Imperial Stout Ten Fidy Clone

[ThirstyPawsHB]

My keezer build is taking longer than anticipated (I live overseas and entering local public holiday, Tet) so my brew is still sitting in primary. I was thirsty so decided to take a sample a couple night ago and it tastes surprisingly good for as young as it is (brewed 12/18/19). I think I need to transfer to secondary though just to get it off the yeast cake until a keg opens up.

This one is shaping up to be one of my better attempts at ten Fidy. My advice, in addition to what others have already said... Make sure you've brewed a few similar beers in terms of high gravity with lots of dark grains to get your efficiency right. I came close to hitting my expected numbers but only because I knew what to expect from experience. My last couple of attempts were always off and the taste reflected this. I'll continue to share updates.

Good job brother! Feels good to brew those big beers the 1st time. I'm still nervous for weeks. This last 10-fidy was a wreck! Different equipment and technique. WAY low efficiency and finished ultra high. Ended up adding 2lbs Dark DME, re-oxygenated the already half fermented beer. After 2 more weeks, FG dropped like a rock. Ended up at 10.6%...calculated. Added 1 4oz liquid Chocolate Extract at kegging. 2 months later, pretty darn good! Knowing how to save beers is such a key to brewing.

 

[isomerization]

Anyone recommend a target CO2 volume for this beer to shoot for when bottling?

 

[Tyler B]

I am in the process of switching to kegs partially because I have trouble getting consistent results when bottling. So, take my advice for what it's worth, but I'd shoot for 2.2 if I was bottling this one.

One of my keg/faucet beer lines will be dedicated to serving big beers like this and that's the number I'm using for balancing that one.

 

[isomerization]

I am in the process of switching to kegs partially because I have trouble getting consistent results when bottling. So, take my advice for what it's worth, but I'd shoot for 2.2 if I was bottling this one.

One of my keg/faucet beer lines will be dedicated to serving big beers like this and that's the number I'm using for balancing that one.

I’d guess your troubles arise when the yeast quits in primary from abv. Pretty hard to carbonate in that environment. Ever try adding CBC-1 or something similar at bottling? Very helpful.

I keg most beers, but don’t have space for this one, so bottling it is!

 

[Tyler B]

I've never used that, maybe I'll give it a try.

Sometimes the yeast seems to SLOWLY go to work on the priming sugar and over time (after months) I end up with over carbonated bottles. Other times, the beers seems to go flat after initially being carbed properly. Then, just to give me hope, sometimes it seems to be perfect. Because of the inconsistencies, I usually just shoot for the recommended volumes of CO2 and hope for the best.

 

[isomerization]

Bottled my latest attempt last night, only 9.8%, but finished at 1.028, so hopefully the difference is negligible. Targeted 2.2 vol CO2, so we’ll see how that plays out. Added 5 g of rehydrates CBC-1 as well.

Tried a dosing experiment with 4 Roses Bourbon that had been aging with medium American oak cubes for the last 6-8 months. Added either 2.5, 5 or 10 mL to three bottles each. Will give it 3 weeks before trying all four “variants”.

 

[Tyler B]

I like the idea of that experiment. I've been waiting til I really dial in a good RIS that I'm happy with before I start experimenting with barrel/whiskey flavors.

Also, in my experience, the longer I let these big ones go, generally the happier I am. I'd even go so far as to say that I'm usually a little disappointed after the first bottle or so if they're around one month old. By three months they usually start tasting nice and at about six months they really hit their stride. I always wish I saved more when that time comes. I'm trying to have more self control with the last batch I brewed.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

When it comes to kegs, I will use the kegs to carb-up then use a beer gun to bottle if the keg is needed later on. I cold crash beers pre kegging so I kinda thought there wouldn't be much yeast in suspension for the added sugar.

 

[isomerization]

When it comes to kegs, I will use the kegs to carb-up then use a beer gun to bottle if the keg is needed later on. I cold crash beers pre kegging so I kinda thought there wouldn't be much yeast in suspension for the added sugar.

I normally keg all my clean beers as well, just didn’t have space for this one. Cold crashing will never remove all the yeast, may take more than a month to carb up with a beer this big, though. That’s what the CBC-1 is for though.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I normally keg all my clean beers as well, just didn’t have space for this one. Cold crashing will never remove all the yeast, may take more than a month to carb up with a beer this big, though. That’s what the CBC-1 is for though.

Ah gotcha. Do you mix/stir it in? That was also bothering me to do in the primary

 

[isomerization]

Ah gotcha. Do you mix/stir it in? That was also bothering me to do in the primary

I rack to a bottling bucket, check volume and then gently stir in appropriate amount of boiled priming sugar and rehydrated yeast. Not too worried about O2 pickup with this style (knock on wood).

 

[Tyler B]

Mine is now safely sitting in secondary (about ten weeks old) where I can't drink it. I plan on ordering an extra keg soon and this one will live out the rest of its life in there. I'll try to give it another month or two in the keg before I start drinking it, but there's no guarantee. I brewed two more beers to drink before this one goes on so we'll see.

Isomerization, good luck waiting on yours and be sure to report back on your findings from your experiment! I'm anxious to hear how it turns out.

 

[Tyler B]

Dumped a different beer (oxidized and possibly got some sort of infection) so this moved to the front of the line and was kegged about a week ago.

Faucet/shank came in the mail today so I put this one on just for a taste. At almost three months old, it's tasting really good. Without question, this one is shaping up to be my best attempt at Ten-Fidy. My recipe (BYO) might not be a clone but it's a damn good RIS.

Please, help me find the strength to stay out of this and let it age a while longer! Convince me that my patience will be rewarded in another couple months...

 

[shilohhills]

Ok, I brewed this following the original recipe as closely as possible. I used beersmith to give me actual volumes and steps. Everything went swimmingly, and my volumes were right on. My OG was 1.080, which threw me. I used half bottled purified drinking water, and half water from my well, which is crystal clear and tests very well, except for a little hardness. Do you think that had something to do with the low OG. Any advice appreciated!

 

[Abrayton]

Ok, I brewed this following the original recipe as closely as possible. I used beersmith to give me actual volumes and steps. Everything went swimmingly, and my volumes were right on. My OG was 1.080, which threw me. I used half bottled purified drinking water, and half water from my well, which is crystal clear and tests very well, except for a little hardness. Do you think that had something to do with the low OG. Any advice appreciated!

when I do dark beers this big I dail my efficiency down to 60%. Seems to help get closer to expected #’s

 

[Tyler B]

I don't think it has anything to do with your water. As Abtayton said, it's almost certainly because this beer is so big and has so many dark grains. I sense the frustration, but I'm sure your beer will still be a good one. Also, it probably won't take quite as long to mature...

I've brewed Imperial stouts more than any other style and they take some practice. Over the years, I've missed my numbers several times (either too low gravity, too low volume, too bitter, etc). Now, because of those several misses, I've dialed my system in and I hit my numbers almost perfectly. Treat this as a learning experience for next time.

Have you ever brewed something like this? What did you set you efficiency to? Do you use any kind of brewing software?

 

[Oldskewl]

I agree with Abrayton and Tyler B. For me, the bigger the beer the lower the efficiency. I do BIAB and usually average around 73% for 6-7% beers. For big Barleywines and Stouts my efficiency drops to around 65%. You probably just needed to compensate with a few more pounds of grain.

 

[shilohhills]

All excellent advice. Thanks. Being that I am a relative new brewer I won't bore you with my lack of knowledge of efficiency. With that being said, this site has provided me with more useful info than anything else, and I am grateful. I will get there eventually, but for me it will be a slow process as time is not on my side.

 

[Tyler B]

I recommend using some sort of brewing software. I use Brewers friend. It's free and fairly easy. You just add your recipe (water volume, grain quantities, etc) and it automatically does the rest for you. Now that you have already brewed it, you edit the efficiency until it matches your 1.080. It's as easy as changing one number on the website.

I would be happy to help walk you through the process if you have trouble. If you figure this out, you will know what type of efficiency you have on your system and will be able to adjust recipes accordingly so you don't miss your numbers.

Alternatively, if you don't care about any of that and you just want to get closer to 10.5%, you could feed your beer some sugar to boost the ABV a bit...

 

[shilohhills]

I actually am trying Beersmith on the advice of a friend. After looking at Brewers Friend, I may go with the free one. Two questions before I wear out my welcome:
1) Can you add sugar (dextrose) to the wort after a few days of fermentation?
2) Is there a way to know what the new potential ABV will be if you add sugar to the wort? I know my OG (1.080) and batch size (5.25 gal.)

 

[Abrayton]

Yes to both. Make a solution by boiling the sugar with water for 10 minutes, cool and add to the fermenting beer. You could wait until fermentation is complete too. Brewing software will show you the ABV adjustment and if you search you can find threads on this site that will provide calculations.

 

[Tyler B]

I've never used Beersmith simply because it wasn't free (at least when I checked). I'm sure it's good, maybe even better than Brewers Friend, but the one I use has everything I currently need from brew software. If you're already using Beersmith, and you've entered the recipe, the efficiency should be a couple button clicks away.

Regarding the sugar addition, I've done this in the past with dextrose as well as regular table sugar. I usually wait until the beer is done fermenting (about 10ish days) then check gravity to see where I'm at. Then add sugar accordingly.

 

[Tyler B]

Alright, curiosity got the best of me...
A crude comparison to the original post suggests your around 49% efficiency (1.080/1.106*65%).

I took it a step further and typed in a 5.25 gallon original recipe into Brewers friend and it says your efficiency is 52%. Probably a good bet.

Why is your efficiency so low? Could be all the dark grains, your grain crush, issues with your thermometer or mash temp, mash thickness... a combination of these things... who knows.

At any rate, it looks like a 2.2lb dextrose addition would get you around 10.5% ABV. That's assuming you're using 1056/US-05 yeast and your fermentation goes well. I don't think I'd add that much if it was me. You certainly could, people add that much to Belgian beers. I'd probably either leave it alone or add 1.2 lbs (as Abrayton described) which would get you to... Nine-Fidy.

Best of luck and please don't hesitate to ask for help. Also follow up and let us know how it goes.

 

[shilohhills]

This being my first big beer, I think I’ll let it fly as is with no additional sweetener. I’ll definitely let you know how it turns out as long as I haven’t succomed to lack of toilet paper by then.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I actually am trying Beersmith on the advice of a friend. After looking at Brewers Friend, I may go with the free one. Two questions before I wear out my welcome:
1) Can you add sugar (dextrose) to the wort after a few days of fermentation?
2) Is there a way to know what the new potential ABV will be if you add sugar to the wort? I know my OG (1.080) and batch size (5.25 gal.)

I can only speak of Beersmith. It allows you to hone in your equipment specs and mash tun characteristics. Its pretty critical to know your losses to compensate with an adjusted grain bill/water amount. It's critical to know how much your tun looses heat during the strike water addition also. Worth the few bucks to me at least. As other's said, my efficiency drops to around 60% for 10+% beers. I stir the mash a lot but just part of my process so don't worry about it anymore. I'd like to mention, tho, if one doesn't fix the wort with more sugar and the hops were the same, one will end up with a bitter stout. It's better to try to fix it during the boil or early stages of fermentation, at least with my experience.

 

[shilohhills]

Thanks for the info. When I tasted the wort as it went in the fermenter, it was quite bitter. I may do the sugar add.

 

[Abrayton]

It’s going to be bitter going into the fermentor, wort never tastes like finished beer. Wait until it ferments out and package it. It will probably be pretty good beer! Try to work on you efficiency issues on your next batches. I’d say skip the sugar unless the ABV your driving factor.

 

[shilohhills]

ABV would be nice, but making a good beer is far more important to me. At least at this early stage of my brewing life. I’ll work on efficiency and ABV next go round.

 

[Tyler B]

Mine is about 16 weeks old and almost finished. Probably tasting better than it ever has. Roasty, caramely, and chocolatey. Strong, rich, viscous, and full bodied with a nice dark colored head. Really a delicious beer. I'll definitely brew this one again.