Looking for a newbie recipe

[Newsman]

Ok, last year I brewed 5 gallons of cider. Now I'd like to do something a little more difficult than just adding yeast to bottled cider.

My preference is for less bitter, darker beers with a lot of flavor and a high gravity. I found a recipe for a Russian Imperial Stout, which, having tasted a commercial RIS recently, tempted me. However, after reading that it's an all-grain recipe, I"m not sure I"m ready to jump in that deep yet.

I'm hoping someone can suggest something a little less complex, but just as interesting. I'm looking for something in the 5 gallon range, as that's as much as my primary can hold, hopefully without overflowing (I have a 6 gallon primary.)

 

[homebrewdad]

Ok, last year I brewed 5 gallons of cider. Now I'd like to do something a little more difficult than just adding yeast to bottled cider.

My preference is for less bitter, darker beers with a lot of flavor and a high gravity. I found a recipe for a Russian Imperial Stout, which, having tasted a commercial RIS recently, tempted me. However, after reading that it's an all-grain recipe, I"m not sure I"m ready to jump in that deep yet.

I'm hoping someone can suggest something a little less complex, but just as interesting. I'm looking for something in the 5 gallon range, as that's as much as my primary can hold, hopefully without overflowing (I have a 6 gallon primary.)

Maybe look at an extract kit - speciality grains from either your LHBS or an online dealer (I swear by Austin Homebrew, myself). Maybe try a nice English brown ale.

 

[Maddoghoek]

There's a number of extract kits you could try. Brewer's Best makes a RIS and it was pretty darn good when I made it.

 

[DoctorMemory]

My first non-kit brew was Histo320's "None More Black" Vanilla Stout. It turned out pretty well, although I will definitely add more vanilla next time (I put four tablespoons in the secondary and it faded away after about a month). Hmmm, speaking of which, I might have to brew that one again this weekend!

 

[Newsman]

My first non-kit brew was Histo320's "None More Black" Vanilla Stout. It turned out pretty well, although I will definitely add more vanilla next time (I put four tablespoons in the secondary and it faded away after about a month). Hmmm, speaking of which, I might have to brew that one again this weekend!

Thanks. That sounds a LOT like the Imperial Russian Stout I had... very vanilla aftertaste.

 

[BigSally]

I know this is oversimplifying but my first non kit AG was a smash(2 row and cascade)
Actually,pretty enjoyable.All the more so because I would look at it and think,I made this

 

[Newsman]

OK. I've decided to go with the Vanilla Stout. The LHBS didn't have *exact* ingredients. They had a White Labs Edinborough Ale Yeast instead of the Irish Ale Yeast, and didn't have the Cluster hops, so they substituted Nugget hops. I also decided to get a small bag of oak cubes. I thought that might add some nice flavor to the beer. Anyone think these changes will adversely affect the brew? I thought about adding some chocolate powder, but decided not to go TOO far off the res on this as it's only my second brew ever. Oh, and I'm going to use actual vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract. I ordered seven Premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla beans from Amazon. I plan to soak them for a few days in some cheap whiskey or burbon and put 'em in the secondary for a couple weeks after the primary is done.

 

[Newsman]

Does anyone know what fermenting with this yeast at mid-to-upper 70's is going to be like? Is that going to be a problem? The LHBS expert suggested NOT fermenting it in direct sunlight, so I'll probably cover it with a blanket and/or wet towels and put it in a closet.

 

[gmcastil]

Well, since the temperature inside the fermenter will be 5-10 degrees above ambient during the vigorous part of the fermentation, my guess is that you'll have a lot fusel alcohols. Probably taste boozy or super fruity from the ester profile the yeast produce that high. Temp control would be a wise thing to consider early on.

 

[Newsman]

Thanks. The instructions on the yeast are to have it above 70 degrees, at least until it starts fermenting. I plan on making a starter, but I'm thinking of getting a 5 CU Ft chest freezer from Sam's Club as I can't find a decent used fridge anywhere for that price.

 

[Newsman]

Re: the None More Black Vanilla Stout: I'm very new, so the instructions are a bit vague to me. Do I bring everything to 150 degrees, and then let it sit for 35 minutes, do I just bring the water to 150 degrees and let it sit with the barley and malt for 35 minutes, or do I boil everything and then let it sit for 35 minutes?

 

[Maddoghoek]

You're steeping grains, I assume? You want to get the water to 150, then steep the grains for 35 min. You may need to keep the heat on low for a few minutes when the bag hits the water, but after that the temp shouldn't drop too quick. You want to avoid getting above 170 or you risk extracting tannins from the grains. And when you remove the bag, just let it drip into the kettle. You run the same risk of getting tannins if you squeeze it.

Check the stickies at the top of the forum; there are some great guides to help you understand the process.

 

[Nlindsay105]

Re: the None More Black Vanilla Stout: I'm very new, so the instructions are a bit vague to me. Do I bring everything to 150 degrees, and then let it sit for 35 minutes, do I just bring the water to 150 degrees and let it sit with the barley and malt for 35 minutes, or do I boil everything and then let it sit for 35 minutes?

You'll bring the water to 150, then add the grains and malt, keeping it below 170 as Maddoghoe said. Once the bag goes in it's pretty easy to keep the temperature at a constant. Keep an eye on your thermometer and watch for boilovers. Enjoy!

 

[Newsman]

Thanks. I got a little quicker response from the local hombrew guys who told me to steep the grains, then remove them, then bring it to a boil, temporarily take it OFF the heat and add the malt, then bring it back to a boil, which is what I did. It did get a little hotter than I wanted, up to a bit over 160, but I don't think it ever got over 170 with the grains in there. Now once I took the grains out, it definitely did!
I didn't have time to wait for the wort to cool off, so I stuck it in my thermostatically-controlled freezer which has been set to about 65. I'll rack into the primary and add the yeast tonight. Hopefully it'll kick off pretty good and turn out OK. If not, I probably wasted some money... I have plenty of extras of everything except the liquid malt extract so I can always try again.

 

[gmcastil]

Thanks. I got a little quicker response from the local hombrew guys who told me to steep the grains, then remove them, then bring it to a boil, temporarily take it OFF the heat and add the malt, then bring it back to a boil, which is what I did. It did get a little hotter than I wanted, up to a bit over 160, but I don't think it ever got over 170 with the grains in there. Now once I took the grains out, it definitely did!
I didn't have time to wait for the wort to cool off, so I stuck it in my thermostatically-controlled freezer which has been set to about 65. I'll rack into the primary and add the yeast tonight. Hopefully it'll kick off pretty good and turn out OK. If not, I probably wasted some money... I have plenty of extras of everything except the liquid malt extract so I can always try again.

Most of your fermentable sugar is coming from the extract, so the fact that you steeped a bit on the hot side isn't going to really affect the finished product. If you were mashing your entire batch and you mashed at 170, you'd definitely have some problems. Your process looks pretty good to me.

 

[Newsman]

Update after a year... I made my version of this twice, the second time I bumped up the fermentables to make it a REAL Imperial, taking it to approximately 10% ABV, and added vanilla beans to the secondary. Submitted the last of it to a competition and got a 45 out of 50, but dangit, I didn't get a medal or anything, so I would have LOVED to taste what did!