Imperial Stout Russian Imperial Stout (2011 HBT Competition Category Winner)

[HuskerBrewer]

I'm just tasting my first glass of this after brewing it back at the beginning of November. I'm curious to see what others have experienced in the finish. I don't get much sweetness just a nice bitter toasty flavor, but I do get a pretty dry/astringent finish. My numbers were an OG of 1.084 and when I checked the gravity going from primary to secondary after 1 month I was at 1.018. I didn't take another gravity reading when putting it in the keg a week ago as I figured it would be pretty stable at that point. I know the 1.018 was quite a bit lower than the original recipe, but I didn't think much of it since my OG was a bit lower as well. Also, I mashed at 152 for 60 min and I'm pretty confident in my thermometer as it's been spot on every time I checked it in boiling water.

 

[bfinleyui]

Just plugging this into beersmith, and I'm having the same IBU troubles. My hops are a bit higher AA, but even if i put them in with the listed AA, I'm getting well over 115 IBU with a 6.25 boil volume down to 5.25...

Tried rager/kinseth, etc, and can't get anywhere close.

If I drop to 3oz of 8.9% challenger and 1oz of 7.3 Golding, i can get down to 90 IBU... Thoughts?

 

[Fordzilla]

I brewed this today. This is the biggest beer I have ever done. It was max capacity for my mash tun. I also missed my OG by a lot. I ended up at 1.082. Hopefully it will still turn our OK.

 

[bfinleyui]

Brewed this the other day, ended up dropping it to 3oz of challenger and 1oz of kent, to hit the IBUs mentioned in the original post.

Did very well with my efficiency. I added an extra 2 pounds of 2-row to compensate for usually low efficiency on big beers(meaning I expected 1.089 or so at 62%), ended up at 1.099. And still had about 4 gallons of 1.040 left for a Partigyle. Added 1.5lbs of DME to that, along with some lactose, will add chocolate later, for 5 gallons into the fermenter of chocolate milk stout.

 

[rraisedhaze]

I brewed this on Sunday with a few variations due to my fear of low efficiency and the Hops I had availalbe. (A couple extra lbs of 2-row due to low efficiency; Summit 17% AA, 8 oz for 20 gallons in place of challenger)

Here's my system - 25 gallon HLT, 25 gallon BK, and a 30 gallon MT:

Here's the boil for first and second runnings (~26 gallons total after boil):


Let me say this came out thick. I boiled for a total of 210 minutes on the RIS to bring up the SG from 1.080 that I started with by boiling the volume down, but I overshot by a ways to 1.115 on the RIS . I also got a healthy 1.070 on the parti-gyle by adding a lb of brown sugar to the boil. I picked up some English ale yeast from a local brewery on Saturday from a batch they had just moved to a bright tank. I had just under 3 gallons (collected in a carboy) so I pitched just under 2 liters of active yeast to each of the 6 batches.

Fermentation started strong 12 hrs later:

Then did this after 12 more hrs:

Ceiling shot:


It was a bit to clean up, but quite comical. I obviously had variations in the activity of the yeast pitched in each batch even though I tried to swirl it in the carboy and make it homogeneous before pitching.

Since I've got 4 of these RIS batches to play with, I'm thinking of doing vanilla in one, coffee in another, and brandy soaked oak in another while keeping one RIS batch untouched.

The Parti-gyle will be getting vanilla in one and nothing for the other.

Thanks for the recipe!

 

[Still_dreamin]

So my curiosity has been sparked at the notion of partiglying this recipe. I've never done it, and have a couple questions from what I've read. I see a lot of people are adding additional grains for their partigyles. Does this imply a second mash?

From my understanding and what I've read, the idea with a partiglye is to collect the first runnings, sparge to full pre-boil volume, and then sparge again to get a second running of a weaker wort for a second beer. Seems straightforward enough, but if one were to add grain before the second running, that additional grain would not have been mashed and therefore wouldn't contribute sugars to the second wort. This doesn't make sense to me and so i suspect I've misunderstood the process??

Are people adding additional grains and remashing to create their second batch? Or is the additional fresh grain added undergoing something more akin to steeping? Ie. Adding flavours more than sugars.

Any inghts would be greatly appreciated. I'm turning 30 in late March and think a Imp Stout/Partigyled Porter brew-day is the way to play out my 20s...

 

[bfinleyui]

Here's what I did:

1. Mash normally, I did 75 minutes
2. Drain the mash tun.
3. Batch sparge as usual to get to your target boil volume
4. While the first boil is happening, warmed up water to about 175-80, like a super sparge.
5. "second mash"/" super sparge" that, about 4.5 gallons.
6. Drain that, take a Gravity measurement (thank you refractomer!!), and see where you're at.

I had 4.2 gallons of 1.040, but was aiming for a 1.050 OG on the second 5 gallon batch. Using beer smith, I calculated that to go there, I added a gallon of water and 1.5lbs of dme toward the end of the boil, top off to 5 gallons and voila.

Some people will do a mini mash to add more Gravity, some stick with dried extract. Some people will mix the first and second runnings to create two beers, one in the 1.075-1.080 range, and another down nearer 1.050-1.060, without having to add dme.

Some (mostly with iipa brews) will just brew up the partigyle straight and make a session beer that starts down around 1.035

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[Still_dreamin]

How long did you let your "second mash"/"super sparge" sit? Before draining I mean.

 

[bfinleyui]

Hmm. I think I let it sit about 45 minutes to an hour. Not entirely sure as I was tending to the boil on the first batch around that time, I think.

 

[rraisedhaze]

How long did you let your "second mash"/"super sparge" sit? Before draining I mean.

I didn't add any grains between the first and second runnings so I just kept sparging with 170 degree water and collected it in a separate kettle.

 

[Taranis]

So my curiosity has been sparked at the notion of partiglying this recipe. I've never done it, and have a couple questions from what I've read. I see a lot of people are adding additional grains for their partigyles. Does this imply a second mash?

From my understanding and what I've read, the idea with a partiglye is to collect the first runnings, sparge to full pre-boil volume, and then sparge again to get a second running of a weaker wort for a second beer. Seems straightforward enough, but if one were to add grain before the second running, that additional grain would not have been mashed and therefore wouldn't contribute sugars to the second wort. This doesn't make sense to me and so i suspect I've misunderstood the process??

Are people adding additional grains and remashing to create their second batch? Or is the additional fresh grain added undergoing something more akin to steeping? Ie. Adding flavours more than sugars.

Any inghts would be greatly appreciated. I'm turning 30 in late March and think a Imp Stout/Partigyled Porter brew-day is the way to play out my 20s...

I did a first runnings (2g) of this as a partigyle. The Second runnigns (3g) was made into an 'East India Porter'. - imagine a fairly strong hopped up, Burtonized porter w/ English hops.
Here is what I did. Adjusted the grain% to make the total 5g grain bill closer to the color of a brown ale.
1.) Mashed as normal, took first running's (2g) This matched the OG and grain bill of this RIS recipe exactly
2.) Added some midnight wheat to the mash as the second running's was going to be a little to pale for my porter.
3.) Added Sparge water to mash and let sit for another 20 mins.
4.) Took second runnings.

The RIS is still aging but the 'East India Porter' is long gone and was the best beer I've made to date!

 

[jeff62217]

Brewed this today, ended up with 5.75 gallons at 1.09. Smelled wonderful when mashing/boiling. A lot of roasty flavor.

First time partigyle-r here, I managed to get about 5 gallons with a post boil of 1.037... much lighter than the RIS, I'm just calling it my 'small brown beer'. Hopped with 1oz of citra at 45 and .35oz centennial at 15.

Also this was kind of a last minute decision for me, so I didn't have time to make a starter. Using two 11g packs of S04.

 

[Remmy]

Brewed a very similar recipe today. OG came in at 1.102 with 5.2 gallons. Pitched the slurry from my 2-liter starter of London Ale III.

Smelled great. It's going into my oak barrel in about a month and a half to two months.

 

[keelysnow]

Mar-
Any suggestion on getting a beer from the "second runnings" of this grist? (not sure if I am using the right terminology here). It is a ton of grain and if we can pull off another batch of wort after the RIS is lautered, I would like to do so. Any suggestions on how to, or even if we can do this?
Thanks.

Why yes! You can. You may have to change a few things around. Your first mash out can be one big beer, your sparge run offs can be another weaker beer. You can see where there would be adjusting for sizes of the batches but that is how you can create 2 beers with one huge grain bill. I don't think it can be done if you mash out and sparge into the same vessels, almost all the sugars from the grain would be gone by then.


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[keelysnow]

Mar-
Any suggestion on getting a beer from the "second runnings" of this grist? (not sure if I am using the right terminology here). It is a ton of grain and if we can pull off another batch of wort after the RIS is lautered, I would like to do so. Any suggestions on how to, or even if we can do this?
Thanks.

Why yes! You can. You may have to change a few things around. Your first mash out can be one big beer, your sparge run offs can be another weaker beer. You can see where there would be adjusting for sizes of the batches but that is how you can create 2 beers with one huge grain bill. I don't think it can be done if you mash out and sparge into the same vessels, almost all the sugars from the grain would be gone by then.


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[plankbr]

I brewed this last night and it's the biggest beer I've made to date. I re-adjusted my mill for this one and got a stuck mash/sparge that I was battling with for the drain and realized I had collected 8.5 gallons of wort as opposed to my 7.5 I normally collect. I used Magnum and Golding hops:
2 oz Magnum FWH
2 oz Magnum @ 60
2 oz Golding @ 30

I hit 1.083, so I guess it's not that bad overall. I'm am soaking French Oak Chips in the rest of my Dead Guy Whiskey and will add them months from now to achieve what I believe will be a bourbon barrel RIS. Brew on! Wort tasted great!

 

[zhubbell]

Is this a 90 min boil or 60? Sorry if that's a dumb question....


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[Remmy]

60

 

[Almfamily]

Just finished reading all 32 pages and I am really looking forward to giving this one a shot to break in my new system..

 

[finsfan]

Wobrien sent me one of his homebrews from this recipe and I had to give this a try. Will be brewing it up tomorrow after work but using 1098 instead. Im adding 3 oz med toast oak beans and 2 spilt/cut vanilla beans soaked in jameson into secondary per Wobrien's version.

 

[wobrien]

Wobrien sent me one of his homebrews from this recipe and I had to give this a try. Will be brewing it up tomorrow after work but using 1098 instead. Im adding 3 oz med toast oak beans and 2 spilt/cut vanilla beans soaked in jameson into secondary per Wobrien's version.

To answer your question, I mashed at 151* and it dropped to 150* over the 60 min mash.

 

[finsfan]

To answer your question, I mashed at 151* and it dropped to 150* over the 60 min mash.

Awesome, thanks man! I am interested to see how oak beans taste compared to oak chips. The beans are typically used more for wine, but should work perfect for this as well. Who knows, maybe I wont even be able to tell a difference.

 

[wobrien]

Awesome, thanks man! I am interested to see how oak beans taste compared to oak chips. The beans are typically used more for wine, but should work perfect for this as well. Who knows, maybe I wont even be able to tell a difference.

Ha! I thought oak beans was a typo, never heard of them.

 

[finsfan]

Ha! I thought oak beans was a typo, never heard of them.

Nope haha they arent actually beans, just oak cubes really. Heres a link to the ones I got.

http://www.grapeandgranary.com/oakbeans.html

 

[Remmy]

To answer your question, I mashed at 151* and it dropped to 150* over the 60 min mash.

Pretty sure I'll have to send you some RIS once it goes in and out of my oak barrel. :rockin:

 

[wobrien]

Pretty sure I'll have to send you some RIS once it goes in and out of my oak barrel. :rockin:

Sweet! Maybe some of mine will make its way north

 

[finsfan]

Had a rough brewday last night. Ended up having to add DME during the boil to get close to my numbers. Ended up low still but have 6 gallons now instead of five. Fermentation has taken off already after a little over twelve hours. I hope it turns out at least comparable to Bills.

 

[tripplehazzard]

Lol.. funny. This is the ris I just added oak and bourbon to. im sure yours will be just fine buddy

 

[Still_dreamin]

Brewed this last week and came away with surprisingly low gravity... which i recall reading other brewers experienced with this one? OG was temperature corrected to just 1.065, so i bumped it up with roughly a pound of buckwheat honey which brought it to 1.074. respectable for an RIS, but definitely not the 1.1+ prescribed by the recipe.

I'm putting this down to one or perhaps both of two things: first, this was a thinner mash than i'm used to. i went the full 1.5qrt to pounds of grain and so mashed in ~28qrts. Next time i would stick to my usual 1.25qrts to a pound. second, my mash temperature was slightly low? i forgot to preheat my tun and so lost a few more degrees than i had anticipated. Water was preheated to 176F but by the time it & the grain were all in the tun it had dropped down to under 149F, and i was shooting at 155F. Oh well. It still smells incredible and I'm sure will turn out delicious... just thought I'd report back. Anybody have any other theories? Generally my efficiencies are pretty good.

Also, successfully partigyled this and drew off a nice session porter. thinking i'll add some espresso to it? nice breakfast porter? Should be good.

 

[Jupapabear]

I picked up the bill for this RIS at my LHBS today. With out going through 33 pages, would anyone be able to tell me of any changes or info on this particular brew? I appreciate the help.