Questions on an Imperial Stout

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biggben

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Location
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Ok so this is a recipe that i have been toying with and i wanted some input from you guys on it. does the grainbill look ok and do you think that there is enough base malt in it to make it not to thick? also wondering if thats enough rosted barley and black patent. oh and can i add more chocolate or not





Batch size 5.5 gallons
Boil size 6.7 gallons
Boil time 60 minutes
Grain weight 17.4 pounds
Efficiency 75%
Original gravity 1.085
Final gravity 1.017
Alcohol (by volume) 8.9%
Bitterness (IBU) 35
Color (SRM) 44.7°L
Yeast
17 dry grams
Dry
Danstar Nottingham Ale

Grains/Extracts/Sugars
17.4 pounds
2 Row Base
37ppg, 1.5°L 10 pounds
57.5%
Oats (Flaked)
32ppg, 2°L 1.5 pounds
8.6%
Chocolate
29ppg, 350°L 1 pound
5.7%
Barley (Flaked)
32ppg, 2°L 1 pound
5.7%
Crystal 80L
34ppg, 80°L 1 pound
5.7%
Munich (Light)
34ppg, 10°L 1 pound
5.7%
Liquid Molasses
36ppg, 80°L 0.9 pounds
5.2%
CaraPils
33ppg, 1.5°L 0.5 pounds
2.9%
Black Patent
27ppg, 500°L 0.25 pounds
1.4%
Barley (Roasted)
28ppg, 500°L 0.25 pounds
1.4%

Hops
4 ounces
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Whole 2.5 ounces
Fuggles hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Pellet 0.5 ounces

Additions
5 ounces
Cocoa
Flavor 4 ounces
Licorice
Flavor 1 ounce

Mash
60 minutes, 8.8 gallons
Strike
Target 153°F 5.2 gallons
167°F
60 minutes (+0)
Sparge 3.6 gallons
185°F

Boil
60 minutes, 6.7 gallons
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Whole 1.5 ounces
60 minutes (+0)
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Whole 1 ounce
45 minutes (+15)
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Pellet 0.5 ounces
30 minutes (+30)
Fuggles hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
15 minutes (+45)
Licorice
Flavor 1 ounce
10 minutes (+50)

Ferment
78 days @ 57-70°F
Rack to secondary 64 days (+14)
Cocoa nibs
Flavor 4 ounces
21 days (+71)
 
Not enough roast barley/black... I'd also dial down the oats... Seems like a ton. Also consider simplifying the grain bill a bit, you can probably use a little more chocolate if you wanted, peep stone's IRS
 
Depending on the flavor you want, I'd go at least 1.5 pounds total of whatever combo you want, you got a big beer, and normally you want the roastiness/burnt coffee flavor to come through all that alcohol. That plus chocolate, plus some crystal will probably get you a good start. Make sure you got enough hops to balance out things, I'd go for about 50-70 ibu's or so, just do the more earthy/spicy hops.., your choices look appropriate, consider bittering with higher alpha hops like chinook or NB
 
How you want to alter the grainbill depends upon what you want it to taste like. Do you like your RISs on the roasty side (think Rasputin) or on the sweet, stewed dark fruit side (think BORIS), or somewhere in the middle? Do you want an "easy drinking" RIS, or do you want it to pour like motor oil? If you can't put to words what you want out of this, what kinds of commercial examples do you like?
 
So i made some revisions to the recipe and tell me how it looks now not sure if i will need 2 yeast packs or not program im using says that i should use one, sounds off


Batch size 5.5 gallons
Boil size 7.1 gallons
Boil time 90 minutes
Grain weight 21 pounds
Efficiency 75%
Original gravity 1.102
Final gravity 1.020
Alcohol (by volume) 10.7%
Bitterness (IBU) 57
Color (SRM) 60.6°L
Yeast
20 dry grams
Dry
Danstar Nottingham Ale

Grains/Extracts/Sugars
21 pounds
2 Row Base
37ppg, 1.5°L 13 pounds
61.9%
Chocolate
29ppg, 350°L 1.5 pounds
7.1%
Oats (Flaked)
32ppg, 2°L 1 pound
4.8%
Liquid Molasses
36ppg, 80°L 1 pound
4.8%
Barley (Flaked)
32ppg, 2°L 1 pound
4.8%
Crystal 80L
34ppg, 80°L 1 pound
4.8%
Munich (Light)
34ppg, 10°L 1 pound
4.8%
CaraPils
33ppg, 1.5°L 0.5 pounds
2.4%
Black Patent
27ppg, 500°L 0.5 pounds
2.4%
Barley (Roasted)
28ppg, 500°L 0.5 pounds
2.4%

Hops
6 ounces
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Whole 2 ounces
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
Northern Brewer hops
9%, Pellet 1 ounce
Willamette hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
Fuggles hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce

Additions
5.25 ounces
Cocoa nibs
Flavor 4 ounces
Licorice
Flavor 1 ounce
Vanilla bean
Flavor 0.25 ounces

Mash
60 minutes, 9.5 gallons
Strike
Target 153°F 6.2 gallons
167°F
60 minutes (+0)
Sparge 3.3 gallons
185°F

Boil
90 minutes, 7.1 gallons
Northern Brewer hops
9%, Pellet 1 ounce
90 minutes (+0)
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Whole 2 ounces
60 minutes (+30)
Willamette hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
45 minutes (+45)
Goldings (Kent) hops
5%, Pellet 1 ounce
30 minutes (+60)
Fuggles hops
5%, Pellet 0.5 ounces
15 minutes (+75)
Licorice
Flavor 1 ounce
10 minutes (+80)
Fuggles hops
5%, Pellet 0.5 ounces
5 minutes (+85)

Ferment
78 days @ 57-70°F
Rack to secondary 64 days (+14)
Cocoa nibs
Flavor 4 ounces
14 days (+64)
Vanilla bean
Flavor 0.25 ounces
14 days (+64)
 
Deschutes doesn't distribute to my area, sadly, so I've never had Abyss. Good luck with the brew, anyway. The hop levels are definitely on the low side for an RIS. If this is something you plan to age, I might want to up them a bit, as the bitterness will lessen over time.
 
I have read somewhere that a lot of specialty grains makes the fg higher and it wont ferment as easy is that true? If so will this beer be ok and if not what can i do to change that from happening while still making it dark and rich
 
Roasted grains don't really add anything fermentable, and darker crystal malts are only around 50% fermentable, so this is partly true. You also have a high OG, both flaked oats and barley (2 pounds total), and you're mashing at a fairly medium temperature. With 12% roasted grain, and all the above stuff, you're going to have a dark, rich beer, just like you want. Yes, you'll have a high FG, but that's a big part of what will make this rich. Lower the FG, lower the richness - you have to decide what you want. In any case, don't expect a recipe like this to hit its stride until at least 6 months from brewday.

I'm not trying to be snarky (and incidentally, I think the recipe is fine), but I want you to have realistic expectations about what you're going to get.
 
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