Russian In-sights Stout

[A7teck]

I'm looking to make a Russian Imperial Stout for the winter months of 2010. I know this beer is going to be BIG and needs some additional aging. My questions are 1) how long is recommended for leaving this in the fermentor 2) should it be racked to secondary 3) how long for bottle conditioning. My initial feeling is 3 months (one in the fermentor, two in the bottles) and I'd like to have it ready for Christmas.

*Also- I have a 6.5 gallon fermentor. Will I need to scaled down because most of the batches I've seen are 10g?*


Thanks,
Rob

 

[MVKTR2]

Many here will tell you, time is your friend. Well that's especially TRUE for this style. It simply takes time for all those malts to meld together into a cohesive tasting experience. Your 3-month comment is appropriate, but more along the lines of: 1-month in primary, 2 months in secondary, & 3 more months in the bottle. Essentially a RIS needs 6 months or so before it starts to shine. I say all of this having just completed my first RIS which has very much followed my above comments, though others with more experience will have more possibly better info. Good luck, be patient, brew it now!

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[A7teck]

Looks like I may have to make the brew date on that a bit earlier! Thanks Phil!