secondary fermenter since May 14. I brewed it on March 30. Time to bottle.
Please help. How do I do it? I want to start a conversation before I mess with the beer.
It is 3 gallons. I have not yet checked the final gravity. I used US-05 to ferment. I think I need to add more yeast at this point. I have never brewed this big before. I usually use Coopers drops for bottling sugar, but I can use corn sugar and Beer Smith to figure out the correct amount.
Thanks.
 
eanmcnulty said:
This RIS has been sitting quietly in its secondary fermenter since May 14. I brewed it on March 30. Time to bottle.
Please help. How do I do it? I want to start a conversation before I mess with the beer.
It is 3 gallons. I have not yet checked the final gravity. I used US-05 to ferment. I think I need to add more yeast at this point. I have never brewed this big before. I usually use Coopers drops for bottling sugar, but I can use corn sugar and Beer Smith to figure out the correct amount.
Thanks.

Bump! Can any one give advice? Thanks.
 
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